Koihime Duel
by Starpion
Summary: While attempting to stop a robbery, a college student is thrown into a bizarre alternate version of ancient China where not only does Duel Monsters exist, but is widespread! It sounds like a dream come true, but soon enough, what he thought was just a game becomes far more dangerous...
1. A Blast to the Past

**Hello there, citizens of the Interwebs! My name is Starpion (star+scorpion), and this here is my debut story, Koihime Duel! Now, I've always been a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, and over the past few years, I've really gotten into fanfiction, although the two aren't always compatible (why does a series about trading card games have so many yaoi fics!?). For a while now, I've wanted to try to write a fanfic of my own, but until now, I've never tried. Well no more! Behold, a crossover between Yu-Gi-Oh and my latest obsession, Koihime Musou (thanks to Kamen Rider Chrome, Ten-Faced Paladin, Vanishing Raptor, and Fenikkisumaru).**

 **Now, before I begin, some warnings, just so you know what you're getting into. This is a self-insert fanfic, as well as a harem fic.**

 ***sees approaching lynch mob***

 **STOP! Let me go over some things. First off, my character isn't a complete SI. His personality and first name are based off of me, but his appearance is based off of my character from Pokemon Y. Secondly, I'm not going to make him some unstoppable Gary Stu who never loses a duel, is adored by all, and makes women fall for him at a single glance. He'll win most of his duels, being the protagonist and all, but he won't have a perfect record. There will be losses, not to mention flaws to make him more realistic. Also, he will have quite a few enemies, and the romance will happen over time, not to mention being the secondary focus. And the harem will be relatively small compared to other stories, and each girl will be given a decent amount of focus.**

 **Now with all of that said, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It was a calm autumn morning, with the city being unusually quiet, as a young man made his way down the sidewalk, passing by store after store. As he walked at a brisk, relaxed pace, his red sneakers made soft footsteps as they touched the hard concrete. He was tall, around six feet in height, yet somewhat scrawny. He was adorned with a simple pair of blue jeans and a plain gray T-shirt which was concealed by a red jacket, and was carrying a simple gray leather satchel slung over his right shoulder. His facial features were somewhat unremarkable, with a normal mouth, a normal nose, and a normal pair of blue eyes, with no marks or facial hair to make him stand out. He had shoulder length brown hair, and on top of his head was a red fedora with a black band, with a black-framed pair of sunglasses perched on it, although as it was a cloudy day, their only purpose was to appear fashionable. This was Anthony Calem, eighteen years old, and currently a college student.

As Anthony made his way to his destination, he reached into his satchel and pulled out one of his most prized possessions, a small orange box which contained a deck of Duel Monsters cards. As he eyed the box containing his precious cards, a smile gradually made its way onto his face. Ever since he was a kid, he'd loved Duel Monsters, to the point of being teased by his friends for his "obsession." Over the years, he had spent quite a lot of time and money building a sizeable collection of cards. Currently, his deck was comprised of Machine-type monsters, a personal favorite of his. He even had a toy Duel Disk inside of his satchel, which he had gotten for cheap at a convention. While some might consider it childish, to Anthony, Duel Monsters was a pretty big deal, even if it was just a game.

In fact, he was on his way to a local card shop, which swiftly became a favorite hangout spot of his. They had a large collection of cards, friendly employees, and it was even in walking distance of his college, which was good, since Anthony didn't drive. They also held tournaments every Friday, and seeing as he didn't have any classes on Friday, Anthony made it a habit to always attend the tournaments, even if he didn't always win. Seeing as there was a tournament today at 11:00, he woke up and got ready extremely early in order to not miss his chance to enter. However, when he finally got there, he found out that nobody was there, not even the owner. Anthony was confused, until he pulled out his phone and saw his mistake. His phone read the time as 8:24 a.m., and the shop didn't open until ten.

"Crap," he said to himself, "now what am I going to do for the next hour and a half?" As he looked around aimlessly, he noticed a large building which read, "Natural History Museum: Presenting Brand New Displays," and a small line of people entering. Anthony looked at the museum, shrugged his shoulders, and decided to browse for a bit before returning to the card shop when they were open.

After paying the admission fee, and having a very awkward conversation in which he explained what a Duel Disk was to the very confused security guard who checked his satchel, he made his way through the museum, checking out all of the exhibits he could find. He began with the dinosaur exhibit, then made his way through an exhibit on ancient tribes in Central America, and after that, he found his way into an exhibit based around the history of China. There were displays of various weapons used by the Chinese military, household objects, and illustrations depicting many noteworthy events from the different dynasties. However, some of the later illustrations were rather bizarre. There was an illustration of what looked like an old, damaged doll, and despite the pictures having Chinese origins, one image clearly depicted a Western dragon. As he made his way down the exhibit, Anthony noticed one man around his age looking at an ancient bronze mirror. The man looked incredibly shady, wearing a black hoodie and jeans, but Anthony wasn't concerned, as security would certainly take care of things. After looking at a few more exhibits, Anthony tore himself away from a set of European armor and checked his phone, showing it was 9:51. However, as he made his way to leave, suddenly…

*SMASH*

"Hey, you there! Drop the artifact and place your hands behind your-oof!"

"AGH!"

"Somebody, stop that thief!"

Despite the alarm bells going off inside of his head, Anthony had to do something, so he ran back to where the shattering and the screams came from, the Chinese exhibit. When he got there, he saw the same shady character, only this time, his hood was down, revealing his face. He was Japanese, with brown eyes and a spiky set of light brown hair. The case in front of him was smashed, leaving shards of broken glass all over the floor. The thief was holding the mirror from earlier, seemingly admiring either his prize or his reflection, while a security guard was sprawled on his side, clutching his stomach in pain.

Quickly, Anthony whipped out his phone and began to dial 911, but the thief noticed this and, swiftly closing the distance between them, used his free hand to smack the phone out of Anthony's hand, as it went flying and hit the ground, no doubt breaking in the process. Acting on instinct, Anthony grabbed the thief's right arm, which held the mirror. However, the thief clearly had strength and training, both of which Anthony lacked, and he suddenly spun Anthony around and locked him in a chokehold.

"Fool, do you honestly believe that you can stop me from rewriting the past?"

Anthony was utterly baffled by this question, but on account of the arm against his neck, he couldn't respond. However, he could at least attempt to fight back. Mustering all of his remaining strength, he leaned his head forward, then whipped it back, smacking it into his attacker's face. The man let out a cry of pain, and suddenly dropped the stolen mirror. The mirror then hit the ground, and as a result, it broke into pieces.

After this happened, a small light began to emit from the mirror's remains, which gradually became bigger. Anthony, having just broken free from the would-be thief, landed on the ground, then looked at the light coming from the broken artifact in shock.

"Damnit, it's already started!"

"W-What's happening? Why is it glowing? What the hell is going on?"

"It looks like my plans have changed somewhat. No matter, I can still work with this."

"What are you talking about!?"

"It's far too late for you now, as the curtain has already been drawn. Now be swallowed by the light and face your punishment!"

Before Anthony could reply, the steadily growing light became blinding, and suddenly, everything became white, and then dark.

~KD~

As Anthony slowly came to, he immediately noticed that there was something wrong. Rather than waking up on the museum floor, a hospital bed, or even a police station for questioning, he found himself in the middle of a wasteland, with the only noticeable landmark being a mountain range in the distance. At this revelation, Anthony began to frantically look back and forth, while trying not to panic. A small part of him believed that this was all just a really bizarre dream, but the fact that he could feel the warm stone and rough sand beneath him destroyed any chance of that being an option. He was truly lost, in the middle of who-knows-where.

Suddenly, he noticed that his satchel wasn't on his shoulder, and looked behind him to see it lying on the ground, open, with the Disk and cards visible. In total, there were two deck boxes, the orange one containing his deck and a blue one holding extra cards, and the Duel Disk, with two pockets for his Fusion Deck and his banished cards. As Anthony went to grab his things, he suddenly noticed something was off when he picked up his Duel Disk. Rather than plastic, what was originally a toy had now become sleek metal. Anthony didn't have a chance to dwell on this, however, as there was a bigger problem at hand. His phone was lost, and he had no idea where he was, with no food, water, or shelter.

Eventually, Anthony had the idea to simply walk in a straight line until he found somebody. Far from a foolproof plan, but it was the only plan that he had. Placing his cards and Duel Disk back into his bag, he slung it back over his shoulder and began to walk. But not long after, he suddenly saw a figure approaching from the distance. On his guard, he called out to whoever was there.

"Hello? Could you help me? I'm kinda lost, and I'd love to be able to go home."

His request was responded to by...soft laughter? Slowly, a figure stepped into view, a smirk on his face. He was a little shorter than Anthony, but far more muscular, with well-built arms exposed by his outfit. He wore what appeared to be a blue sleeveless top with white trim around the shoulders, and around his waist was a thick leather piece of armor that resembled a belt, brown with gold trim, held on by a thin blue sash. He had plain brown pants, and a yellow piece of cloth tied around his neck. He had brown eyes, a cleft chin, and a thin black mustache. On top of his head was a yellow bandana. He had a gray brace on his right wrist, while his left arm had…a Duel Disk!? However, unlike Anthony's, his appeared to be permanently extended, rather than having a standby mode, and while it was mostly gray like Anthony's, it also had yellow trim on the edge. The man spoke in a somewhat slimy tone.

"No, but I'm sure that you can help us. Starting by giving us whatever's in the bag."

As Anthony began to back away from the bandit, he suddenly thought about what he just said.

'Us?'

Slowly, Anthony turned around and saw two more bandits approach him. One of them was much shorter, about five feet, with a long nose, and the other one was a few inches taller than Anthony was, and was rather wide. They wore the same outfit as the first bandit, only without the Duel Disk-like device, instead having a brace on either wrist.

"Hey boss, check out his clothes! Never seen anything like them! Bet they're worth a ton," said the short one, in a sniveling, nasal voice.

"We'll be rich!" said the fat one, in a slow, deep voice.

"It's like you read my mind, boys," the leader said, still approaching his target. "Let's get him!"

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" screamed Anthony as loud as he possibly could. And suddenly, as if by magic, a voice replied back.

"Don't worry, sir! I'll save you from this bandit scum!"

Suddenly, a green and black blur flew out of the shadows and into view, capturing everyone's attention. The figure was a girl, with long black hair that was tied up in a ponytail, which reached the back of her legs. Said ponytail was bronze in color, with a red ribbon trailing from it. She wore a sleeveless top that was green in color with yellow trimming, with a white blouse underneath that was exposed covering her...ample assets, and a pink and white tie. The green top split into seven points, two short ones in the front, and five long ones in the back. She had bare shoulders, and wore what looked like detached sleeves, which were mostly white with green, red, and gold patterns across them, and what looked like burgundy silk beneath them. She had a simple black skirt, burgundy tights that reached her mid-thigh, and simple black shoes. She had amber eyes, and her face was one filled with determination.

But it wasn't her ornate outfit, her long hair, or her large chest that stood out the most to Anthony. Rather, it was the fact that she had a Duel Disk as well! It looked like the bandit's, except that rather than having yellow trim, her's had green trim.

"Alright, step away from the citizen and get lost! Don't make me use force!"

The bandit leader laughed, and simply approached the girl, leaving Anthony forgotten for the moment.

"And who are you, trying to ruin our latest catch?" he asked condescendingly.

The girl's frown grew tighter. "My name is Kan'u, followed by Uncho! And I'll tell you once more, let the man go!"

"Pretty…" said the fat bandit, completely mesmerized by Anthony's would-be savior, which made her tighten her frown even more. However, the short one pointed out the obvious.

"Boss, this chick's got herself a Duel Disk!"

This shook Anthony to his core. 'They really are Duel Disks?' he thought. Suddenly, he got a crazy idea, as he ran up to Kan'u, bag in tow.

"Hold on a second, I think that I might be able to take these three!"

Kan'u raised an eyebrow at this. "But didn't you call for help just now? What, do you think that I'm not capable of dueling a few lowly bandits?"

Anthony rapidly shook his head at this accusation. "No, no, not at all! It's just that, I didn't realize that they could duel too. And if there's one thing that I'm good at, it's Duel Monsters!"

"Ah," said the bandit leader, "so you are a duelist as well? Well then, in that case, I have a little wager for you. If one of you can beat me, we'll leave you two alone. But if I win, then the both of you have to give us everything you've got!"

As he said this, he pulled a deck out of the Disk and began to shuffle it. "Now then, which of you will be my opponent?"

Kan'u and Anthony turned to face each other.

"Look," said Anthony, "I don't doubt your skills, and I'm grateful that you came to help out, trust me. But I promise, I can handle this. Do you trust me?"

Kan'u wanted to argue further, but seeing that there was no way to persuade him, she simply sighed. "Alright, I trust you."

Anthony grinned, and then reached into his bag and pulled out his Duel Disk, before strapping it onto his left arm.

"Whoa, that thing looks way nicer than any of ours!" said the short bandit.

"Indeed, it will make us a fantastic haul," said the leader, who finished shuffling his deck.

'We'll see about that,' thought Anthony, as he placed his deck into his Duel Disk, before pushing a button on it. Suddenly, the two plates on it slammed together, before coming to rest on the outside of his arm. His deck was automatically shuffled, and the black bar read, "4000," displaying his life points.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Bandit Leader: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

As both of them drew their starting hands, Kan'u watched them with concern. 'He said that he can handle this, but even still, I want to help him…'

"I'll begin!" said the bandit leader, drawing a card from his deck. "And I think I'll start by summoning my Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow!"

As he said this, he placed a card onto the Disk, and suddenly, a portal appeared, and out of it came a short yellow-haired bandit with a scorpion tattoo and a large wooden mallet (LV 3: ATK 1000). Anthony was surprised at first, but quickly shook it off.

"Then I'll place one card face-down and end my turn. Your move," said the leader, as a face-down card appeared behind Chick the Yellow.

"Okay then," said Anthony, as he drew his card. Not wanting to lose one of his more powerful monsters to a potential trap, he selected a weaker one, but one that was still stronger than his opponent's.

"I summon my Ground Attacker Bugroth in attack mode!"

Suddenly, a large frog-like robot appeared, with two large water jets on its back and two small laser cannons on its pitifully small arms (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now my Bugroth is going to take down your Dark Scorpion with Beam Barrage!" shouted Anthony. As if on cue, Ground Attacker Bugroth aimed its weapons at Chick the Yellow, and let loose a barrage of laser blasts, which hit the small monster and shattered it into yellow pixels (Bandit Leader: 4000-3500 LP).

"That's all for now," said Anthony, ending his turn. As the bandit leader drew his new card, Kan'u could only stare in shock. She'd never seen a monster like that before, one seemingly made entirely out of metal. Add to that his futuristic Duel Disk and unusual clothes, and what Kan'u assumed was merely an ordinary citizen in distress was becoming more and more mysterious.

'Who are you…" she wondered.

"You may have defeated my Chick, but your metal monster is no match for my Don Zaloog!"

Kan'u was brought back to reality as the bandit leader summoned a new monster, one who also resembled a bandit. He had long periwinkle hair, a bandolier containing ammo, an eyepatch, two guns in his belt, a scorpion tattoo, and a sword in each hand (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"But your monster is weaker," Anthony pointed out.

"Not for long," the leader said, "as I'm activating my Spell Card, Riryoku, to drain your monster's power and give it to my own!"

"Crap!" Anthony exclaimed, as a card depicting a demon stealing a warrior's soul appeared. Suddenly, a purple mist came out of Anthony's machine, and made its way to Don Zaloog (ATK 1500-750)(ATK 1400-2150).

"Now, I'll activate my trap, Robbin' Zombie! This card will make it so that whenever one of my monsters deals damage, you must send the card on the top of your deck to the Graveyard!"

As he said this, the face-down card flipped up, revealing a card depicting a zombie with a sack in its hand.

"Alright, Don Zaloog, destroy his Ground Attacker Bugroth!"

Swiftly, Don Zaloog sped forward and slashed Anthony's monster with his swords, destroying it. Then, a dark mist surrounded the top card of Anthony's deck, and he begrudgingly sent the card to his Graveyard (Anthony: 4000-2600 LP).

"But I'm not done yet! Since Don Zaloog dealt damage, I can either have you discard one random card, or send the top two cards from your deck to the Graveyard. Hmm…I think I'll have you discard!"

Suddenly, Don Zaloog sheathed one of his swords and drew one of his pistols, and fired at a random card in Anthony's hand, which turned out to be Mechanicalchaser, the strongest card in his hand that wasn't five or more levels. Anthony grimaced, but complied, which wasn't unnoticed.

"Looks like he lost a good one!" the fat bandit laughed, when Kan'u sent a fierce glare in his direction, shutting him up.

"It's no big deal," said Anthony, as he drew a new card. He looked at it, then at his hand. All of his other cards were monsters, and only one of them was a low enough level to summon. Fortunately, it had the same amount of attack points as the bandit's monster. Making up his mind, he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk.

"I summon Cannon Soldier in attack mode!"

His monster materialized in the form of a purple bipedal robot which, true to its name, sported a large cannon barrel on its back (LV 4: ATK 1400).

'Another one of those metal monsters? This man is definitely strange,' thought Kan'u.

"And I'll set one card face-down. That's all for me."

The bandit smirked, then drew his next card. He looked at it, and smirked, before putting it in the Spell and Trap Zone, face-up.

"I'll activate my Spell Card, Sparks!"

A card depicting a fire with rising embers appeared, before a swarm of embers appeared and surrounded Anthony, making him shield himself even though they were only holograms (Anthony: 2600-2400 LP).

"Then I'll tribute my Don Zaloog to Tribute Summon Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong!"

The eyepatched bandit faded, and in its place appeared a much more muscular bandit with a scar over his eye, wielding a massive mace (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"Gorg, flatten that thing!"

The Dark Scorpion raised its weapon and slammed it down on Cannon Soldier, shattering it into pixels (Anthony: 2400-2000 LP). The effect of Robbin' Zombie then kicked in, and Anthony sent the top card of his deck to the Graveyard, before he activated his face-down, chaining it to the destruction of his monster.

"I activate my Trap Card, Time Machine!"

A portal appeared, and out of it rose a large metal container. The door swung open with a burst of steam, and there stood Cannon Soldier, good as new (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"By using Time Machine," he explained to anybody who needed it (which was all four of them), "I can revive any monster that was destroyed by battle in the same place and battle position it was in. Welcome back, Cannon Soldier!"

"Not bad, but since I dealt damage, I can either have you send another card to the Graveyard, or send a monster on your side of the field back to your hand. I think that I'll just have you keep thinning your deck, since I'm sure that you know what will happen if you run out of cards in your deck," explained the bandit, with Anthony complying.

"Yeah, I lose." Kan'u bit her lip; he was behind in both cards in his deck and in life points, and it didn't look like things would be getting better any time soon.

"And now I end my turn!"

Anthony took a deep breath before he drew his new card, then grabbed his sunglasses and placed them on his face.

"It's time to face the future!"

With newfound confidence, he took his Cannon Soldier off of the field and placed a new card in its place.

"I tribute my Cannon Soldier to summon my favorite monster, the all-powerful Machine King!"

Like Don Zaloog, Cannon Soldier faded into light as a new monster took its place. This new monster stood at least twelve feet tall, towering over the duelist and the spectators. It was a large humanoid robot, mostly gray in color with red forearms, a red visor, and a mostly blue torso with a large red disc in the center (LV 6: ATK 2200).

The two bandits that weren't dueling were silent in fear, his opponent looked a little nervous, and Kan'u was in complete awe of this newfound monster. What incredible power it must have! In a small part of her mind, Kan'u was anxious to duel this mystery man for herself.

"And seeing as he is the king of machines, every single Machine-type monster on the field boosts his attack points by one hundred, including himself!"

As Anthony explained his monster's effect, its power slowly increased (ATK 2200-2300).

"Okay, Machine King, it's time to unleash your full power! Go, Jet Punch!"

Machine King slowly raised it right fist and cocked it back, before letting out a powerful punch. As this happened, the monster's forearm actually disconnected from its body and was propelled by rockets, flying into Gorg the Strong and smashing through it, before finally returning to its arm where it belonged (Bandit Leader: 3500-3000 LP).

"Do you think you can top that?" Anthony asked.

The bandit scowled before drawing a card, and placing it on the Monster Zone face-down, sideways.

"I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

The bandit was smirking inside. That face-down monster was Man-Eater Bug, so if that huge metal monster attacked it, it would be destroyed instantly. It was a foolproof plan, or so he thought, until Anthony began his turn.

"I'll activate the Shield Crush Spell Card, letting me destroy your defense position monster!"

The bandit's eyes grew wide as the card appeared, showing a yellow energy bolt shattering the monster known as Millennium Shield. A bright yellow beam of energy shot out of the card and struck the face-down monster, shattering it before it could reveal itself. Then Anthony grinned, before activating another Spell Card.

"And now, I'll finish this duel by activating the card Limiter Removal!"

A card appeared on the field showing a car speedometer that had been tampered with.

"This Spell Card makes the attack points of every Machine-type monster on the field double, meaning that Machine King is strong enough to wipe out your remaining life points in one fell swoop!"

His Machine King suddenly began sparking, as its power increased until it was much stronger than any monster that Kan'u had ever seen before, as she continued to stare in disbelief (ATK 2300-4600).

"Now, Machine King! POWER SURGE!"

Sparks began to build around the disc on his monster's chest, until a large blue beam of energy shot forward, hitting the bandit leader head-on and sending him flying backwards (Bandit Leader: 3000-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

Kan'u smiled, and pumped her fist in celebration. Meanwhile, the bandits made a break for it, but not before their leader left some parting words.

"You haven't seen the last of the Yellow Turban Bandits!"

With the duel having ended, the remaining holograms disappeared, and Anthony returned his Duel Disk into its resting position.

"That was amazing! I've never seen cards like those before," said Kan'u excitedly.

"Thanks, uh, Kan'u Uncho, was it?"

"Yes, and you are…"

"Oh, my name's Anthony Calem, pleasure to meet you!"

Kan'u smiled, then she began to think to herself. 'He's got an unusual name, unusual clothes, and uses cards that I've never seen before. Could this man be...the Messenger of Heaven?'

"Oh, before I forget," said Anthony, lifting his sunglasses back utop his hat, "may I ask you something?"

Kan'u turned to face the man. "Of course, anything. I'm always happy to help somebody in need!" As she said this, she puffed out her chest with pride.

"Where exactly am I?"

* * *

 **And there we go! Feel free to say what you liked, give suggestions on how I can improve, or just ask questions that I may or may not be able to answer!**

 **Edit 12/1/2018: fixed a timing error with Time Machine. Starpion out!**


	2. Meet & Greet

****And here we are, the second chapter! Why so soon? Well, to be honest, I actually have twenty chapters that are nearly done, just needing a wee bit of proofreading before I submit them. I actually wrote the first chapter in its entirety exactly one month ago! Though between my job, and school starting soon, I may not be able to keep up the same speed, though I'll certainly try.****

 ** **Before I begin, I should probably mention two things. First off, I won't be following the visual novel word for word, with a few changes to better fit the universe I've created, one where Duel Monsters has existed in ancient China for a few years. Secondly, every card used in this fanfic exists in the TCG and the OCG, meaning no anime-exclusive cards, no manga-exclusive cards, and most importantly, no fan-made cards. Just thought I should get that out there right now. And with that said, enough beating around the bush! There are two duels in this chapter, and I shouldn't keep my readers waiting! It's time to duel!****

* * *

"Where are you? Why, you're in the Zhuo District in Yozho Province. I assume you've heard of Yozho Province?"

Actually, no, Anthony had never heard of a place like that, and judging by the terminology, he certainly wasn't in the United States anymore. He needed a country name if he was to get any sort of useful information.

"What country are we in?"

Kan'u looked completely baffled. Anthony supposed it was a rather silly question, but he didn't really have a lot to go on.

"China, of course. Where did you think we were?"

Anthony's eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. First he ends up in some random wasteland, then he almost gets mugged, duels somebody, and now it turns out he's in a different country? This was quickly becoming the weirdest day of his life.

"Big sis? Where'd you go? Hello?"

Suddenly, another voice made its presence known, one that sounded younger than the two duelists. A young girl made her way to the two duelists, making herself known. She had blue eyes, bright red hair in a bob cut, with a tiger hair clip. She had a dark blue top that exposed her stomach and a puffy yellow vest, a scarlet scarf around her neck. She also wore a simple pair of shorts the same color as her top and two interlocking belts with a silver buckle. On her feet were long leg wrappings that lacked toes or heels, and she didn't wear shoes. She wore blue fingerless gloves and red cuffs, with a blue sleeve on her right arm, and a red-trimmed Duel Disk on her left.

"Big sis!" she exclaimed happily, her hair clip oddly mimicking her wide smile. Kan'u, in turn, smiled just as brightly, running towards this new face.

"Rinrin! I'm sorry I left you but I heard a cry for help and couldn't ignore it."

The girl pouted, retorting, "Rinrin could've helped! She's a big girl, and a good duelist!"

"Well, I had everything under control once I learned that the situation could be solved by dueling."

The girl turned towards Anthony. "Who's that guy in the funny clothes?"

Kan'u smiled, then turned to Anthony. "Anthony, this is my sworn sister, Chohi Yokutoku. Rinrin, this is Anthony Calem."

'So they aren't actually sisters,' Anthony thought, before he noticed something. "Hey, you said her name is Chohi, right? Why do you keep calling her Rinrin?"

Chohi puffed up her cheeks in anger. "Rinrin is my secret name! Only friends and family can call Rinrin that!"

'And herself,' he snarked to himself. "So, where did you meet?"

"Rinrin and I grew up together, as our parents were friends," said Kan'u, before her voice became more depressed. "When they were killed in a bandit attack, we left the village in order to protect anybody who needs it."

Anthony was shocked by this revelation, and decided not to press this issue further, and asked about the elephant in the...wasteland. "So, where did you learn how to duel?"

"Ooh, from the emperor!" said Chohi. "He gave out all of these fun cards and Duel Disks, and whenever two people don't get along, they duel! And it's just really fun to do!"

"Yeah, it sure is," said Anthony, prompting Kan'u to ask a question of her own.

"By the way, there's something I'm curious about myself."

"Shoot."

"Where did you get all of those strange cards?"

Anthony was puzzled. "My Machines? Well, I bought them. Same with my Duel Disk. And they're not really strange, plenty of people have them where I'm from."

This was all the confirmation that Kan'u needed. "So then, you are the Messenger from Heaven?"

"Hm?"

"The oracle known as Kanro told of a prophecy where following the night of a shooting star, a hero will appear from the heavens in order to unite the country and bring peace to our land. There was a shooting star the night before, and now you're here, to help us bring peace to China!"

Kan'u then kneeled before Anthony, with Chohi following suit.

"And now, the two of us will follow you on your quest."

"Rinrin won't let you down, promise! Big sis and I will be good for you!"

Anthony felt himself sweating in embarrassment and nervousness, as he attempted to correct the two girls.

"Look, I'm flattered, but I've never heard about this 'Messenger from Heaven' thing. I think you've got the wrong guy, sorry to disappoint you."

The girls remained silent for a moment, before Kan'u stood up, a devastated look on her face. "W-Well, if you say so...I'm sorry to bother you. We'll be on our way now."

Kan'u turned away, but Chohi began to pull on her sworn sister's arm. "C'mon, big sis, I wanna talk with him! We didn't even get to duel yet!"

Then Anthony had an idea. "Well, I may not be the chosen one or whatever, but I still need somewhere to go, and the two of you seem pretty nice. You said that dueling solves decisions, right?"

Chohi nodded vigorously. "Yep, yep! And they're super fun too! All those cool monsters and magic, I love it!"

Anthony smiled. "Well, how about if I duel the two of you, and win both times, then I get to travel with you."

Kan'u took a second to consider this. Even if he wasn't the Messenger of Heaven, he still seemed like a friendly individual and a skilled duelist. "Well, I suppose-"

"And you have to let me call you by your secret names."

Now this caught Kan'u off guard. Traveling with them was one thing, but to call them by their secret names when they just met? And to ask of that so casually? There was no way that they could agree to that-

"Okay, but we can call you by your secret name!"

Kan'u turned to the youngest of them with a look of shock on her face. How could somebody who berated a man for calling her by her secret name suddenly change her mind like that!?

"Well, I don't have a secret name, but you can call me whatever you like," Anthony replied.

"Deal!"

"Hold on, Rinrin! You can't possibly agree to this so hastily!"

"Silly sis, I just did!"

While Kan'u spluttered and stammered at this, Chohi smiled and faced her Duel Disk towards Anthony, while Anthony prepared his own, and with that, the duel was about to begin.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Chohi: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"Rinrin will go first," said Chohi, drawing her sixth card and examining her hand, before she placed a card in the Monster Zone. "And I summon my Frenzied Panda!"

A large panda with sharp teeth and a massive bamboo stick appeared field, snarling at Anthony (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"That's all for Rinrin!"

"That's a cool monster, Chohi," said Anthony, "but it's too bad that it won't last another turn." As Chohi tilted her head in confusion, Anthony activated the card he just drew. "I activate Cost Down, which lets me discard a card to drop the level of every monster in my hand by two!" A card depicting two levels being pierced by swords appeared, and Anthony sent Cost Down and another card to the Graveyard, before placing a monster on his Duel Disk. "And now, I can summon my Sword Slasher without a tribute!"

A gray and blue robot wielding two jagged swords appeared on Anthony's side of the field (LV 5-3: ATK 1450).

"Okay, Sword Slasher, make that panda extinct!"

Sword Slasher sprinted towards Frenzied Panda, before it crossed its blades, jumped above it, and slashed in an X-shape, destroying the bear (Chohi: 4000-3750 LP).

"And I'll set one card to end my turn." (LV 3-5)

Kan'u frowned at this, worrying about the redhead. However, Chohi simply smiled wider as she drew her next card.

"Go, Mystical Space Typhoon! Blow away that card!"

Chohi activated a card which released a large whirlwind which made its way towards Anthony's face-down, before the card, which was revealed to be Time Machine, was pulled into the air and shattered.

"I'll set one monster and one card, and that's it for Rinrin!"

Anthony drew his card, and placed it on the field.

"I summon my Blast Juggler."

His new monster looked like a giant red time bomb on a spring. It had two arms that were juggling round bombs (LV 3: ATK 800).

"Sword Slasher, take care of her monster!"

Kan'u winced as the face-down monster, a gray wolf called Silver Fang (LV 3: DEF 800), was slashed apart by the mechanical swordsman. 'Rinrin better have a plan, or she won't win this duel.'

"And now, I'll have my Blast Juggler attack you directly!"

The monster in question began to swiftly juggle its explosives, before it tossed one at Chohi, who kept on smiling as she pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

"Rinrin uses Scapegoat to have her fluffy sheep save her life points!"

The card depicted four tiny Sheep Tokens - one blue, one yellow, one orange, and one pink - before they all appeared on Chōhi's side of the field (LV 1: DEF 0).

One of the sheep, the yellow one, took the blow head-on, and since it was in defense position, Chohi didn't lose any life points. Anthony sighed before ending his turn, while Kan'u was smiling almost as wide as Chohi. Now Anthony was about to witness her sister's true power!

"Rinrin summons Inaba White Rabbit!"

A fountain appeared on the field, and a ghostly rabbit came out of it (LV 3: ATK 700). Anthony then turned towards Kan'u, who for some reason seemed rather nervous. She had wide eyes and was slightly trembling. Chohi broke him out of his daze when she activated another card, a spell which depicted a charging boar.

"Rinrin uses Rush Recklessly, to boost my bunny by seven hundred attack points!"

The Spirit Monster suddenly gained a red aura, as its attack power spiked (ATK 700-1400).

"Now Inaba White Rabbit, attack!"

The rabbit stopped circling the fountain and leapt towards Anthony's monster. Anthony thought that her monster was going to attack his Blast Juggler, but to his surprise, it passed his monsters, and kept going until it slammed into him directly (Anthony: 4000-2600 LP)!

"What the hell just happened? How did your rabbit attack directly?"

"Inaba White Rabbit can attack directly because of its effect! The bad news is that when my turn is done, it goes back to my hand."

As she said this, true to her word, her rabbit returned to her hand, causing Kan'u to relax.

'What's wrong with Kan'u?' thought Anthony. 'Is she afraid of rabbits or something?'

Anthony filed this in his mind, and simply drew his next card.

"Since it's the Standby Phase, I can tribute my Blast Juggler to destroy two monsters with a thousand or less attack points."

The timer on the red monster hit zero, as it tossed two bombs into the air before it detonated. The bombs hit the blue and orange Sheep Tokens, leaving only the pink token and Sword Slasher on the field.

"And now I summon my Mechanical Snail!"

A purple snail shell with a wide mouth, two yellow legs, and two yellow arms ending in blades appeared on the field (LV 3: ATK 800).

"I think I'll have my snail take out your last token, and have Sword Slasher attack directly."

Mechanical Snail slowly lifted its arm, and sliced the final Sheep Token in half, before it shattered into pixels. Then Sword Slasher ran towards Chohi and slashed at her with its scimitars, taking out a sizable chunk of her life points (Chohi: 3750-2300 LP).

With his turn over, Chohi drew her card, before she somehow smiled even wider, her grin threatening to reach both of her ears. Quickly, she summoned a new monster, this one looking like a massive red ape with a look of absolute fury on its face. Her new monster shrieked loudly as it vigorously beat its chest (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"You've got some really cool monsters, Anty-Anfon-guy with the funny hat! But Rinrin's Berserk Gorilla has you beat! Go, smash that snail!"

Berserk Gorilla continued to beat its chest before it let out a stream of fire from its mouth, which destroyed Mechanical Snail (Anthony: 2600-1400 LP).

"Rinrin ends her turn!"

Kan'u was delighted, her best friend and sworn sister had really bounced back! If she played her cards right, she could definitely pull out a win!

Anthony slowly drew his next card, hoping that it could turn this duel back in his favor. He looked at his new card, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"I set a monster, switch my Sword Slasher into defense mode, and set one card face-down. Give me all you've got, Chohi." (DEF 1500)

"Okay!" said Chohi, as the redhead drew her next card. "First I summon my Inaba White Rabbit," she said, as the rabbit spirit returned to the field (LV 3: ATK 700). Kan'u flinched as the Spirit Monster returned to the field, and Chohi activated a new card.

"Now, I activate Wild Nature's Release, which makes my bunny gain attack equal to its defense!"

A card depicting a powered-up Berserk Gorilla appeared, as Inaba White Rabbit suddenly roared before it grew in size and strength (ATK 700-1200). This was apparently too much for Kan'u, as she suddenly let out a loud scream.

"GH-GH-GH-GHOST!"

Kan'u began to back away from the duel, as Chohi and Anthony looked towards her with worried expressions.

"Sorry, big sis, but I need to use this monster to win!"

"Besides," added Anthony, "it's only a hologram, an image created by light. Remember, it's just a game!"

Kan'u took a deep breath, and managed to calm herself down. "Thank you, both of you. Don't worry about me, just finish your duel."

"Okay! Inaba White Rabbit, attack!"

As her monster leapt over Anthony's defending monsters, Anthony pressed a button on his Duel Disk, activating his face-down card which turned out to be a Trap Card that had a picture of a massive explosion on it.

"By declaring an attack, you've triggered my Widespread Ruin, meaning that your strongest monster is automatically destroyed!"

With that, what looked like a metal disc with a spike underneath it floated towards Berserk Gorilla, then exploded, destroying the Beast-type monster. However, this did not impede Chohi's other monster, which still managed to deal a direct attack (Anthony: 1400-200 LP).

"And now, by ending my turn, Inaba White Rabbit comes ba-"

However, to everybody's shock, her remaining monster began to shriek in pain before it was destroyed, leaving everyone to wonder what just happened, before Anthony spoke up.

"Oh yeah, at the end of the turn, any monster that gets a boost from Wild Nature's Release is destroyed! Not like it matters, as I've got this in the bag," he boasted, once more placing his sunglasses over his eyes before he drew.

As he saw what he drew, he inwardly began cheering. First, he flipped his face-down monster face-up.

"Before I end this duel, I might as well reveal my monster."

The monster was revealed to be Mighty Guard, a green robot that was covered in gears (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And now, I tribute my Sword Slasher and my Mighty Guard to summon my Slot Machine!"

Both of Anthony's Machine-types disappeared, as a new monster took their place. It was a large golden slot machine with two huge legs, an arm on the left where its lever was, a purple head with a single eye, and on its right, a massive energy cannon (LV 7: ATK 2000).

But Anthony wasn't done just yet. "Next, I equip my Slot Machine with the Spell Card Machine Conversion Factory!"

A card that showed the inside of a factory appeared on the field, as the attack points of Slot Machine rose until they were enough to completely wipe out Chohi's remaining life points (ATK 2000-2300).

"Now, prepare to face the future! Go, Plasma Laser Cannon!"

Using its arm, Slot Machine pulled its lever, causing the three slots to start spinning. As this was happening, the cannon began to slowly collect energy. Eventually, the slots landed on three sevens, and the monster fired a bright blue beam of plasma at the younger duelist, which collided head-on, knocking her back (Chohi: 2300-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"RINRIN!" screamed Kan'u as she bolted towards her sworn sister's side, as Slot Machine and Machine Conversion Factory disappeared from the field. Chohi was on the ground, swirls in her eyes (as well as the eyes of her hair clip, for some strange reason). Kan'u gently lifted her friend's head as Anthony placed his cards back into his deck, shuffled it, then ran over to the girls.

"Rinrin, are you okay?" asked Kan'u, as Anthony looked over her with concern.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her, I just-"

"THAT WAS SO COOL!"

Kan'u and Anthony recoiled in shock as Chohi sprang to her feet, before running up to Anthony, speaking a mile a minute.

"Wowie, what a fun duel! You did really good, mister! And so did Rinrin! Like when my sheep came to help me and you were all 'Wha?', or when you brought out that big gold guy and said, 'Prepare to face the future!' And those cool metal guys, and the explosions, and-"

"Calm down, you're gonna pass out if you don't stop to take a breath!" said Anthony, lifting his sunglasses back up. Chohi did as she was told, and Anthony turned to face the black-haired girl.

"That's one victory for me, now all I have to do is beat you now, right?"

Kan'u nodded, and said, "Yes, though I'm a little better at this game than Rinrin is." She wasn't lying: she and her sworn sister had duel quite a few times, and more often than not, Kan'u came out on top. And besides, even though Chohi lost, she still came very close to beating him, so it wasn't an impossible task.

"Alright then, let's get this duel started!"

~KD~

Currently, Kan'u and Anthony were standing some distance apart, Duel Disks facing each other, hands on their decks. They had agreed that since Anthony won the last duel, he would go first this time around. Chohi was sitting down with Anthony's bag, humming to herself as she watched her sister and her new friend get ready to begin.

"DUEL!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

As Anthony drew his card, he analyzed his hand, and planned out his first move.

"To begin, I activate a Continuous Spell called Weapon Change!"

A spell materialized on the field, which displayed a picture of a knight who was magically exchanging his sword and shield. "With this card, during my Standby Phase, I can select one Warrior-type or Machine-type monster that I control, and pay seven hundred of my life points to switch its attack and its defense until your next turn."

After this, he placed one monster on the field in defense position, and ended his turn. Kan'u drew her card, and looked over her hand carefully, trying to formulate a plan to defeat him. Her first step, in her eyes, was to get as many monsters out on the field as possible.

"I'll begin by summoning my Marauding Captain."

Her monster was a blonde knight, wearing plated armor and wielding two short swords (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"And now, I'll activate his effect in order to Special Summon my Field-Commander Rahz from my hand!"

Another knight appeared on her side of the field, only this one had brown hair and only one sword (LV 4: ATK 1600). He raised his sword, and a card from her deck moved to the top.

"Rahz, attack his face-down monster!"

The monster did as ordered and leapt towards the face-down card, and thrust his sword forward, before it bounced off. Kan'u was confused, until she noticed Anthony's monster, a large cyborg covered in multicolored football gear (LV 4: DEF 2100)(Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP).

"Nice try, Kan'u, but my Battle Footballer's defense is too tough to be taken out by either of those two monsters!"

Kan'u begrudgingly ended her turn, and Anthony began his. Suddenly, his Weapon Change began to glow, and a purple aura coated Battle Footballer, swapping its stats (DEF 2100-1000)(Anthony: 4000-3300 LP).

"Hooray, big sis is winning!" cheered Chohi from the sidelines.

"Not for long," said Anthony, as he switched his Battle Footballer into attack mode (ATK 2100). "Since I don't want my Footballer to be lonely, I'll summon a friend for him to play with. Like my Cannon Soldier!"

Soon, the familiar purple robot appeared, aiming its barrel at the opposing monsters (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Cannon Soldier, blast that captain! Battle Footballer, tackle that field commander!"

His mechanical monsters did what they were told. Cannon Soldier aimed its claws at Marauding Captain before opening them, revealing two gun barrels inside. It then fired small blue bolts of energy that struck Marauding Captain and destroyed it (Kan'u: 3500-3300 LP). After this, Battle Footballer slammed into Field-Commander Rahz with a charging tackle, sending him to the Graveyard (Kan'u: 3300-2800 LP).

"And now, I activate the effect of my Cannon Soldier, which lets me tribute one of my monsters to inflict 500 points of damage!"

Battle Footballer suddenly became a ball of light, and flew into Cannon Soldier's back. The purple robot then aimed its barrel at Kan'u, before firing a blue blast of energy at her, dishing out a fair amount of damage (Kan'u: 2800-2300 LP).

"And now, I end my turn."

Kan'u drew, the card that Field-Commander Rahz had selected being added to her hand. Without hesitation, she set it on the field in defense mode.

"Your turn!"

Anthony obliged, drawing his next card, and smiling when he saw what it was. He then grabbed his sunglasses and put them on, which worried both Kan'u and Chohi, as this was a sign that he was about to pull off something amazing.

"It's time for me to face the future! I tribute my Cannon Soldier to summon my Machine King!"

Sure enough, Anthony's ace appeared on the field, rearing to its full height. Chohi looked positively ecstatic to see such a powerful looking monster, while Kan'u looked up at the metal behemoth with worry, having experienced its power firsthand, and now having to face it as an opponent. Machine King then glowed for a moment, as it increased in power (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"Hey, why did it get stronger all of a sudden?" asked Chohi.

Anthony explained its effect, since she wasn't around to see it the first time. "Machine King gains a hundred attack points for every Machine-type monster on the field, including itself. After all, it makes sense that the king gets help from its subjects."

Then Anthony turned to face Kan'u. "Of course, the best kings lead by example, and Machine King is more than capable of fighting for itself. Go, Jet Punch!"

Machine King then launched its metal fist at Kan'u's monster, only for it to bounce off, before returning to its owner (Anthony: 3300-3000 LP). Now it was Anthony's turn to be confused.

"What the hell just happened? My monster should have been strong enough to wipe out yours!"

The monster was then revealed to be a long-haired warrior kneeling behind a massive shield, known as Big Shield Gardna (LV 4: DEF 2600). After it revealed itself, it slowly stood up, switching itself into attack mode (ATK 100). With nothing else he could do, Anthony ended his turn.

Slowly, Kan'u drew her next card, and her expression lit up when she saw what it was. It was her favorite card, very difficult to summon, but easily stronger than any other monster she had. Slowly, she examined her hand, and discovered that she had all of the cards that she needed to win. First, she placed a card in the Monster Zone.

"I summon my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!"

This new monster was a woman wearing light armor that was green in color, a brown leather cape, and a brown hat, with a sword on her back (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"And now I play my Hammer Shot, which destroys the strongest monster on the field!"

A spell that showed the monster Goblin Attack Force being crushed by a giant mallet appeared on the field, as a large mallet came spinning out of the card before it hit Machine King, destroying it much to Anthony's disbelief. His favorite card, out of the game just like that? Kan'u wasn't lying when she said she was good at Duel Monsters.

"And now, I activate my Black Luster Ritual!"

Suddenly, two pots appeared with a shield and two crossed swords between them. Warrior Lady of the Wasteland and Big Shield Gardna each went into one of the pots, before a beacon of light burst out of each of them. The beacons began to spin around and become one, as Kan'u began to chant (4+4=8).

"The forces of light and darkness intertwine! I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth Black Luster Soldier!"

The beacons, now one large beacon, dissipated in a flash, as a warrior fell from it and landed on the ground, before rising to its full height. It was a knight, with a green skinned face and a long red ponytail being all that was visible of its body, as the rest of it was covered in a black and gold suit of armor. Its left hand held a black shield with a golden pattern that resembled a dragon, while its right hand held a large curved sword with a golden handle that slightly resembled a dragon (LV 8: ATK 3000).

Chohi was jumping for joy seeing her sister's signature monster on the field. "She summoned it, she summoned it, she summoned it!"

Anthony was completely star struck by the sight of it. While he was well-aware of the existence of Black Luster Soldier, even owning a copy back home, to see it in action, even against him, was truly an amazing experience...which then turned into a nightmare when he realized that her monster had enough power to win the duel for Kan'u.

"Go, Black Luster Soldier! Chaos Blade!"

Her monster jumped into the air and raised its sword above its head, the blade glowing with yellow energy. The Ritual Monster then began to fall, blade still raised, then landed on the ground, bringing its sword down as well. As the blade touched the ground, a yellow blast of light tore through the ground, rapidly approaching Anthony. The blast struck him, sending him flying backwards, as well as knocking off his hat and glasses (Anthony: 3000-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"And that's game," said Kan'u, Black Luster Soldier fading away. Suddenly, Anthony, sprawled on his back, made what sounded like a grunt. "Are you alright?" asked Kan'u, worried that she might have seriously injured a man. He made the noise again, though this time it was clearer and sounded like...chuckling? As Anthony slowly got up, his chuckles got louder and harder until he was full-blown laughing, with Kan'u being confused, and Chohi joining in, until she stopped and tilted her head in confusion.

"Why are we laughing again?"

Anthony's laughter slowly died down, as he stood up and went to grab his hat and shades. "Holy crap, that was incredible! You've got skill, Kan'u!"

"You aren't disappointed that you lost?" Sure, Chohi wasn't upset, but she was a very cheerful person, while Anthony seemed more reserved, although he wasn't acting like that now.

"Why should I be? It's only a game. I may always try my hardest to win, but even if I lose, the most important thing is that I had fun. And that certainly happened!"

Anthony brushed off his hat before putting it on, and placed his sunglasses on top of it. He then walked over to Chohi and collected his bag.

"Well, it was nice to meet you two, but I should probably go on my way."

"What do you mean?" said Kan'u.

"Well, a deal's a deal, right?"

Kan'u smiled. "Well, I never agreed to this. And I never leave someone in need."

Anthony suddenly smiled as well. "You mean, I can come with you?"

Kan'u nodded, and Chohi began to chant again. "Yay, big bro is coming with us!"

'Big bro?' Apparently, Chohi had made a decision of her own. And since he doubted that Kan'u would let him refuse, he got ready to go with them, before he remembered something.

"What about the other part of our deal?"

Kan'u sighed, but complied. "Very well, you may call us by our secret names. You already know Rinrin, and my secret name is Aisha."

"Aisha? That's a pretty name!"

Anthony immediately covered his mouth after blurting this out, and Kan'u blushed furiously at this remark.

"W-Well, anyway, we should probably get going, Anthony."

"Good idea, Aisha."

Kan'u turned to face the west, and said, "There lies a village in this direction, not far from where we are now. We should stop there first."

And so the three duelists made their way to the village, ready to take on whatever crossed their path.

* * *

 ** **I bet nobody expected that to happen, did they!? A protagonist losing in the second episode (well, chapter, but whatever)!? Who's heard of such a thing!?****

 ** ***receives word from nonexistent agent*****

 ** **Oh, Yugi ,Yusei, and Yuya? And both Jaden and Yuma lost not too far in their own series? Huh, and here I thought I was being risky. Well, I hope you enjoyed, and expect the other chapters to come out after I've given them a once-over, and check for any errors. Have a nice day, and don't be afraid to face the future! Starpion out! *tosses smoke bomb, and leaves the stage coughing*****

 ** **Edit 11/11/2019: fixed effect of Weapon Change.****


	3. A Battle with Bandits

**Starting now, all important author's notes are in the back. Begin!**

* * *

As the three of them began to approach the village, Chohi noticed a dark cloud above where the village was located.

"Hm, what's that? Is something wrong?"

As soon as these words left her lips, Kan'u and Anthony began to panic, and the three of them began to sprint towards the village as fast as possible, with Chohi overtaking the other two. After all, smoke coming from a populated area was almost never a good thing. When they arrived, they were horrified to see that the village had been ransacked, with buildings set ablaze.

"Who could have done such a horrible thing…" said Kan'u, frozen in place. "Why would they do such a thing?!"

Suddenly, Kan'u began to sprint into the burning village, with Anthony chasing after her.

"Aisha, wait! It isn't safe!"

But Kan'u ignored him, and continued running. When Anthony finally caught up with her, she was knelt down and hugging Chohi.

"Rinrin, you're safe...what happened? Did you see who was responsible?"

The normally loud and cheerful Chohi simply nodded her head with a pained expression. "Rinrin saw these guys with yellow scarves on their heads run away, carrying big bags of stuff."

"The Yellow Turban Bandits...I guess they were telling the truth when they said we hadn't seen the last of them," spoke Anthony in a somber tone. "But where is everyone? Are they…"

"Rinrin saw everybody go into the tavern."

Kan'u clenched her fists. "And so will we, if we're going to help these poor people avenge their homes."

Without a moment of hesitation, the three of them traveled to the tavern, one of the few undamaged buildings from the raid.

~KD~

It was a bleak sight. Many of the villagers were either bandaging their wounds or trying to remove soot from their clothes. No duel could have done this much damage; the bandits had outright attacked an innocent town, using force to get what they wanted.

"How horrible," muttered Kan'u.

"Is everybody alright?" asked Chohi.

A man, presumably the village leader, turned to the three strangers and spoke up.

"Who are you?"

Kan'u replied, "We are traveling on a mission to end these horrible wars and bring peace to China."

"The Imperial Guard has come to save us?" another villager asked hopefully.

Anthony shook his head. "No, but we are here to help. We've dealt with the Yellow Turbans before, and we can deal with them again, count on it."

"What can you three kids do to stop what an entire army of adults couldn't do?" said a pessimistic villager. "They've taken our food, our money, and now our homes. They say that we can get them to leave if we beat them in a duel, but none of us have any access to cards, and we can't fight back, since they're stronger and more numerous. All we have left is our lives, and they'll probably just take those as well."

This speech seemed to get Kan'u riled up. "No, nobody has to die today! The three of us are all talented duelists, so we'll be able to challenge them!"

The villagers began to perk up at this, though the village leader was skeptical. "Maybe you can duel, but are you positive that you can win?"

Kan'u smirked. "Of course, after all, we have the Messenger from Heaven on our side!"

"The Messenger from

Heaven? Where?" asked the pessimist.

Chohi went over to Anthony, hopped onto a nearby chair, and lifted his left arm into the air. "Here he is!"

"Uh, hey there…"

"Are you sure he is the Messenger? He could be lying to gain your trust," said another villager.

Kan'u was quick to defend her claim. "Of course I'm sure! His clothing, his name, his cards, all of which are completely foreign to me! I have no doubt that he is the one who is to save China!"

The villagers began to whisper to each other, before they all came to face the three duelists, with the leader walking over to the brunette. "Very well, if you truly believe that you can defeat the bandits, then we put our faith in you. They said that they would return tomorrow, so take your time to prepare yourselves. We're depending on you!"

The three duelists smiled, as Anthony took the man's hand and shook it. "Thank you, we won't let you down."

~KD~

Later that night, Anthony was up still. He was staying in a guest room in the tavern, with all of his cards sprawled out on the floor in front of him. He was currently rebuilding his deck, as he wanted to make sure that he could take down those filthy Yellow Turbans for what they did. As he was looking over his cards, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come on in, door's unlocked."

Kan'u stepped in, before she gaped at the amount of cards on the floor. There must have been at least a hundred, maybe two hundred! She noticed some familiar faces, like Machine King and Slot Machine, as well as some new cards. There was a spider with two open boxes on its back, a skinless man with a horrific green mask, and a large gray lizard with blue cylinders on its head and arms, to name a few.

"Hey there, Aisha. Where's Rinrin? Looking for somebody to play with?"

"No, Rinrin is asleep."

"Makes sense, considering how much she ate." Seriously, at dinner, Chohi must have eaten enough for five girls her size.

Kan'u then bent down behind Anthony and peered over his shoulder, her breasts slightly pressing against his back. "So all of these monsters are Machine-type, you said?"

Trying to ignore the large breasts on his back and focus on his cards, Anthony nodded. "Yep, easily my favorite type. There's a lot you can do with them, and each one feels creative and unique. The other types, like Spellcasters and Fiends, are still cool, but they just don't click with me as much as Machines, ya know? I'm assuming you're the same with your Warriors."

"You would assume right. Ever since Rinrin and I lost our parents and our teacher, I was filled with the resolve to help anybody who needs it. So with my Black Luster Soldier, the card that my teacher gave me, I intend to be there for anyone who is afraid, who feels helpless, who needs a friend."

Anthony stood up and turned to face her, prompting Kan'u to get up as well. Anthony had a face of curiosity. "Hold on, what teacher? You never mentioned a teacher."

"Rinrin and I were taught how to play Duel Monsters when we were only children, by our wonderful teacher. She was my inspiration."

"So how long has Duel Monsters been around now?"

Kan'u had to think for a moment. "Supposedly, the cards and Disks were a gift from the heavens, a few years before. Even today, they still remain a mystery."

Anthony nodded. "One more question. Why did you lie to the villagers?"

Kan'u stiffened at this accusation. "I fully intend to duel the bandits, if that's what you're insinuating!"

"Not that, about being the Messenger or whatever. I've already told you I'm not the one to save the country, I'm just a normal guy who likes to play my favorite trading card game. Isn't what you did kinda giving them false hope?"

Kan'u shook her head. "I don't care what you say, I'm positive that you truly are the Messenger from Heaven, and even if you aren't, the villagers are in desperate need of something to bring them hope. We will save them, and to do that, they need to believe in us."

Anthony considered her words. Though Anthony didn't like to lie, he supposed that this one couldn't cause any harm.

"Alright, if you insist, I'll play along. But I don't want anyone getting into trouble because of this."

Kan'u nodded. "Well, we should probably get to bed. We'll need our strength when it becomes time for the confrontation."

"Good idea, besides, I think that my deck is ready. Goodnight, Aisha."

"Goodnight, Anthony."

~KD~

As the sun rose the following day, Anthony tore himself out of bed. Quickly, he got dressed, grabbed his Duel Disk and deck, and made his way outside. Kan'u and Chohi were waiting for him, as well as all of the remaining villagers.

"No longer do you have to cower in fear from a looming threat, for now, the time has come for you to reclaim what is lost!"

Kan'u was busy giving a rousing speech to the villagers, while Chohi was getting antsy, bouncing up and down on her heels.

"Is everything ready?"

Kan'u then turned to face Anthony, and nodded, a large smile on her face, amber eyes filled with resolve. "As ready as we can be. Let us be on our way."

"Alright, everybody, follow Rinrin!"

As the villagers began to march, with the three duelists in the lead, a large group became visible in the distance. As they came closer, it turned out that they were the Yellow Turban Bandits, each decked out in the familiar garments, some even carrying weapons. The two groups came to a stop some distance apart from each other, and three rather familiar looking bandits made their way to the front, each sporting a yellow-trimmed Duel Disk. Inwardly, Anthony groaned, of course these three would show up again. The bandit leader immediately recognized two of the three duelists.

"You two again? Don't you have somewhere better to be?"

"Your days of terrorizing these poor people end now, you spineless worms!" screamed Kan'u.

"Rinrin hates jerks like you!" added Chohi, sticking out her tongue.

"Oh please, we're just trying to make a living."

Anthony gritted his teeth. "Do you assholes think that robbing people and burning down their homes is a damn job?!"

The head bandit merely scoffed. "All is fair in love and war."

Anthony then activated his Duel Disk, the two metal "wings" becoming one. "The three of us challenge you to a series of duels. If all three of us win, you leave this village alone for as long as you live. If we lose, then the three of us will offer ourselves in their place, deal?"

The bandit leader laughed. "Challenge accepted, boy."

Then, the fat bandit came forward with his Duel Disk in tow, and Chohi stepped forward to oppose him, while everybody else could only spectate.

"I'm gonna crush you, girlie!"

"Not if Rinrin crushes you first!"

(Bandit: 4000 LP)(Chohi: 4000 LP)

The bandit drew his card, then placed a monster onto the field. "I summon my Giant Orc!"

A huge white orc wearing a brown loincloth and wielding a large bone as a club appeared on the field, causing several villagers to take a step back (LV 4: ATK 2200). The bandit ended his turn, and Chohi drew her next card.

"He summoned such a powerful card on the first turn, how can Rinrin match it?" asked Kan'u.

"Don't worry about her," said Anthony, "Giant Orc may be big and strong, but it has a huge weakness. Hopefully, Rinrin can exploit it."

"Rinrin summons Berserk Gorilla!"

The orc was soon face to face with the raging ape (LV 4: ATK 2000).

Anthony suddenly had a strained smile, and looked like he was about to cry. "Or, you know, match his power with her own. That's just fine."

"Now Rinrin plays her Beast Fangs!"

Her gorilla's fangs suddenly got longer and sharper, as well as becoming gold in color (ATK 2000-2300).

"Now attack!"

Berserk Gorilla let out a stream of fire that destroyed the bandit's monster (Bandit: 4000-3900 LP). Chohi then set a card before ending her turn, while the wide bandit drew his card angry. He then summoned another monster to the field, known as Goblin Attack Force, which was a small group of goblins wielding spiked clubs (LV 4: ATK 2300).

"Uh, now I play this card!"

The bandit activated a Spell Card which showed a picture of a blue aura surrounding a monster called Paladin of White Dragon, known as Kishido Spirit.

"That card makes it so that if two monsters with the same attack battle each other, only Rinrin's will be destroyed, rather than both of them." Kan'u was worried once Anthony explained the card's effect, but she also knew that Chohi had a face-down, so she would be fine, hopefully.

"My goblins are gonna take down your dumb monkey!"

The Goblin Attack Force began to charge, clubs at the ready. However, Chohi activated her face-down, Rush Recklessly. The Berserk Gorilla began to charge towards the approaching goblins, filled with newfound power (ATK 2300-3000). The ape plowed through the goblins like a bulldozer, scattering the goblins and turning them into pixels (Bandit: 3900-3200 LP). The bandit ended his turn with a frown, and Berserk Gorilla appeared to calm down, if only very slightly (ATK 3000-2300).

Chohi drew her next card, and smiled. "Rinrin plays her Polymerization!"

Suddenly, a card that showed two monsters being dragged into a vortex appeared. Then two monsters appeared on Chohi's side of the field, a muscular four-armed demon with wings and horns called Berfomet (LV 5: ATK 1400), and a horned lion called Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (LV 4: ATK 1500). The two of them were then pulled into a vortex, blending together as they did.

"Rinrin fuses her Gazelle and Berfomet to Fusion Summon her Chimera!"

Out of the portal leapt a much more ferocious monster. It was a chimera, a creature with the body and head of a lion, a ram's head on its back, and a snake for a tail, though this monster also had two large wings. This was Chohi's favorite monster, known as Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"Go monsters, attack directly!"

Both of Chohi's monsters roared before they jumped towards the bandit and hit him in the stomach, knocking him over (Bandit: 3200-0 LP)(Winner: Chohi).

"Yay, I won!" cheered Chohi, as all of the villagers applauded her as well. The bandit that lost crept into the disappointed crowd, while the short bandit took his place, Duel Disk ready.

"It looks like it's my turn now," said Kan'u. "Wish me luck."

"Get him, big sis!"

"Show him what you can do, Aisha!"

Kan'u smiled at these words of encouragement, as she shuffled her deck and prepared for the second duel to begin.

(Kan'u: 4000 LP, 35)(Bandit: 4000 LP, 35)

"You know what, girlie, you can go first," said the short bandit.

Kan'u frowned. "Don't ever call me that again," she spat, before she drew (Kan'u: 34). "I summon my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland in attack mode!" The familiar female knight appeared, before drawing her sword (LV 4: ATK 1100). "And I set one card face-down to end my turn."

The bandit snickered as he drew his next card (Bandit: 34). "I set a monster face-down, then activate The Dark Door!" A spell card depicting monsters going through a portal one at a time appeared. "This card lets only one monster attack each turn, so pick carefully!" With that said, he ended his turn.

Kan'u drew her card (Kan'u: 33), and gasped. She had drawn Black Luster Soldier! All that she needed was the Ritual Spell, and she could summon her ace! But for now, she had to wait.

"I summon my Axe Raider in attack mode!"

The new monster was a man in golden armor, carrying a golden battle axe in its hand (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"I'll have my new monster attack, but not before activating my Shield Spear!"

Her card flipped up, and a long spear with a shield directly behind the tip appeared in Axe Raider's hands (ATK 1700-2100). The warrior then rushed towards the face-down card, which suddenly flipped upwards to reveal a large pot. Suddenly, a black blob with one eye and a hideous smile came out of the jar (LV 2: DEF 600). The blob suddenly spat black gunk at both duelists' hands before it shattered.

"What was that weird looking thing?" asked Chohi, having never seen that monster before.

"That was a dangerous Flip Monster called Morphing Jar, which can completely change the tide of the duel," said Anthony. That card wasn't tournament banned for nothing, after all.

The short bandit let out a mischievous snicker before he discarded his entire hand, and drew a new one of five cards (Bandit: 29). "My Morphing Jar forces both players to send every card in their hand to the Graveyard, and draw five new ones! And in case you forgot, when you run out of cards to draw, you lose!"

'A mill deck!' thought Anthony.

Kan'u very reluctantly slid her hand, including her beloved Soldier, into the Graveyard and drew a new hand (Kan'u: 28). And of course, to add insult to injury, the first card that she drew was Black Luster Ritual. Without saying anything, she ended her turn.

The bandit chuckled at her reaction as he drew a new card (Bandit: 28). "I'll just set this monster and send it back to you, girlie."

Kan'u snapped to attention, and gave a fierce glare, as her opponent suddenly froze. "What did I tell you about calling me that!" She then drew her card (Kan'u: 27). She noticed that the card that she drew just might be able to help her win this duel, if she played her cards right, pun unintended. The first thing she did was slide a spell card into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"I'll activate the Spell Card Twister, in order to destroy your Dark Door!"

Suddenly, Kan'u's life points took a hit as a gray tornado appeared on the field (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP). The tornado made its way across the field, eventually reaching her opponent's side. The tornado sent The Dark Door flying into the air, as it was swiftly destroyed.

"And now, I activate The Warrior Returning Alive, in order to return a Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand. And I know just the monster."

A card with a picture of Marauding Captain looking rather damaged, but still standing, appeared on the field. A card slid out from Kan'u's Graveyard, and she added it to her hand, before she played a third spell.

"Now I play my Black Luster Ritual! And I'll use my Field-Commander Rahz and my Big Shield Gardna to perform the ritual!"

The familiar urns appeared, as the two monsters she named entered each urn, and a beacon of light shot out of each one, eventually becoming a single tower of light (4+4=8).

"The forces of light and darkness intertwine! I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth Black Luster Soldier!"

The black knight sprung from the golden beacon and joined its fellow warriors on the field, ready to strike (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Axe Raider, take care of his monster with Wind Blades!"

Axe Raider swung its axe horizontally, and crescent-shaped blades of air slashed apart the face-down monster, a purple caterpillar called Needle Worm (LV 2: DEF 600). The Needle Worm then shot out a barrage of needles that landed on the top of Kan'u's deck, and Kan'u sent the top five cards of her deck to the Graveyard as a result (Kan'u: 22).

"Now, my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland will attack directly!"

The monster in question drew her sword, and charged at the bandit before delivering a powerful slash that dealt a fair bit of damage (Bandit: 4000-2900 LP).

"And finally, Black Luster Soldier, finish him off with Chaos Blade!"

The black and gold knight performed a mighty vertical slash that sent out a beam of energy that tore right through the bandit, leaving his body unharmed, but his life points empty (Bandit: 2900-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"I believe that's game."

As the bandit slipped into the disappointed crowd, the villagers began to cheer, but none louder than Chohi and Anthony, who ensnared Kan'u in a tight hug.

"Big sis, that was so cool! You totally destroyed him!"

"Aisha, that was an amazing play. You should be proud!"

"Oh, it was nothing, just doing my duty and protecting people from these worms."

But the tender moment was ruined when the mustached bandit in charge loudly cleared his throat. The three friends broke their hug, and Anthony stepped up, Duel Disk activating. "Your friends lost, badly. And now it's just you and me. Ready for a rematch?"

The Yellow Turban scoffed in disgust. "That was just a fluke, but this time, you won't have such luck!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Bandit Leader: 4000 LP)

Anthony made the first move. "I'll summon my Giga-Tech Wolf in attack mode!"

A wolf made entirely out of metal appeared on the field, lashing out its many whip-like tails (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"I'll end my turn by setting one card face-down."

As the new card materialized on Anthony's field behind his wolf, the bandit drew his new card and placed it upright on his Duel Disk.

"We'll see how well your mutt deals with a real monster, like my Don Zaloog!"

Giga-Tech Wolf suddenly came face-to-face with the leader of the Dark Scorpions, who was brandishing his swords (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Don Zaloog, put down that dog!"

The one-eyed bandit took off running, blades ready to cut clean through some mechanical monsters, when he found his path blocked by a mysterious device, which then exploded and turned Don Zaloog into yellow fragments of light.

"What?!"

Anthony calmly placed his trap card into the Graveyard. "When you attacked, my Widespread Ruin destroyed your strongest monster, which was your Don."

The bandit grumbled as he called it a turn. Anthony drew another card, then looked up into his opponent's eyes.

"You do know that you can't beat me, right? Or any of us."

The bandit snarled as Anthony said this. "What exactly do you mean by that?!"

Anthony continued. "Do you want to know why? It's because you're cowardly, only picking fights with those who you know you'll beat. Because you prefer to gang up on those you consider weak rather than have a fair fight. It's because you're selfish, placing your own interests above everyone else. And most of all, it's because you're entitled. You believe that having skill, strength, or intellect is enough to let you have anything you want, regardless of what you do with your gifts. You feel like you can just do anything you want without having to work for it. People like that…"

Anthony placed his sunglasses over his eyes, a determined and somewhat angry expression across his face. "...are the absolute FUCKING worst!"

There were three different reactions to this speech. The villagers were in absolute awe of his words and the meaning that they held. The Yellow Turbans were enraged by the insults that were hurled at them by this man. As for Kan'u and Chohi, they were in shock. True, they only knew him for one day, but over the course of that one day, he'd appeared to be a very laid-back individual with a love of Duel Monsters. But to see him so angry was a complete shift of how he'd acted prior. And to be honest, it scared them.

"I summon my Robotic Knight!"

Everybody was suddenly brought back to reality as Anthony began his turn. A red, black, and gold robot that wore what looked like a feathered hat made of metal appeared on the field. In its right hand it clenched a rapier, while it had a Gatling gun in place of its left (LV 4: ATK 1600). Anthony then reached into a pocket on his bag and pulled out a purple Monster Card.

"And now I activate my Polymerization, fusing my Giga-Tech Wolf with my Cannon Soldier to Fusion Summon my Labyrinth Tank!"

Giga-Tech Wolf was suddenly joined by the purple robot, as they were pulled inside of a vortex. Out of the vortex came a large blue machine. It had two treads underneath it with covering that looked like the front of an old train, a hammerhead shark-like head with two yellow eyes on either side and one between them, and a blue fin on the back. But its biggest attention getter was the massive collection of bright scarlet drills on the front, with one large drill that had four smaller drills on it, and four more medium-sized drills surrounding that (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"Robotic Knight, attack directly!"

The metal musketeer lifted its gun arm and opened fire, a salvo of laser rounds striking the bandit (Bandit Leader: 4000-2400 LP).

"And now, to face the future! Labyrinth Tank, attack directly with Labyrinth Drill!"

The drills on the Fusion Monster came to life, rapidly spinning with a loud whirring noise. Labyrinth Tank then sped towards its target, who suddenly panicked and tried to run away from the holographic beast. However, it proved futile as the drills struck his back, and he was propelled into the crowd of his fellow bandits, knocking several of them into a pile (Bandit Leader: 2400-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"That's game. Now get lost, and don't return to this village as long as you live!"

The bandits were happy to oblige, scattering in different directions. From this, it looked like the Yellow Turban Bandits wouldn't cause any more trouble for anybody. The crowd of villagers went absolutely wild, cheering over the disbanding of the ones who had destroyed their homes, and the three heroes who had stepped in. Kan'u and Chohi both ran up to congratulate him on his victory.

"That was just so cool, big bro! Even if it was a little scary!"

Chohi's words made Anthony nervously scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry I lost my temper. I just can't stand people like that."

The village leader then made his way over to Anthony. "My boy, that was incredible, and your speech truly amazing. As a token of our appreciation, we would love it if you were to become our chief magistrate."

"Chief magistrate?" asked a curious Anthony.

"Essentially," explained Kan'u, "you would become the town's governor."

"Our chief magistrate deserted us in the previous attack," explained the village leader, "and you certainly seem capable, being the Messenger from Heaven and all."

Anthony was conflicted. On the one hand, he certainly didn't feel like he would be able to look over an entire village. On the other hand, he couldn't just leave these people. Even without the threat of bandit attacks, they still had to rebuild their homes. Eventually, his mind was made up.

"I would be honored to become your chief magistrate."

 **So, with that done, allow me to go over something. Starting now, in my author's notes, I'll go over the ages of the characters, and their decks, as well as the reason why I gave them those cards. I'll do this with every new character, starting with the first six.**

 **To begin, Anthony's eighteen, as stated in the first chapter, and he uses Machine-types, as I wanted him to use "futuristic" cards, to fit the whole "Messenger from Heaven" thing. Aisha is eighteen as well, using Warrior-types to fit both her role in the original visual novel, and her wish to protect people. Rinrin is the youngest so far at thirteen, using Beast-types to show both her affinity for animals, and her wild personality. The Yellow Turbans, all of them, are in their early twenties, and the three main ones use stereotypical "villain" decks, befitting of the first major challenge that the new faction faces. However, now that the Yellow Turbans have been dispersed much earlier than in canon, what new opponents shall Anthony and company face? Find out next chapter, when the Sleeping Dragon awakens!**


	4. The Girl with the Dragon Cards

Every day since Anthony was made into the chief magistrate after the defeat of the Yellow Turban Bandits, Anthony, Kan'u, and Chohi had been working in an effort to repair the village. Over time, Anthony had gotten rather attached to his subjects, and had learned about how much more difficult life was in his current location. Modern conveniences like processed food and electric lighting weren't even ideas at this point, and simple tasks like obtaining rice took much more time and effort than he had ever expected it to. Even so, everyone managed to get by, and enjoy this time of peace.

About one month after Anthony was made governor, he was dealing with easily the most boring part of the job: paperwork. He was considering hiring somebody to do it for him, for payment, of course, when he had the money for it. After another thirty minutes of monotony and writer's cramp, he was in desperate need of something, anything else to do. Figuring that he should go and patrol the city, he went off to find his two "generals", Kan'u and Chohi. Considering that they were his friends, and had an equal part in taking down the bandits, it wouldn't be right to not reward them somehow, hence their rankings. Of course, some of them took their jobs more seriously than others, as when he found Chohi, she was busy playing with some of the other kids in the village, not really caring about patrol.

This brought him to where he was now, standing right outside Kan'u's room, preparing to ask her to accompany him on his task. Slowly, he brought his fist to the wooden door and rapped his knuckles against it three times, which earned him a response, though not one that he was expecting.

"Can you please wait a minute, I'm changing right now!"

Anthony's face turned a similar color to Chohi's hair as he spun around, deciding to lean against the wall until she was finished. Still, he couldn't imagine the disaster that would have happened if he didn't knock, coming across Kan'u in a state of undress, their dignity being compromised, their relationship possibly strained by him seeing her absolutely stunning body-wait, what? Where the hell did that come from? Anthony frantically shook his head, trying to remove these impure thoughts from his head, when the door swung open. He turned to see Kan'u with her arms crossed, waiting for a response. Anthony gathered himself and gave her one.

"Hey, so do you want to go out on patrol with me, outside the city? Rinrin is playing with some friends, so it would just be the two of us."

Kan'u smiled. "Of course, my lord, just let me grab my Duel Disk real quick." She went back into her room, placed her Duel Disk on her left wrist, and went back outside. "Okay, I'm ready."

Anthony smiled. "Alright, let's get going!"

~KD~

Patrol was much more uneventful than Anthony had initially believed. They had been walking along the outskirts of town for almost two hours, and nothing had happened. Eventually, Anthony turned to an equally bored Kan'u and attempted to make some small talk.

"Hey, how did you and Rinrin first meet?"

"Well, as I've said, our parents were very close friends with each other, so we spent a lot of time together growing up. We played together, laughed together, cried together...it was a lot of fun."

"Was she just as rambunctious back then as she is now?"

Kan'u let out a soft laugh at this. "Even more so."

"I still can't believe how close that you girls are, Aisha."

Kan'u's smile vanished. "Please don't call me that."

"Don't call you what?"

"A girl. It suggests that I'm weak, that I can't defend myself, when in fact I'm not and I can."

Anthony rolled his eyes. "What a load of bullcrap."

"Excuse you!?"

Anthony began to explain what he meant, as he realized that she misunderstood what he said. "Gender has nothing to do with that. You can be a man or a woman, and still be strong. Hell, you're a woman, and I'm a man, yet you still beat me with ease!"

Kan'u blushed as she was showered with compliments. "I…appreciate the sentiment, my lord."

"Just call me Anthony."

"But, you're my superior now. It isn't proper to-"

"We're friends, aren't we? You let me call you by your real name, Aisha, so call me by mine."

Kan'u's face was completely red at this point. "If you insist, Anthony."

They were just about to go back to the city, when they heard what sounded like a confrontation in the distance. Sensing danger, they both took off in the direction that the noise came from, Duel Disks in tow.

~KD~

"I said, give us your cards, you little brat! Make me repeat myself one more time, and my boys here will slit your throat!"

"Hawawa, hawawa, hawawa…!"

Anthony and Kan'u appeared to have made it just in time. The scene before them had three bandits threatening a girl who appeared to be around the same age as Chohi. The bandits all had tanned skin, simple brown sleeveless clothing, and spiked black hair, with the one that was speaking also having a black tattoo of a centipede coiled around his left arm, which also bore a plain gray Duel Disk, which like the others that Anthony had seen lacked the ability to split open, leaving the blade as one solid piece.

The girl who was being harassed wore a white blouse that had five tails in the front in a fan-like shape, and a brown cloak that reached her mid-back with long sleeves and a thin red ribbon and bells where it connected around her neck. Tied around her waist was a mint green sash that reached her knees in length. She wore a skirt that was blue on the outside and white on the inside, a pair of white tights, and blue shoes with bells for buckles. She also wore a brown beret with a long green ribbon dangling from it. She had short blonde hair and purple eyes. She was also wearing a Duel Disk, though this one had a mint green trim along the edge.

"Hey, leave the girl alone!" Anthony shouted, before one of the bandits scowled and shoved him hard, knocking him onto his back.

"Anthony!" screamed Kan'u, rushing to her lord's side as he groaned in pain.

"Just who the fuck do you two think you are, trying to stand up to me, Mukade, the Destroyer of Defense?" asked the leader of the three, apparently named after the same animal that was drawn along his arm.

"Ow...I'm the chief magistrate of this area, Anthony Calem, and this is one of my generals, Kan'u Uncho. I'm ordering you to leave this girl alone, or we'll have to duel over - ow!"

As Kan'u steadied Anthony, the bandits apparently found his pain to be hilarious. "A weakling like you, the chief magistrate, please! Why don't you and your whore go mind your own business!"

"The fuck did you just-"

"Anthony, stop it! I'll duel them. I have to defend my lord's honor, especially from scum like these three!"

"I-I-I can d-duel."

The five of them stopped and turned to the blonde girl, who shrunk back and muttered another "Hawawa." Mukade raised an eyebrow. "Having cards doesn't mean you can duel, shrimp. And I doubt that a pussy like you can wield cards like those without pissing her panties. So give me the damn cards already!"

Anthony and Kan'u wondered what he meant by "cards like those," while the petite blonde shook her head. "The whole reason why I went on a journey by myself is to help people, just like my teacher did with me! And I won't let master Suikyo's name be tarnished!"

Surprised by the shy girl's valor, Anthony had to know one thing about her. "What's your name?" he muttered weakly.

"My name is Shokatsuryo Komei! And my Dragons are ready to go!"

'Dragons?!' thought the duelists in red and green.

Mukade chuckled as he pushed his cronies aside and prepared his Duel Disk. "Well, for your sake, your Dragons better be pretty damn amazing, because when I kick your ass, I'll be pissed if I found out this was all for a bunch of shit cards!"

"Hawawa...my cards are good…" Shokatsuryo argued weakly, before she also prepared for the duel.

(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)(Mukade: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first," declared Shokatsuryo, as she drew a new card. She analyzed her hand carefully, before placing a monster face-down on her Duel Disk. "I'll set a monster, and that's all for now."

Mukade laughed as he drew. "You moron, don't you know that I'm called the Destroyer of Defense for a reason? My Mad Sword Beast will run through that weakling!"

He then summoned a monster that looked like a rhino with some features of a dinosaur. It had a thick shell on its back that was lined with blade-like horns, and the horn on its nose looked like a curved sword in color and shape (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Run down that face-down!"

The Mad Sword Beast let out a loud bellow before charging, and Shokatsuryo's monster was revealed to be a bipedal green dragon with armor, a sword, and a shield (LV 2: DEF 800). It raised its shield, but the Dinosaur-type monster simply ran its horn through it as the Troop Dragon was destroyed.

"And the best part is, Mad Sword Beast can inflict piercing damage, which means it still deals damage even if your monster is in defense mode!" (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3400 LP)

The blonde duelist let out another "Hawawa" before she pulled a card from her deck and placed it on the field. "If Troop Dragon is destroyed by battle, I can summon another from my deck to take its place." Sure enough, a new Troop Dragon took center stage (LV 2: ATK 700). Mukade ended his turn, and Shokatsuryo drew.

"Now I tribute Troop Dragon to summon my Kaiser Glider!"

Troop Dragon faded as a new monster appeared with a mighty roar. It was a large golden dragon with large, powerful wings on it back (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Kaiser Glider, attack with Golden Burst!"

The dragon took to the air, before becoming engulfed in flames, before it spread out its wings and soared towards Mad Sword Beast, before it collided with it and shattered the dino into yellow fragments of light (Mukade: 4000-3000 LP). Mukade's goons pulled on their hair in frustration, while Anthony and Kan'u cheered in applause. Shokatsuryo shrunk back at the applause, clearly not used to this sort of attention.

"Hawawa...I'll end my turn with that."

Mukade drew, then inserted a card into his Duel Disk.

"Your dragon's pretty tough, but it'll still quiver in fear when I play my Earthquake!"

A card that showed an earthquake destroying a temple and forcing Goblin Attack Force onto the ground appeared, and suddenly the field began to shake, forcing Kaiser Glider to raise its wings over its body in defense (DEF 2200).

Kan'u let her concern be known. "That spell forces every monster on the field into defense mode, which Mukade's monsters are strong against! And now Shokatsuryo is about to lose a powerful card!"

Anthony, feeling a little better now, attempted to reassure his general. "Don't fret, Mukade will be in for a surprise if he destroys her monster."

"Now I'll bring out my Disc Fighter!"

This new monster was a knight that wielded two bladed discuses, its entire body coated in plate armor (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"B-But, that monster is w-way weaker than m-m-mine," Shokatsuryo explained.

"Maybe so, but whenever it attacks a monster with a defense of two thousand or more, it automatically destroys that monster without applying damage, meaning I get to blow your shitty dragon to pieces and deal a direct attack to boot! So get to it!"

Disc Fighter threw its discuses at Kaiser Glider, and the golden beast of legend was ripped to pieces by the bladed circles. However, once that happened, a gust of fire came out of the wreckage and pushed back Disc Fighter, who was sent flying back until it disappeared, and its card popped off of Mukade's Duel Disk.

"What the hell just happened to my monster?!" he demanded to know as he caught the card.

"W-Whenever Kaiser Glider is destroyed, it sends a monster back to the hand, hawawa," explained Shokatsuryo.

Mukade snarled, and ended his turn right there. Shokatsuryo drew, and placed a monster on the field.

"I summon my Spear Dragon!"

This new monster was a dragon similar to a pterosaur in body structure, with small legs and wings on its arms with small fingers. Its torso and most of its head were an ivory color, while the rest of it was blue, save for two gray horns on the back of its head. But the most notable feature was its massive beak, long and rounded with a sharp tip like a lance (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Spear Dragon, attack directly with Cyclone Blast!"

Spear Dragon opened its mouth and fired a green laser that hit Mukade, dealing massive damage (Mukade: 3000-1100 LP). Anthony and Kan'u began to cheer, until Spear Dragon lifted its wings to shield itself, its effect changing it to defense mode after it attacked (DEF 0).

"Damn, now she's at his mercy!" said Kan'u with panic in her voice.

"Hawawa...I end my turn. Your go."

"With pleasure, brat. I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered!"

This new monster closely resembled a purple gargoyle, with sharp claws, a wicked beak, and scaly wings (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"W-W-Wait a minute, that's a Normal Monster, why's it in your d-deck?"

Mukade smirked. "Because I like it, especially when I equip it with my Fairy Meteor Crush!"

A card appeared on the field, showing a picture of a meteor hitting the ground. Ryu-Kishin Powered gained a red glow around its body.

"This makes it so that my monster can inflict piercing damage, which will be twice as bad when I double its attack points with my Megamorph!"

"What!" screamed Kan'u and Anthony.

"Hawawawawawawawa!"

Another card, this one with a picture of a stone circle with various markings on it, appeared in front of Mukade. Suddenly, his monster began to rapidly grow in size until it was twice its original height (ATK 1600-3200).

"This card automatically doubles the attack power of any monster that I equip to it, so you don't stand a chance!"

While Mukade and his cronies laughed at this, Shokatsuryo had her panicked expression turn into a tight frown. This wasn't unnoticed by Anthony and Kan'u, as they were wondering what was going on inside the younger duelist's head.

"Go, my monster, and rip her dragon into tiny pieces!"

The gargoyle raised a massive claw, and brought it down on Spear Dragon, who didn't stand a chance. When it was destroyed, a massive shockwave was released, as Shokatsuryo held her hat with her right hand and guarded her face with her left, hanging on for dear life while releasing several more "Hawawas" (Shokatsuryo: 3400-200 LP). Mukade and his cronies once again burst into laughter while volleying many insults and slurs her way, when suddenly Ryu-Kishin Powered began to shrink. Slowly, it became smaller and smaller, until it reached its original height. And even then, it kept on decreasing in size, until it was half of its original size (ATK 3200-800).

"What the hell!? Why did my monster just get smaller!?"

"You shouldn't use cards that you don't know how to use."

All eyes were now on the dragon duelist, who was glaring at Mukade as hard as she could.

"It's true that Megamorph can double the attack of a monster, but only if the card's owner has less life points than their opponent. If the user has more life points, than the equipped monster has its attack points halved instead. It would be much smarter if you equipped your monster with Megamorph after you took out my dragon, rather than before."

"And what does a shrimp like you think she is to tell me how to play Duel Monsters?!"

Surprisingly, Shokatsuryo didn't shrink back or mutter nervously, but instead kept on talking. "When I was little, I was always smaller and weaker than the other kids. I was quiet, and didn't like to play with others. Back then, my only friends were my books. That is, until I met my teacher, Suikyo. She taught me about Duel Monsters, a way that you could fight battles using your mind rather than your muscles. And recently, I started going on a journey in order to use her training to help people…"

She then drew her next card. "And to protect the weak from people like you!" She then slipped a card into her Duel Disk, which then appeared on the field, with a spellcaster summoning a monster called Cyber-Tech Alligator. "I activate my Summoner's Art, letting me add a Normal Monster that's level five or higher!" As she said this, a card popped out of her deck, and she added it to her hand.

"Are there any level five or higher Dragon-type Normal Monsters powerful enough to win her the duel this turn?" Kan'u asked Anthony.

"Plenty. There's Serpent Night Dragon, Seiyaryu, Curse of Dragon, Hyozanryu, maybe even...wait...don't tell me she has-"

"And now I activate my Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand!"

A scroll appeared on the field, and a large shadow of a dragon began to come out. The shape seemed familiar to Anthony, when suddenly, he knew exactly what monster was coming out.

"Come out, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Suddenly the shadow transformed into, as the card described, a black dragon with red eyes. It was massive, with sharp claws and talons, strong wings, a thick tail, and a long mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. It let out a massive roar, as Mukade's minions screamed and began to make a run for it.

"IT'S ENORMOUS!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

"Get back here, you worthless cowards!"

Soon there was another scream that was just as loud, but with an opposite emotion.

"Omigod omigod OH MY GOD! IT'S THE RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON! It's Red-Eyes, in person! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

Kan'u sweat dropped at this display of "fanboying" done by her lord, who was bouncing around in excitement. Sure, the monster looked very impressive, but surely he could be more composed than this, right? Still, one thing was positive: the winner had been decided.

"This monster was a parting gift from master Suikyo, and I promised to take good care of it. I won't let somebody like you get your greedy hands on it! Red-Eyes, take out that Ryu-Kishin Powered with Inferno Fire Blast!"

After another roar, the black dragon reared back its head and fired a large red fireball which exploded on contact, turning its opponent into smoke (Mukade: 1100-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo).

"No way...how did a kid like you defeat me!"

Kan'u and a healed and calm Anthony approached the bandit, Duel Disks at the ready.

"So," said Kan'u, "we believe that you were leaving?" She then cracked her knuckles for emphasis, her amber eyes containing a raging fire.

Mukade flashed an angry glare before he took off like a bat out of hell. The chief magistrate and his general then turned their attention to the young teenager, who suddenly became nervous again now that the duel was over.

"Hawawa...what do you want from me?"

Anthony simply stared at her. "You're a pretty good duelist, and you have a fantastic drive."

"Hawawa…"

"How would you like to join my peerage? Your greatest strength is your mind, so I think the position of strategist is perfect."

"Hawawa...hawawa…"

"But first, I'd like to know your secret name. You can just call me by my first name, and my friend here is Aisha. You?"

"Hawawa…it's Shuri...hawawa…"

Anthony smiled. "Happy to have you aboard, Shuri. I'm positive that you'll do great."

This level of praise was too much for Shokatsuryo, as she promptly fainted right where she stood.

"Is that a yes?" Anthony asked Kan'u, who had no idea how to respond. "We'll call that a yes."

* * *

 **All right, a little ship tease between our two main heroes, as well as two new characters, including an original character! Now, on to ages and decks. Shuri is thirteen, and uses Dragon-types, for two reasons. One, to show that behind a young girl and a nervous wreck, lies a brilliant mind and powerful beasts. The other? In the original visual novel, one of Shuri's nicknames was the Sleeping Dragon, a much better, yet slightly less accurate name than the Hawawa Strategist. Mukade, who I made up for this story and doesn't exist anywhere in the Koihime Musou universe, is 21, and uses cards that are designed to combat monsters in defense mode because, in-universe, he hates those that he deems weak, including those who cower and hide. That's all for now, but stay tuned for chapter five, which let me warn you, is quite the long one. Have a nice day, everybody!**


	5. Bandit Bug Hunt

"Hi there Shuri, whatcha doin'?"

"Hawawa!"

Shokatsuryo was suddenly ripped away from her concentration by a loud voice that came from behind her. She closed her book (after she marked her page, of course) and spun around to come face-to-face with Chohi, who was smiling and holding a half-eaten pork bun. Shokatsuryo could only sigh; it had been at least a week since she was given the position of strategist, and for just as long the excitable redhead had been trying desperately to gain a close friendship with the introverted blonde, most likely due to the fact that her sworn siblings were always more busy than she was (Anthony had a lot on his plate being the chief magistrate, and Kan'u was a workaholic), and that the general and strategist were very close in age. Chohi proceeded to shove the entire bun into her mouth and chew as she awaited an answer.

"Well, I was just reading this book that I found in the library. It's really good."

"Thoundth borig!"

Shokatsuryo flinched as specks of food hit her face, and decided to go back to her book. The action had just begun, and she was biting her nails in anticipation.

"It's not boring, it's a great way to pass the time during these peaceful days! Maybe you should read with me."

Chohi took a moment to swallow her food. "Nah, I can't read that well anyway."

Shokatsuryo spun back around, as her jaw dropped. "B-B-But you're a duelist! How do you duel if you can't read any of your cards!?"

"Oh, big sis told me what they all do! I just remember it all. Pretty cool, huh?"

The blonde duelist attempted to find a retort for this, when Kan'u came bursting into the common room, panting and out of breath. After taking a second to breathe, she spoke. "Anthony has summoned all three of us to the meeting room to discuss something important. Come on!"

Without hesitating, the three of them sprinted towards the rendezvous point.

~KD~

"Alright, girls, we've received a dire message from an Imperial general who goes by the name Kosonsan Hakukei. According to the messenger, her supply transports have been attacked on the way to her territory for the past two weeks, and if she doesn't recover those stolen supplies soon, then her men might starve. She's requested duelists, skilled ones at that, to meet with her in a camp set up near the area where the bandits have struck."

Anthony placed his hands on the table and stood up, looking at his peerage. "Now then, are we just going to let her territory go to shambles, or are the four of us gonna put a stop to this?"

Kan'u shot out of her chair. "I refuse to let such an injustice go unpunished!"

"Rinrin's gonna help too!"

"Hawawa...I'm in."

Anthony smiled. "Good answers."

~KD~

Shortly after, the four duelists took off on a short journey to the camp, cards and Duel Disks in tow. It wasn't a particularly long journey, and the time seemed to pass even faster when Chohi began to sing a nonsensical song about everything that they passed. When Shokatsuryo questioned the point of doing so, Chohi defended herself by claiming that singing a song was the best way to ward off wild bear attacks, even though Anthony doubted that any bears lived in a wasteland, where the only vegetation came in the form of sparse patches of grass among the rock and sand. After about ninety minutes of walking, a group of tents surrounded by a barbed fence came into their line of sight, and they increased their walking speed as they approached the camp. After they passed the guards, they took in the surroundings. The camp consisted of many brown tents of various sizes and purposes,with the largest one being in the center. Soon after they reached the main tent, a lone figure came out to greet them.

This figure was a woman who looked somewhat plain. Her eyes appeared to be a light shade of red, and her hair was a similar color, styled in a short ponytail with long bangs that came just above her eyes. She wore a pink blouse that had a white piece of armor over it, a plain blue skirt, and a long pink sash that went from her stomach to her shins. She, like most of the other girls, had detached sleeves that exposed her shoulders, although hers were pink, and were mostly covered by white and gold gauntlets that went from her hands to her elbows. She wore long white socks that went halfway up her thighs, and pink boots that reached her knees. She had a soft smile on her face and a carefree way of walking as she approached the small group.

"Hello there, you must be Anthony Calem, the chief magistrate of the territory east from here. My name is Kosonsan, and this here is my temporary base of operations."

"Hi, I'm here to help you with your little bandit problem. I brought my peerage with me, if you don't mind. This is Kan'u Uncho, Chohi Yokutoku, and Shokatsuryo Komei. All four of us are talented duelists with experience dealing with this type of situation."

Kosonsan brightened up at this remark. "Splendid! Please, come with me, for we have a lot to discuss." And with that, the five of them made their way into the main tent, as two soldiers stood guard outside.

~KD~

Inside the main tent, there was a large round table with a map of the area on top of it. The five of them sat down, with Anthony noticing a figure sitting in the shadows, but Anthony assumed that it was just one of Kosonsan's officers. As they were all seated, Kosonsan began to explain her situation in further detail.

"Alright, so every week, a set of carriages bringing food, silk, and building supplies travels through this mountain range to deliver its load to Imperial cities, including mine." She then pointed at a thin line that went through the mountain range on the map. "This passage, Sishui Pass, is the safest way to travel, as there is no fear of losing any supplies on the incline or decline, and the mountains around that area are stable, so there's no risk of a landslide. However, it appears that a group of bandits have made tunnels in the passageway, allowing them to ambush the transports and rob them of their goods."

"How horrible," muttered Kan'u to herself, fists clenched.

"So what does this have to do with Duel Monsters?" asked Anthony, prompting Kosonsan to explain.

"According to the transporters, two of the bandits, presumably the ones in charge, carry Duel Disks on their persons. However, the problem is that if the bandits see that there are duelists traveling alongside the transports, they'll simply ambush them rather than challenge them. What we need is a way to get them to duel for the stolen supplies."

It was then that Shokatsuryo spoke up. "What if we hide two of us in a large crate, and put it with the actual cargo? That way, when the bandits arrive, we can ambush them and challenge them."

Kosonsan brightened her expression at this idea. "That's an excellent idea! Now all we need are two willing duelists. I'd gladly go myself, but although I know how to play Duel Monsters, I'm not very good at it…"

Anthony grinned. "No problem, the four of us are at the top of our game!"

"Oh, really now?"

It was then that a haughty voice from behind him broke Anthony's concentration, as everyone spun around to see the figure that Anthony had spotted earlier. She was a woman around Kan'u's age, with large red eyes and a look of doubt on her face. She had bright blue hair with two fringes on top that closely resembled cat ears, and a thin blue ponytail that reached her waist. On top of her head was a tall white headband with red ribbons that dangled on either side. She wore a white dress that, to Anthony's amazement, actually had sleeves attached to it, though it did have a hole by the chest that exposed a fair bit of cleavage. She had a black sash tied around her waist, and her sleeves were very long and wide, with an orange and black scale pattern that resembled a butterfly's wings. She had thigh-high white socks and black sandals with red straps, and a blue-trimmed Duel Disk completed her look.

"So the four of you claim to be at 'the top of your game?' Don't make me laugh! There's only one of us who has the courage, the intelligence, and the skill to defeat this evil, and that's me!"

Anthony stared at the newcomer, as Kosonsan could only sigh. "Who are you again?"

The woman gasped. "How could you not have heard of me! The Maiden of Malady, the Buzzing Beauty, the Insect Monarch herself, Choun Shiryu!?"

Four blank stares and a sigh were the response to her introduction. "...who are you again?"

Kosonsan went to Choun's side. "Choun here was the first duelist to offer her services."

Choun appeared to size up the four newcomers, circling them and analyzing them from every angle. Finally, she faced the duelists with her arms crossed under her bust.

"Please, these four look like weaklings compared to my might. To team up with any of them would be an insult to my skills."

"Excuse you!?" growled Kan'u.

"I can assure you," said Anthony, "we're all quite capable."

Choun was still unimpressed. "Your words are cheap. If you wish to prove your words true, then face me. We have more than enough time."

"Choun, just let them-"

"I accept your challenge."

Kosonsan's attention shifted to Anthony. "If I can beat you in a duel, will you let us help?"

Choun nodded. "It would take one of extraordinary skill to beat my deck, so yes, I shall acknowledge your skill and let you aid me on this mission. We can duel right outside the camp."

"Sweet, I'm looking forward to it."

Kosonsan slumped in defeat. 'What have I gotten myself into…'

~KD~

Right outside camp, Choun and Anthony were standing a distance apart from each other, with Kan'u, Chohi, Shokatsuryo, and Kosonsan watching from the sidelines. Both duelists had their Duel Disks primed and ready, hands ready to draw. Kosonsan looked exasperated.

"I'm really sorry about her behavior, she can be rather egotistical at times, I should have known she'd-"

Chohi cut off the Imperial general. "Don't worry, Rinrin's big bro is one of the best duelists in the world! Right, girls?"

"Of course!" agreed Kan'u.

"Hawawa...I guess," said Shokatsuryo. Honestly, she had no idea what cards Anthony used, although his generals seemed to think highly of him.

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Ready, Choun?"

"Much longer than you were, I'm sure! Let's duel!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" said Anthony as he drew his cards. He looked over his choices, picked out a monster, and placed it on his field.

"Let's kick things off right with my Giga-Tech Wolf!"

The familiar metal wolf appeared and let out a mechanical howl (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"I think that should be all for now, don't you think?"

Choun said nothing as she drew her card. Looking at her hand, she smiled. If she drew the right cards, she could easily pull off a win.

"My first move is to summon Leghul!"

A large purple and yellow worm appeared on the field, with spikes along its body and sharp purple mandibles that clicked open and shut (LV 1: ATK 300).

"Look, she summoned such a weak monster! Big bro has got this in the bag!" yelled Chohi.

"Hawawa...don't be to sure...it may be weak, but that monster is still dangerous," warned Shokatsuryo. Kan'u and Kosonsan merely watched in silence.

"And now, I equip my monster with the card called Insect Armor with Laser Cannon!"

A piece of armor with a massive cannon barrel suddenly latched itself onto Leghul, causing its power to spike exponentially (ATK 300-1000).

"But that isn't even the best part. By using its special ability, Leghul can attack directly! Go, my monster!"

Leghul's armor began to charge, as it let loose a massive blast of energy that hit Anthony head-on (Anthony: 4000-3000 LP).

"And to end my turn, I set two cards."

Shokatsuryo flinched. "So ruthless…"

Anthony said nothing as he drew his new card. He immediately slapped it onto his Duel Disk.

"I summon my Ground Attacker Bugroth!"

The frog-like attack robot sprung forward, ready for combat (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Bugroth, waste her Leghul! Giga-Tech Wolf, attack directly!"

His monsters wasted zero time, as Ground Attacker Bugroth destroyed Choun's monster with a volley of energy blasts (Choun: 4000-3500 LP). Before she even had time to react, Anthony's other monster pounced towards her and bit her arm, although the holographic wolf didn't actually inflict any damage (Choun: 3500-2300 LP). Deciding that he'd done enough, Anthony ended his turn.

"Your friend is just as effective and brutal when he plays, I see," said Kosonsan with the slightest hint of fear.

Anthony chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, my Machine-type monsters can be as cold and hard as the metal they're made from."

"Is that so?" asked Choun, although it came out harsher than the question suggested. "Well, let's see how they hold up against my Flying Kamakiri #1!"

The new monster, despite its name meaning "mantis", looked like a large anthropomorphic dragonfly. Its body was red and green, with four spindly arms ending in clawed fingers, four fragile yet powerful wings, and massive compound eyes (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now your wolf is about to face the strength of a true monster! Kamakiri, attack with Sonic Slashes!"

The insect took to the sky, before it sped towards Giga-Tech Wolf. When the Insect-type monster came face to face with the Machine-type, it let loose a barrage of high-speed scratches that turned Anthony's monster into pixels (Anthony: 3000-2800 LP).

"That should do. So far, I'm unimpressed."

Anthony drew his next card. "Well, this should change your tune! I'll attack your Kamakiri with my Bugroth!"

Anthony's monster aimed its guns upward, before it filled Flying Kamakiri #1 with holes, causing the huge insect to shatter (Choun: 2300-2200 LP). As soon as this happened, a card popped out of Choun's Duel Disk, which she placed on the field.

"Hold on for a second, what's happening?" Kan'u asked.

"Whenever Flying Kamakiri #1 is destroyed by battle, I can summon a WIND monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, such as my Flying Kamakiri #2!"

A new insect took to the field, in the form of a large brown mantis. It let out a screech before it took to the skies (LV 4: ATK 1500).

Anthony sighed. "Well, that's all for me."

Choun drew her new card. "All I can do for now is set one monster."

Anthony swiftly drew to begin his next turn. "Alright, now I summon my Robotic Knight!"

The black and gold robot arrived on the field, before it pointed its sword at Choun (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Anthony certainly has a lot of unusual monsters in his arsenal," commented Kosonsan.

"And they're all super cool!" added Chohi.

"Robotic Knight, take out that Flying Kamakiri #2 with Mechanical Thrust!"

His monster sprung into action, as it drove its blade into the abdomen of the massive mantis, destroying it (Choun: 2200-2100 LP).

"And now my Bugroth will waste your face-down monster! Attack with Beam Barrage!"

His other monster fired at the card, which flipped up to reveal a brown cricket with huge green wings (LV 4: DEF 700). The card was destroyed, leaving behind an echo that sounded similar to a tuning fork, prompting Choun to add a card from her deck to her hand.

"By destroying Resonance Insect, you've let me add an Insect-type monster that's level five or higher to my hand."

"This isn't good...I have a suspicious feeling that Anthony is playing right into her hands," said Shokatsuryo.

"What makes you say that, Shuri?" asked Kan'u.

"You see how Choun hasn't used either of her face-downs yet? She's trying to set up her field for something, something big. Hawawa…"

"Well, I'm done for now, so back to you, Choun."

"Gladly," she replied, as she drew. "I activate my Swords of Revealing Light!"

Suddenly, a bunch of swords made from green light came down and surrounded Anthony's monsters, trapping them.

"Hawawa," said Shokatsuryo, "now his monsters can't attack for three of his turns!"

"That's all for me, now show me what you can really do! Prove you're half as good as you claim to be!"

Anthony complied, drawing his next card. "I summon my Mechanicalchaser!"

A new monster appeared on the field, and an intimidating one at that. It looked like a green and silver metal orb with a humanoid face and six arms. It also wielded a large number of weapons, including a spear, a sword, a sickle, and a dagger (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Your move."

Choun drew, and grinned like a madman. 'Time to unleash my true power.' "First, I activate the Spell Card known as Insect Barrier, which prevents your Insect-type monsters from attacking, while mine are perfectly fine."

A card appeared, showing a grid of yellow laser beams that appeared to prevent a butterfly and a beetle from passing, when a similar grid appeared on her side of the field. Anthony was worried, as he knew that his deck didn't have any Insect-type monsters, but he had a feeling that she played that card for a reason. She then set one monster before she ended her turn, prompting Anthony to draw his new card.

"I summon my Cyber Raider!"

Another new machine entered the field, this one being a humanoid robot that was mostly blue and yellow in color. Its face was concealed in shadow, leaving only its white eyes visible. It also had a silver helmet with a forked pair of horns on top (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And since I still can't attack, I end my turn."

Choun drew her card, then flipped her two face-downs in the Spell & Trap zone face-up.

"I activate my Final Attack Orders, which forces all face-up monsters to stay in attack mode, and my Mask of Restrict, which prevents monsters from being tributed!"

Both of her cards flipped face-up, one depicting an army of knights charging towards their fleeing opponents, and the other showing a wicked looking mask that resembled a skull lined with sharp teeth. Shokatsuryo began to panic from the sidelines: this was what she was afraid of!

"And now, I Flip Summon my Parasite Paracide!"

Her monster flipped up to reveal a green insect with various tentacles coming out of its body (LV 2: ATK 500). But no sooner had it appeared did it suddenly burrow into the ground, as Anthony's deck glowed as a new card was added to it.

"Now my Paracide is hiding in your deck, but let's see if we can't coax him out! I play my Jade Insect Whistle!"

Suddenly, a jade whistle appeared on the field and began to play an alluring song.

No sooner had it finished that Anthony's deck began to shuffle, until the top card was none other than Parasite Paracide, face-up.

Chohi looked at the field, befuddled. "Um, where's the monster?"

"It's right here," said Anthony, "on the top of my deck...and I have to draw it now."

"Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting! I end my turn."

Slowly, Anthony grabbed the card and removed it from the top of his deck, and no sooner that he did, a bunch of tentacles came out and began to constrict him (Anthony: 2800-1800).

"ANTHONY!" shouted Kan'u, the others paralyzed in fear.

"Why is this happening to me," he complained. "I like insects!"

"Then you'll love what happens next. Go on, summon it."

Anthony had no choice but to comply as the tentacles retracted and he placed the card onto the final slot on his Monster Zone. The insect suddenly reappeared in defense mode (LV 2: DEF 300). However, the effect of Final Attack Orders kicked in, and Parasite Paracide changed into attack mode (ATK 500). Suddenly, Anthony's other monsters began to convulse, as they suddenly began to transform. Parts of his machines suddenly became more insectoid, gaining chitin and grotesque spikes. The spectators could only watch with horror as Anthony's Machine-types became Insect-type.

"No...I was right...his monsters are helpless now."

Shokatsuryo's words made Choun burst into laughter. "You can't attack, you can't summon, you can't tribute, and you can't even defend! You're at my complete mercy, and nothing will stop me from unleashing my ultimate monster!"

"Well, I have to end my turn." As Anthony said this, the Swords of Revealing Light faded away.

Choun drew, and smirked. It was time. "I summon my Petit Moth!"

A small green caterpillar appeared on the field (LV 1: ATK 300).

"What is that monster capable of?" Kosonsan asked Shokatsuryo.

"By itself, nothing. But with the right card, it can become the most powerful Insect-type monster in the game."

Chohi didn't lose hope. "Go, big bro! Squash her bugs!"

Choun continued to smirk. "Let's see if he can squash my Cocoon of Evolution!"

Suddenly, Petit Moth reared up its head and spat a shower of silk into the air. The silk fell and coated the caterpillar in a large white cocoon (ATK 300-0).

"Hawawa!"

"What's wrong, Shuri?" asked Kan'u. "What's about to happen?"

"This is really bad, Aisha. Once Cocoon of Evolution is equipped to Petit Moth, the larva begins to change. After two turns, it becomes Larvae Moth. After four turns, it becomes Great Moth. And once six turns have passed…"

"Then I can bring out my most powerful card, the Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth! All other insects tremble before it! This is my true power!"

Anthony was quick to point out a hole in her plan. "But to summon it, you need to tribute your Petit Moth, and neither of us can tribute."

Choun was unfazed. "I have plenty of time to draw the right card. Now, I end my turn."

Anthony drew his card, and sighed. He had drawn his Machine King, but as long as that Mask of Restrict remained, he couldn't summon it, and all of the other cards in his hand were high-level monsters as well. He ended his turn on the spot.

Choun drew her card, and smiled when she saw what it was. It was a Spell Card called Remove Trap, which could let her destroy any face-up Trap Card on the field that she chose. After five more turns (or three, if she drew her Great Moth), she would destroy her Mask of Restrict, summon her ultimate moth, and attack Parasite Paracide for the win. She ended her turn without playing anything as well.

Anthony took a deep breath as he grabbed hold of the top card of his deck. It was all or nothing at this point. The world seemed to go into slow motion as he drew his card, and when he saw what he got, he smiled before he put on his shades.

"If you're going to think so far ahead, then you should be prepared to face the future! I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon!"

Choun's smirk became a look of panic as a blue whirlwind suddenly tore across the field, aiming for her Mask of Restrict. The mask didn't stand a chance as it shattered into pixels.

"Now that I can tribute again, I tribute my Parasite Paracide to summon Machine King!"

The parasite suddenly faded as Anthony's enormous machine entered the field, raising a hand and clenching it into a fist (LV 6: ATK 2200). With the parasite gone, Ground Attacker Bugroth, Robotic Knight, Mechanicalchaser, and Cyber Raider turned back to normal, free from their curse.

"And now, Machine King gains one hundred attack points for every Machine-type monster on the field!"

The rest of Anthony's monsters turned towards Machine King and kneeled, or at least bent down, as Machine King absorbed their power (ATK 2200-2700). Three of the five girls were stunned: Anthony had such a powerful monster in his deck? Choun began to panic, knowing that it was curtains for her.

"Machine King, take down her Petit Moth with your Power Surge!"

Machine King gathered energy in the disc on its chest, before unleashing it in the form of a massive laser blast that tore through the cocooned monster and Choun's remaining points (Choun: 2100-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony)

Choun fell to her knees, and she placed her hands on the ground as she bent forward. Her plan was nearly foolproof, and he ruined everything in one turn! It was...it was…

'Amazing…'

"Hey, so, do you want this back or not?"

Choun looked up to see Anthony holding her Parasite Paracide.

"I mean, it is yours, and I certainly don't need it."

She took her card back gratefully. "Thank you. And, I apologize for believing that you four had no skill, as I was just proven wrong. It would be an honor to work with you."

Anthony grinned, and Choun couldn't help but think that he looked...cute…when he wore those odd black glasses. He soon put them back onto his hat, however, when he turned towards Kosonsan.

"I'd like to go on the mission with Choun, if it's cool with you all."

His peerage could only nod, believing that he had more than earned the right after his duel.

"In that case, it's settled," said Kosonsan. "We'll begin in an hour, so prepare everything that you need."

Anthony nodded, as Choun stared at the duelist. A perverted grin spread across her face. 'This will be far more fun than I anticipated.'

~KD~

Soon after, the group were surrounding a large wooden wagon. Inside the wagon the foot soldiers were loading crates containing various valuable items such as food, bricks, and even a few spears that were added by the soldiers. Anthony was looking through all of his cards, building his deck, before he completed his work and placed his deck into his Duel Disk, and his spare cards in his bag. He then turned to Choun, who appeared to be eating…something out of a large jar.

His curiosity got the best of him. "What the heck are you eating?"

Choun turned to her temporary partner in crime. "Only the greatest invention in recorded history! How could you not have heard of the miracle of menma?"

Anthony turned towards Kan'u. "Menma?" he whispered.

"A condiment made from bamboo."

"Ew."

"It's actually rather good on noodles, though I've never seen anybody eat it by itself."

Their conversation and Choun's snack were interrupted as one final crate was loaded into the wagon. This final box was tall and wide, with one of the sides open. It could easily fit a person inside, two even, which was perfect, as that was the intention. Kosonsan approached Choun and Anthony, who both were wearing their Duel Disks.

"Okay now, once the bandits attack the transport, you two will come out of this crate and challenge them to a duel. Once you defeat them, if you defeat them, return back to base. Thirty minutes after you leave, I'll send two empty convoys to recover and transport the stolen goods."

"Quick question," said Anthony. "How long does it take to reach the passage?"

"Roughly thirty minutes on foot. That's why I'm waiting until you arrive to send the recovery team."

Anthony nodded, and turned towards his peerage. "If we aren't back within two hours, then come looking for us. Do you understand?"

"We're all ready," said Kan'u.

"You got it, big bro!" shouted Chohi.

"Okay," said Shokatsuryo.

Anthony smiled. "Thank you. We'll be back, I promise."

"Let's go!" said Choun, as she grabbed Anthony's shoulders. "With our incredible skill, this should be easy. And very fun."

Anthony chuckled nervously at her actions, while Kan'u frowned. She didn't like the way that she was acting around her lord. The brunette and the bluenette then squeezed into the crate, which was shut behind them.

"Uh, sorry Choun, it's kind of a tight fit…"

"That's alright, I don't mind. I don't mind at all."

'Help me.'

And so the two duelists were carted away.

~KD~

Even though the trip was only supposed to take half an hour, Choun's actions made it feel like an eternity to Anthony. On the way there, she had felt up his arms, pushed her sizable chest against him, and even grabbed his ass once or twice. Anthony felt thoroughly uncomfortable at the series of molestations, and just hoped that the two of them could get out soon.

Unbeknownst to them, as the wagon made its way through Sishui Pass, they were being watched. The majority of the spectators were wearing simple bandit clothes, while two of them wore more noticeable clothing. They both wore long robes that covered their entire bodies from the neck down, except for the sleeves, which revealed that each one wore a Duel Disk. They also both had long hair that concealed one of their brown eyes. One of them wore white and had their right eye concealed, while the other wore black and had their left eye concealed. The black-robed bandit went under the code name Yin, while his twin brother went by Yang.

"It seems that our new bounty has come to us, brother," said Yin, in a smooth voice lined with a layer of malice.

"Indeed, brother. Let us greet our new friends," replied Yang, who had a somewhat higher voice than his twin, but the same tone.

And with that, the bandits leapt off of the ridge and surrounded the convoy, weapons pointed. The soldiers that were

moving the wagon dropped their spears and put their hands in the air as a sign of surrender.

"Wise choice," said Yin. "Now men, how about we aid these poor gentlemen and lighten their load?"

Right after these words leave his mouth, the large crate was kicked open as Choun jumped out, brandishing her Duel Disk as though it was a weapon, with Anthony following, gasping for air.

"Your reign of terror will now end, wrongdoers!"

"I feel violated…"

The bandits stepped back in surprise, as Yin and Yang stepped forward.

"Who are these stowaways?"

Anthony then regained his composure. "My name is Anthony Calem, and this is Choun Shiryu! We're under orders to duel you two for the stolen goods."

Yin and Yang looked at each other, then faced the two with sinister smiles. "We will gladly duel you," said Yin.

"Perfect!" said Choun.

"However," finished Yang, "it must be a Tag Team duel."

Choun was confused by this. "A what?"

Yin and Yang took turns explaining. "In this duel, two teams of two shall face each other, with each team sharing eight thousand life points. They will each have their own field, but their cards may also count as their teammate's cards and vice versa, and players will take turns switching between each other."

"Each turn counts as a turn for the team, and monsters cannot attack until the fourth turn, with each player only able to attack with their own monsters. You cannot use the effects of your teammates cards unless otherwise stated, but you can use the cards in their Graveyard or their banished cards, and you can tribute their monsters or use them for an effect or Fusion Summon, but you need your teammate's consent. Finally, you can look at each other's hands and set cards, but if you're to swap strategies, it must be verbal, and loud enough for your opponent to hear. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, it sounds simple enough. Let's go, Choun!"

"Right!"

And just like that, the duel began.

(Choun & Anthony: 8000 LP)(Yin & Yang: 8000 LP)

Choun took the initiative. "I summon my Petit Moth in attack mode!"

The familiar green caterpillar appeared on the field (LV 1: ATK 300).

"Now I equip it with Mist Body and Cocoon of Evolution!"

A card showing a monster becoming mist appeared on the field as Petit Moth became encased in silk (ATK 300-0).

"That's all for me."

Yin then drew his card, before a slot opened up on the end of his Duel Disk. "I play my Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

Suddenly, the area around them began to shift. Soon, they were on a large temple, with the top containing a massive pyre.

"Now anyone can simply pay life points to summon high-level monsters rather than have to tribute! And to demonstrate, I pay two thousand life points to summon my Sanga of the Thunder!" (Yin & Yang: 8000-6000 LP)

This monster took the appearance of a massive brown torso with mighty clawed arms, a ring of electrical orbs on its back, and a head with the kanji for "lightning" in place of its face (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"A powerful monster like that on the first turn? We're in trouble," said Anthony, as Yin ended his turn. Anthony drew his card, before making the only move that he could. "I set one card face-down. Go ahead."

"With pleasure!" Yang then turned to his brother. "Yin, may I change the Field Spell?"

"Of course you can!"

"Then I play my own Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

The Field Spell disappeared only to be replaced by an identical copy, as the flames on the mausoleum rose.

"Then I summon my Kazejin!" (Yin & Yang: 6000-4000 LP)

Sanga was soon joined by a green monster with a similar body structure, having the kanji for "wind" on its body (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"Now to conduct battle! Kazejin, attack with your mighty Gale Force Shock!"

His monster began to build a ball of wind in its hands, before it fired it at the cocooned Insect-type (Choun & Anthony: 8000-5600 LP). However, as the dust settled, Petit Moth remained.

"What sorcery is this?" asked Yang.

"My Mist Body prevents the equipped monster from being destroyed by battle. Petit Moth stays!"

"No matter, as you will still take damage. This concludes my turn!"

Choun drew her card, before looking at her hand. If they could last for four more turns, then she could summon her Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, and possibly even win the duel! But first, she had to last that long, and she placed down a card just in case.

"I activate my Insect Barrier, which prevents your Insect-type monsters from attacking! Then I place my Moth into defense mode. And with that, my turn is done!"

As her cocooned moth changed its battle position (DEF 2000), the two brothers laughed at the card she played.

"How laughable! You attempt to prevent attacks from Insect-types, when we control a Thunder-type and a Spellcaster-type!"

"Don't forget our Aqua-type, Yin!"

"Quite correct, Yang. I play Mausoleum of the Emperor, then I pay two thousand life points to summon my Suijin!"

Once more, they paid life points to bring out a powerful monster (Yin & Yang: 4000-2000 LP). Once again, it was a large torso with clawed arms and a kanji on its body, although this time, the monster was blue, and the kanji meant "water" (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"Next I play my Stop Defense, to switch your monster into attack mode!"

A card that showed an "X" over a defending knight appeared, as Choun had her monster become exposed (ATK 0).

"And now we may continue our assault! Sanga of the Thunder, zap that cocoon with Electric Breaker! Suijin, drown it with Tidal Surge!"

The two monsters attacked with blasts of electricity and water, as Choun and Anthony shielded themselves from the resulting shockwaves (Choun & Anthony: 5600-500 LP).

"My turn now comes to an end!"

Once Anthony drew, he turned to his partner. "Choun, I think that the two of us can turn this duel around, but you're going to have to trust me. Do you?"

Choun nodded, and Anthony grinned before setting a card. "I set a card and send it back to you guys! Hit me with your best shot!"

"With great pleasure," said Yang, as he drew his next card. "Brother, it is time to introduce these two to our most formidable monster."

"Then do it, and show these fools our true strength!"

"Yes, brother! Remove your monsters from your field!"

Yin did as requested, and Yang removed his own monster before playing a new one. "Allow us to show our ultimate monster!"

"A monster that dwarves the power of all others that stand before us!"

"One that, to this day, has never been beaten!"

The twins then spoke at the same time. "Go, Gate Guardian!"

Suddenly, Kazejin retracted its arms, before landing on top of Suijin. Suijin then brought its arms down, converting them into legs, before Sanga landed on the combination, and the transformation became complete. The three monsters had become one, and this new monster towered over the four duelists, taller than any monster that Anthony or Choun had ever laid eyes on (LV 11: ATK 3750).

"It's...enormous…" Choun managed to choke out.

"Don't worry, I know how to stop it in its tracks," Anthony reassured her. "That Insect Barrier is sure to come in handy."

"Gate Guardian, bring their life points crashing down to zero with your mighty Thunderstroke!"

The massive titan began to charge energy, as its orbs crackled and its kanji glowed. It then brought its massive hands together and began to charge a bright pink orb of energy. Suddenly it fired a pink energy stream that was as wide as Anthony was tall. Before it struck, however, Anthony activated his trap.

"I play my Trap Card, DNA Surgery!"

Just then, a card flipped up, showing a team of unusual looking doctors about to go into surgery.

"This card allows me to change the type of every monster on the field into one type of my choice. And I choose Insect-type!"

Suddenly, Gate Guardian sprouted massive fly wings and fuzzy antennae like a moth. Kazejin's arms extended out of its torso, as its now four arms became covered in chitin, as blotches of chitin and insect limbs began to appear all over the monster's body, to the horror of Yin and Yang. Suddenly, Choun's Insect Barrier fired a grid of lasers that absorbed the Thunderstroke, leaving their life points intact, for the time being.

"Amazing! When did you put that in your deck!?"

"It was always in there. Remember, my best monster gets stronger for each Machine-type on the field."

"Grr...my turn is done."

Choun then drew. "I pass my turn."

Yin drew next, then passed his turn as well. As Anthony drew, he smiled. "I summon my Cannon Soldier!"

The familiar robot appeared, before it gained insectoid armor along its body (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"My monster has a special ability, allowing me to tribute a monster to inflict five hundred points of damage. And it can use itself for a sacrifice! Go, Cannon Blast!"

The monster began to spark, before it fired a blue ray from its cannon and exploded. The ray landed between the twins (Yin & Yang: 2000-1500 LP).

"I end my turn," Anthony declared. If they lasted this next turn, then they would win. It all came down to whatever Yang drew. Slowly, the bandit in white drew his next card, with Anthony and Choun watching with bated breath.

"I have no choice but to pass my turn."

The two then cheered for joy. Choun drew, and grinned wider than Anthony had ever seen. "Now that six turns have passed, I can tribute my Petit Moth to summon my ultimate monster, known as Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!"

The cocoon suddenly split open, and a pair of blue and purple ringed wings emerged from the silk encasing. A sickle-like chartreuse leg emerged, then another, before out crawled a massive moth, which let out an unearthly shriek before taking into the air, then descended until it was hovering on the field (LV 8: ATK 3500).

"And now it's my turn," said Anthony as he flipped his sunglasses over his eyes. "I play the card Metalmorph! This card equips to a monster, giving it three hundred more attack and defense points, as well as half of the attack points of any monster it attacks!"

As the card flipped up, showing a monster covered in metal, a mercury-like substance coated Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, making it even more powerful than Gate Guardian (ATK 3500-3800).

"This is not good! Brother, what do we do?"

"There is nothing that we can do! Our fates have been sealed!"

"IT'S TIME TO FACE THE FUTURE!" Choun and Anthony screamed in tandem, their right arms extended. "GO, PERFECT STEEL HURRICANE!"

The metal coated moth let out another shriek before it flapped its wings, releasing a powerful whirlwind filled with powder and metal shards, as the power of the ultimate insect grew even more (ATK 3800-5675). The mutated Gate Guardian was ripped into pixels by the attack, as the massive shockwave sent the twin bandits flying, as the temple reverted back into the passage through the mountains (Yin & Yang: 1500-0 LP)(Winners: Choun & Anthony).

As the dust settled, the bandits appeared to have fled, leaving the wagon's load untouched. Meanwhile, Anthony and Choun began to cheer, amazed by their final attack. Soon after, the empty wagons arrived, prompting them both to return to the camp.

~KD~

"I'd like to thank you all for assisting me with this," said Kosonsan as the five duelists stood before her. "With your help, the citizens will finally be able to receive their goods. In thanks, you may call me by my secret name, Pairen, and if any of you require my help, then simply contact me."

"With pleasure, Pairen," said Anthony. He then noticed that Choun was leaving, as he went to approach her.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going to continue traveling. While Pairen is certainly a good general, she doesn't have enough moxie for my taste."

"Well, why don't you come with me? You could become a fantastic general."

Choun held her hand to her chin in thought, before ultimately declining the offer. "Sorry, but I would like to see what else is in store for me before I make that decision. However, I cannot deny that I had fun, and would love to see you again, if you understand my meaning."

Anthony was confused, until she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead, before she giggled and walked away to parts unknown. Anthony was stunned, as he looked over to see Kan'u, Chohi, and Shokatsuryo looking like they felt the same way.

"What the fuck just happened?"

* * *

 **I told you guys that this would be a long one, and I delivered! All right, on to the important stuff. Pairen and Sei (Choun's secret name) are both eighteen, while the Yin-Yang twins (by the way, their real names are Kenkuro for Yin, and Kenshiro for Yang, with Yin and Yang being pseudonyms) are each 21, being minutes apart from each other. It's pretty obvious why Yin and Yang use Gate Guardian, what with them being based on the Paradox Brothers, minus the rhyming. Sei, however, is a little more tricky. There's actually a couple of reasons why I gave her the Insect-type deck. First off, Sei is a very intelligent woman, so it makes sense that she would use a deck that requires a lot of thinking ahead. Secondly, I picked Insects to fit her butterfly motif. Also, in case it wasn't obvious, or if you didn't read the character list, Sei is going to be joining Aisha in the harem! Also, I should probably get this out of the way. There's going to be eight girls in the harem (a decent number, but not nearly as big as other harems in fanfics), and all the girls have already been decided. I'll reveal who's going to join the harem when they come up. The next chapter will introduce the last character in the list, as well as wrap up what I call the "Zhuo Arc," so stick around, faithful readers! You know who you are! Starpion out!**

 **Edit 10/24/2018: altered the Tag Team Duel to fit the official TCG rulings.**


	6. Bacho the Splendid

A week after meeting Kosonsan and Choun, Anthony and Chohi were currently walking through the relatively busy streets of the village, simply making small talk. Currently, they were thinking about what name they should give to his territory, as per Chohi's request.

"Okay, big bro, how about we call it Big Bro's Village?"

So far, they had come up with very little.

"Hm...hmm...hmmm...I've got it! How about the Kikai Faction?"

"What does that mean?" Chohi asked her lord and surrogate older brother.

"It's a foreign word that means 'machine,' which is perfect for our village! Not only because I use Machine-type monsters in Duel Monsters, but because like a machine, everyone in it serves a unique purpose to fulfill. Pretty sweet, don't you think?"

Chohi excitedly nodded, before she stretched out and yawned.

"What's the matter, Rinrin? Are you tired?"

"No, Rinrin's just bored. I wish I knew where my friends were so that I could play with them."

"Well, I could play with you, if you want."

Chohi tilted her head in confusion. "But Rinrin doesn't have her cards on her." And true to her word, unlike Anthony who brought his cards and his Duel Disk wherever he went inside of his bag, Chohi had left them back in her barracks.

Anthony chuckled. "We can play a different game if you want. Believe it or not, there are things that I like to do other than Duel Monsters."

Chohi's expression instantly brightened, as she put her fists to her chin and began to hop in place. "Okay big bro! What do you want to play?"

Anthony gained a mischievous grin, as he shoved both hands into Chohi's stomach. "TAG!" he shouted before he sprinted through the street, leaving Chohi to regain her bearings and pursue him. Anthony chuckled to himself. He may be admittedly, and rather sadly, weaker than Chohi, but on the other hand, he was faster. There was no way that she would catch up to him! However, he wasn't watching where he was going, as he suddenly collided with somebody.

"OOF"!" they grunted in tandem, as they both fell on the ground in a heap. Anthony closed his eyes on impact, and when he opened them, he saw that he had run into a girl his age. She had long brown hair that was tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon, with a strand sticking up as a cowlick. She had a similar ribbon wrapped around her forehead as a headband, and had thicker than average eyebrows. She wore a top that was white on the shoulders and back, green with gold trim on the front, had a black bow on the collar, and had red tassels on the shoulders. Her outfit also contained long black sleeves, a white skirt with black trim, thigh-length white stockings with red flame patterns around them, and plain white shoes. On her left wrist was a Duel Disk that contained a green trim. Her eyes then snapped open, revealing them to be violet, and Anthony suddenly realized in fear that his right hand was unwittingly holding something firm, unlike his left hand, which was on the ground. He lowered his gaze and found that, to his horror, her left breast, which was rather large at that (he mentally kicked himself for thinking that), was in his grasp. Anthony let out a yelp as he let go of the girl and threw himself backwards. As the girl looked at her surroundings, Chohi then came over, and being blissfully oblivious to the situation, went up to her older brother.

"Tag!"

"Not now, Rinrin!" Anthony practically hissed under his breath. Suddenly, he turned back towards the girl he had run into and accidentally fondled, who was looking down and appeared to be shaking with rage. Slowly she spoke, her voice relatively deep and scratchy.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"Look, I am so sorry, I didn't look where I was going, and I just put my arms out to break my fall, and…"

"I will make you pay for this!"

"I'm super sorry, I swear I can make it up to you…"

"You completely ruined my lunch!"

"I swear that-wait, what now?"

It was then that the girl picked up what looked like meat on a skewer. It had been knocked onto the ground, covering it with sand. "This is not going to slide! It's one thing to mess with somebody, but to mess with their food? You must have no honor, no soul!"

Chohi then crossed her arms and glared at Anthony. "Yeah, that's a real low blow, big bro. Food is innocent."

Anthony resisted the urge to face palm. "Okay, first off, that is not the worst thing that just happened. Secondly, if that's what this is about, I'm the chief magistrate, so I can easily get the vendor to make you a new lunch free of charge. Hell, I could pay for it myself!"

The woman shook her head. "No way. It's too late for that, and Bacho Moki wasn't raised to simply let things go. If you want to make things up to me, then you'll have to duel me for it. If you manage to win, I'll somehow forgive you. But you still have to buy me a new lunch!"

Anthony was confused how that was considered a reward, but any excuse to duel was a good excuse, in his opinion. The two of them shuffled their decks, as Anthony activated his Duel Disk.

"Let's duel!"

(Bacho: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I think I'll go first!" Bacho declared. "I summon my mighty Tiger Axe!"

An anthropomorphic tiger wielding a battle axe and adorned in armor appeared before Bacho (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And now I equip my monster with Mystical Moon, making it even stronger!"

A card showing a full moon appeared as her monster let out a roar (ATK 1300-1600).

"Now make your move!"

"Gladly," said Anthony. "I summon my Cyber Raider!"

The blue and yellow robot somersaulted onto the field before landing on one knee, then stood up (LV 4: ATK 1400). Suddenly, its horns began to charge with electromagnetic energy, and it fired a bolt of electricity at Mystical Moon, destroying the Equip Spell (ATK 1600-1300).

"Hey, what gives?" said Bacho.

"Whenever my Cyber Raider is summoned, it selects one Equip Spell on the field, which I can either destroy, or equip to my own monster. Now Cyber Raider can take out your Beast-Warrior! Go, Cyber Knuckle!"

Cyber Raider jumped over to Tiger Axe, before it struck it with a powerful punch, destroying the tiger (Bacho: 4000-3900 LP).

"And I end my turn by setting a card."

"You got this, big bro!"

Bacho ignored Chohi's cheering. "We'll see about that. I summon my Battle Ox!"

This next monster was an anthropomorphic bull, similar to a minotaur. It wore golden armor and wielded an axe, although this one was a little smaller than Tiger Axe's weapon (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Go, Axe Slam Attack!"

Her monster charged forward and brought down its weapon on Cyber Raider, turning it into scrap (Anthony: 4000-3700 LP). Anthony retaliated by playing his face-down.

"I resurrect my Cyber Raider with my Time Machine!"

The time machine rose from the ground, as Cyber Raider exited, good as new (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Well, I end my turn with that."

Anthony drew his card, then added it to his hand before selecting a different one. "I tribute my Cyber Raider to summon my Pendulum Machine!"

This new monster was a red robot with clawed arms that hovered in the air, and lacked legs, instead having a massive pendulum blade (LV 6: ATK 1750).

"This new monster is just strong enough to beat your Battle Ox. Go, Slashing Blade Attack!"

The robotic monster approached Battle Ox before it drew back its pendulum blade, and then swung it into the bovine barbarian, destroying it and sending it to the Graveyard (Bacho: 3900-3850 LP).

"I'll end my turn with that!"

Chohi was eagerly watching from the sidelines, cheering on her lord. "Come on, big bro! Your metal guys are way better than her animals! And I know animals!"

Bacho drew her card, and swiftly placed it onto the Duel Disk. "My Gene-Warped Warwolf has to disagree with that!"

This new monster looked like an albino werewolf with four muscular arms tipped with sharp red nails that were ready to cut through steel (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Now, Gene-Warped Warwolf, tear up his Pendulum Machine!"

The white monster pounced on top of the red one, scratching at its top while the robotic executioner couldn't fight back, eventually shattering the machine (Anthony: 3700-3450 LP).

"You had enough yet? I set one card face-down. Let's see what you're made of!"

"You're so energetic," said Anthony as he drew. "Hey Rinrin, are you two related?"

"Rinrin's never seen her before."

"Okay then. Anyway, it's time to bring out the big guns, or in this case, a tank. I play my Polymerization, fusing my Cannon Soldier and Giga-Tech Wolf to summon my Labyrinth Tank!"

The two monsters briefly appeared before fusing into the massive blue vehicle, which let out a grinding noise as its drills roared to life (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"Now put down that Warwolf with your Labyrinth Drill!"

The monster rushed forward, drills whirring, when the face-down card flipped up to show a monster with visible power coming off its body.

"By playing my Rising Energy," explained Bacho, "I can discard any of my cards to boost the power of one of my monsters by a whopping 1500!"

The area around Gene-Warped Warwolf became a bright shade of red as the monster let out a primal roar (ATK 2000-3500). It then proceeded to lift Labyrinth Tank by the four drills on its main drill, before slamming it into the ground, destroying it almost instantly (Anthony: 3450-2350 LP). As Anthony brought his turn to an end, the immense power left Gene-Warped Warwolf as quickly as it arrived (ATK 3500-2000).

"Now it's my turn, and I'll start by playing Wild Nature's Release! This lets me boost the power of any Beast-type or Beast-Warrior type by its defense points, although it's destroyed when my turn ends." Suddenly, the power of Bacho's monster went up (ATK 2000-2100). "Now attack!"

Anthony shielded himself as Gene-Warped Warwolf let loose a series of powerful swipes, causing his life points to plummet (Anthony: 2350-250 LP). Chohi gasped dramatically when she noticed how far behind he was.

"And rather than leave myself open, I tribute Gene-Warped Warwolf to summon Rude Kaiser!"

The mutant werewolf vanished, and in its place there was a green lizardman with blue hair done into a ponytail, metal plate armor over its torso, blue metal shin guards, and an axe blade on each forearm (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"Pretty cool, huh? There's no way you'll win!" But something else was on Anthony's mind.

"You know, that Kaiser has way more defense points than your Warwolf. I bet if you summoned it first and then played your Wild Nature's Release, you would have already won."

At this statement, Bacho became quiet for a good while, and so did the one-woman peanut gallery, as Rude Kaiser sweat dropped. After a while, Bacho spoke. "W-Well that doesn't matter! I can still win this thing!"

"Don't count on it," said Anthony as he drew his next card, before he put on his sunglasses. "It's time for you to face the future! I play my Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon any level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand, like my Launcher Spider!"

A tattered scroll appeared on the field, when a large, green, spiky leg emerged, soon followed by the rest of Anthony's new monster. It had six large spiked legs that were green in color, an orange head with a blue visor and a pair of mandibles, and most prominently, two yellow racks of missiles on its back (LV 7: ATK 2200).

"And now I summon my KA-2 Des Scissors!"

A new monster appeared next to Launcher Spider, this one taking the form of a massive blue robot with a crab-like appearance, having six large legs, a flat head, and two massive pincers (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"So what, you think that a spider and a crab can handle my Beast King?"

"Of course they can," said Anthony. "I don't intend on losing."

"Come on, big bro, you've got this! Rinrin believes in you!"

Bacho, for the first time since Anthony accidentally ran into her, let a smile grace her face. Seeing the support that this kid was giving her brother was heartwarming, and reminded her of the support that her family gave her when she made her dream to become the greatest duelist in the world. This wasn't unnoticed by her opponent, however.

"So she finally smiles, huh? You look pretty sweet when you don't feel like you're going to murder me."

Bacho blushed and let her smile disappear. "Sh-shut it! I don't need compliments from you, food destroyer!"

Anthony rolled his eyes. 'Well, it was nice while it lasted.' "Launcher Spider, attack that Rude Kaiser with Shock Rocket Attack! Des Scissors, attack Bacho directly!"

The missile racks opened up, as Launcher Spider fired a salvo of rockets at Barbaros. The Beast-Warrior attempted to counter the attack with its blades, but it soon proved to be futile as the rockets blew the monster to kingdom come (Bacho: 3850-3450 LP). As the smoke cleared, Bacho looked up to see KA-2 Des Scissors standing over her, as it swiped its claws through her, taking out a good portion of her life points (Bacho: 3450-2450 LP).

"I end my turn. Go ahead, Bacho."

Bacho drew her card, then placed it on the field. "I summon my Hitotsu-Me Giant." This new monster appeared to be a large muscular cyclops with a green color (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Hm? You're still fighting?"

Bacho looked offended at Anthony's remark. "I never give up, even when the odds are stacked against me! I'll keep fighting no matter what, that's my motto!"

Anthony smiled at her declaration. "Those are some good words to live by."

"Damn right they are! Hitotsu-Me Giant, take out his KA-2 Des Scissors!"

The large cyclops ran up to the equally large robot and knocked it over with a mighty blow to the head, destroying it and bringing Anthony's life points to a critically low level (Anthony: 250-50 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Anthony drew his next card, and smiled when he looked at what he just drew. "I had a lot of fun dueling you, Bacho, but now it's time to win this thing. I play my Limiter Removal, which doubles the power of every Machine-type that I control, like Launcher Spider!"

Launcher Spider let out a mechanized hiss as it became stronger than ever (ATK 2200-4400).

"And now, it's time to bring this duel to its conclusion! Go, Shock Rocket Attack!"

Once again, a barrage of rockets were fired at Bacho's lone monster, leaving nothing but smoke in its wake as Bacho's life points hit zero (Bacho: 2450-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

As the holograms faded out of existence, Chohi ran up to Anthony and hugged him tightly. "Big bro, you were so cool! Rinrin thought you were done for, but then you brought out that big spider, and it shot those exploding things, and boom! You won!"

Anthony laughed as he returned the hug and tousled her hair gently. "Not a problem, Rinrin. I couldn't have done it without your support."

Bacho then walked up to the two of them, smiling sweetly. "Your brother is a very good duelist and a really kind person. You should be lucky to have somebody like that in your life."

"Well, we aren't actually siblings," Anthony clarified. "Rinrin here simply declared me to be her older brother, and come on, could you say no to this face?" As he said this, Bacho turned to face Chohi, who had a massive smile on her face, and instantly agreed with him.

"Well, I forgive you for everything you did, but you still need to get me a new lunch."

"Well, why don't you come with me and join us for lunch? After all, I think you've earned it." Anthony then had an idea. "Hey, you're a really good duelist, and you seem nice enough. Would you like to join my peerage? I could always use more generals."

Bacho was shocked at the proposal. "Seriously? You're gonna hire me, after I treated you like dirt?"

Anthony nodded. "Why not? Besides, water under the bridge."

Chohi began to cheer. "Yay, Rinrin made a new friend!"

Bacho began to tear up, before swiftly wiping away the moisture and putting on a determined face. "You can count on me!"

"Then consider yourself welcome to the Kikai Faction, Bacho Moki."

"Sui."

"What?"

"That's my secret name, Sui. After having the best duel of my life, you've definitely earned my respect."

"Why thank you, Sui." And with that, the three of them headed back to Anthony's place.

~KD~

When Kan'u walked into the dining hall, the scene was both familiar and different at the same time. At the table was Chohi, stuffing her face with various kinds of food at a ravenous rate, which was nothing new. However, the fact that there was a ponytailed stranger doing the same was a surprise. Both of them were gorging on plate after plate, with no clear end in sight.

"Man, this stuff is great!" said the mystery woman.

"Told you so!" said Chohi.

Suddenly, Kan'u felt a hand on her shoulder, and spun around to see Anthony, holding a cup of presumably water (he didn't like tea). "Hey, Aisha, I see you've met the newest general of the Kikai Faction, Bacho Moki!"

"New general? Kikai? What are you talking about?"

Before Anthony could explain, Shokatsuryo burst into the dining hall, her panting indicating that she had ran all the way there. "Hawawa, hawawa, HAWAWA! Everyone, big news!"

Anthony then turned to face his shy strategist. "Hey, Shuri, have you met-"

"No time for that! Emperor Reitei, he...he…he's DEAD!"

At this declaration, the only sound that could be heard was Anthony's cup shattering on the ground.

* * *

 **Behold, the third girl on the character list, Sui! In this story, she's eighteen, and uses Beast-Warriors, due to her headstrong personality and her preference of brawn over brains. And yes, she is in the harem, though the next five girls are surprises. This also wraps up the Zhuo Arc, and next up is the Anti-Totaku Arc, with the next chapter being easily the longest I've written so far, at over 8000 words barring author's notes. So I hope you stick around! Starpion out!**

 **Edit 10/1/2018: fixed error with Beast King Barbaros's effect. Seriously, how did I miss that? Twice? Starpion out.**

 **Edit 3/22/2019: decided to just replace Barbaros with Rude Kaiser.**


	7. Duel Election

With the death of Emperor Reitei, the entire continent of China was shaken to its core. Since he passed in his sleep and had not named a successor, there was sure to be chaos. And chaos there was. Assassinations, wars, duels where the stakes were over entire factions, until eventually, the title of Emperor fell to Totaku Chuei. However, shortly after she was appointed as such, she gained a horrible reputation for monopolizing the Imperial Court and being a massive dictator. This resulted in the other factions splitting into two groups. One of these was for the support of Totaku. However, the other one, known as the Anti-Totaku Alliance, wished to bring an end to the tyranny of the To Faction, once and for all.

~KD~

"So, it seems like some of the factions are grouping up to fight us."

Far away from the Kikai faction, another group was speaking among themselves. The current speaker was a green-haired woman with two long braids and a black sailor hat with white tassels. She wore a white blouse with long sleeves, a short black cape with two long sashes, and a red ribbon. She wore a simple pair of black pants and knee-high black boots, and beige eyes behind pink-framed glasses. This was the primary To strategist, Kaku Bunwa.

"Really now? Sounds like a big joke to me." This new speaker had a very rude way of speaking, almost like a gangster. She had light purple hair, with the back done up in a flame shape by a spiked metal ponytail holder. Her eyes were a bright green. She wore a gray choker around her neck, and a long gray cape held together by two red strings. She didn't wear a shirt, and as such her sizable chest was restrained by white wrappings. She wore a long black skirt that reached her ankles, with the ties dangling around her knees, and simple wooden sandals. This was one of Totaku's generals, Choryo Bun'en.

"This is no joking matter, Shia," retorted Kaku. "This alliance has the combined power of the En, Gi, and Go factions. With Soso and Sonken on their side, this resistance is sure to be powerful."

"Not to mention that the up-and-coming Kikai Faction," said a new voice. This new figure was a woman with deep purple hair that was straight and reached her mid-back in length. She had deep green eyes which were half-closed in thought. She wore a simple white dress, with detached white sleeves that had purple cuffs. Under her dress, she wore knee-high socks with black shoes. This was another general who served Totaku, known as Ketsugo.

"Oh please, those guys are nothing but fodder for us!" This was said by a tall brown-eyed girl with silver hair. She wore a leather top that only covered her chest, a gray choker with long red ribbons, detached violet sleeves with metal bracers around her biceps and wrists, a violet cloth around her waist that reached her ankles, brown stockings, and white shoes. This was another general who pledged loyalty to the To Faction, Kayu.

"I can't waste to waste those losers!" This was the only male voice in the room, coming from a hyperactive man with spiky blonde hair. His eyes were a bright blue, and could only be described as crazed. He wore a sleeveless yellow vest over a plain black shirt, and black pants with gray belts looped around his lower left leg. He also wore simple black shoes. This was the newest of Totaku's generals, Denki.

"Well, we had better prepare for the inevitable conflict. Miyabi, Rai, Suru, I want you each to guard these three locations. Shia, you and Ren will take this point at Hulao Pass. Now go and inform her of this, and make sure not to dawdle. Meeting adjourned."

As Kaku said this, Choryo groaned before getting up and running to find the last general of the To Faction, while everyone was completely unaware of the figure watching through a nearby window.

"This is going to be so much fun!"

~KD~

"Yo, Ren! Where the hell are ya, girl?"

Choryo was currently wandering outside the temple, now sporting red fingerless wrappings on her arms from her elbows down and a black trimmed Duel Disk, looking for her fellow general, before she finally saw her wandering around her quarters. Ryofu Hosen was a tan girl with long red hair that had two massive cowlicks, almost like an insect's antennae. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. Her top was a blouse that exposed her stomach that was black on the right and white on the left, with matching detached sleeves that had maroon belts around the tricep area and a long purple scarf tied around her neck. She wore a black and white skirt with a maroon belt, and had long black boots.

"There you are! What're you doing, you lose something?"

Ryofu stared off into space. "...a butterfly…"

"Seriously!? That's it? Well, whatever, it's not important. What is important is that you grab your cards and your Duel Disk, and come with me. Kaku told the two of us to guard Hulao Pass. You coming?"

Ryofu took a long time to reply, before she simply nodded her head.

"Took you that long just to nod, huh?"

Another nod, as she left to prepare for combat.

~KD~

"I don't see why we couldn't have just rode on horseback to meet with the other leaders."

Currently, Anthony, Kan'u, Chohi, Shokatsuryo, and Bacho were on their way to meet up with the Anti-Totaku Alliance, mostly because Anthony had heard that Kosonsan was there, and was eager to reunite with her in her time of need. Bacho was complaining about having to walk there for roughly the fifth time, not that anyone was counting.

"Sui, we don't have horses. Besides, we're almost there, so just sit tight."

"Well, Anthony, if we had horses, we would already be there!"

"Enough!" Kan'u had just about reached her wit's end with this girl. "None of us ever complained when we had to walk the exact same distance, so why do you?"

After ten minutes of the two girls arguing, Anthony let out the biggest sigh of relief in his life. "We're here. Shut up. Let's go find Pairen."

It didn't take long to find her, as she immediately ran up to the five of them. "Oh, am I glad to see you four!" It was just then that she registered the fifth person there. "Or five, I suppose."

"Name's Bacho, nice to meetcha."

"Anyway, the leaders are meeting in that tent in the center, but I have to warn you now, it's rather ugly in there right now."

Anthony chuckled at this. "Come on, I've faced an entire group of bandits before. How bad can it be?"

He would immediately come to eat those words.

~KD~

"Ohohohohohohoho! Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Someone as grand as me must be the one in charge!"

"Are you kidding me right now? Someone like you in charge can only result in disaster. If anybody deserves to be in charge, it has to be me!"

"Ugh, I really don't want to get involved with this right now."

While Anthony's peerage were taken away to their tent, he and Kosonsan had entered the council room to bear witness to what could only be described as hell on earth. Inside, the leaders of the En, Gi, and Go factions were attempting to appoint a leader for their alliance, with zero success.

The first figure that caught his eye was Ensho Honsho, leader of the En Faction. She had long, curly blonde hair and a jeweled gold circlet around her forehead, as well as forest green eyes. She wore a white and red blouse with purple sleeves, which was concealed by golden plate armor that had a shape to accommodate for her…assets…as well as a golden gauntlet on her right arm, and a golden Duel Disk with red trim on her left. She wore a white skirt, a long red cape, purple stockings, and tall white boots with golden greaves. She looked like she rather enjoyed displaying her wealth with all of that gold.

Next up was the leader of Gi, Soso Motoku, who Anthony noticed was rather small and petite for her age, being around the same size as Shokatsuryo, despite being an adult. She had blonde hair done in twin drills held up by what looked like skull accessories, which Anthony found slightly unnerving. Her eyes were a piercing shade of blue, and she wore a gothic dress with, what else, detached sleeves (were those some form of odd fashion trend?). On her left wrist was a purple trimmed Duel Disk, although the end opposite of the Field Spell Zone was pointed, making it somewhat resemble a scythe. Her outfit was completed with blue stockings and red boots with greaves and armored toes.

The final party was the leader of Go, Sonken Chubo. She had dark skin, shoulder length lavender hair, blue eyes, and a marking on her forehead. She wore an elaborate headdress similar to a pirate captain's hat, in Anthony's opinion, with blue ribbons hanging on either side. She wore a red and white dress with red sleeves which exposed a part of her…ample assets…and her stomach, as well as long white boots. Her pink trimmed Duel Disk sat on an empty chair beside her.

The three of them had temporarily ceased their petty squabble over who deserved to be in charge, as they turned to an anxious Anthony, who decided that Now was as good a time as any to introduce himself. "Hello, my name is Anthony Calem, and I am the chief magistrate of the Kikai Faction. It's an honor to meet you all, and I hope to get along."

Ensho was the first to speak. "So this lowlife is said to be the Messenger from Heaven? Ohohohoho! What a laugh!"

"What an ugly man," was all that Soso put in. Sonken, on the other hand, simply looked away in disinterest.

Anthony let loose a blank stare, when his mouth suddenly decided to go on autopilot. "Well, aren't you a lovely group of fucks."

Kosonsan let out a horrified gasp, as Ensho and Soso looked incredibly offended, while Sonken merely shifted in discomfort, not wishing to get involved. Anthony realized what he just said out loud, in front of a group of military leaders, no less, and panicked. "Sorry, I didn't mean it, I swear!"

"Don't you know who I am!? I am Ensho Honsho of the esteemed En line, and I deserve to be treated with respect!"

Soso shifted her rage towards Ensho. "Oh yeah, you're definitely worth something. Not much, but some minuscule amount."

Ensho returned the favor with her own insult. "Like your figure, midget? Why don't you talk to me when you have a body like this," she snapped, gesturing to her large breasts.

Kosonsan noticed that the situation was starting to get out of control, as she turned towards Sonken for some assistance, as Anthony's rage slowly began to build. "Sonken, do something! Please!"

Sonken simply turned away. "Getting involved will simply cause more trouble than doing nothing, trust me."

Anthony then slammed his hand on the table, getting everyone's attention. "Listen to me! Right now, we're getting nowhere by arguing. Why don't we just duel for who gets to be leader? It will go much faster, and we can move on to more important issues, like stopping Totaku. So here's the deal. We'll all elect one of our peerage to duel, and have a tournament! What do you say?"

Ensho thought for a bit. "How about a knockout tournament?"

Anthony was confused. "A what now?"

"Two factions will select one person to duel, then another faction will face a different person from the winning faction. Whoever is left gets to become the supreme leader of this alliance! Sound good?"

"I suppose," said Anthony.

"Bring it," said Soso.

"Fine," said Sonken.

"Perfect! I'll go first. You're going to pay for insulting me, Messenger from Heaven!"

Anthony frowned. This wasn't going to be easy, was it?

~KD~

After explaining the situation to his peerage, who reacted with varying emotions (Kan'u was livid, Chohi was ecstatic, Shokatsuryo was terrified, and Bacho was simply shocked), Anthony and the girls ran to a field that had been set up inside the camp for any dueling to take place. Currently, Ensho was there, along with two others that Anthony hadn't seen before. The first girl had wild mint green hair with a couple cowlicks, navy blue eyes, and a blue headband wrapped around her hair. She wore a simple green top with purple sleeves and gold armor over her chest and left shoulder, a long blue scarf, and a golden gauntlet over her right arm, while her left arm held a green-trimmed Duel Disk. Her outfit was completed by a white skirt, white stockings, and a pair of white shoes. The other one had straight purple hair and purple eyes, with a purple top and heavy golden armor over her chest and shoulders, as well as a green scarf. A heavy golden gauntlet went over her right arm, and a purple-trimmed Duel Disk went over her left. She also wore a green ribbon, a white skirt, and purple stockings with heavy golden boots and greaves. These were Ensho's advisors, Bunshu and Ganryo respectively.

"So, who will we be up against?" said Anthony.

Ensho turned towards Bunshu. "Show zero mercy, Ishe!"

"Yes, Reiha!" And with that, Bunshu stepped forward, Duel Disk ready.

"Shuri, take care of her, would you?"

"I'll try, Anthony." And the petite blonde went up to face the hot-blooded green-haired girl.

"Let's duel!"

(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)(Bunshu: 4000 LP)

Shokatsuryo began, as she drew her sixth card. "I'll summon my Troop Dragon in attack mode, then set one card. That's all for now."

The green dragon entered the playing field, as it spread its wings (LV 2: ATK 700). As a face-down card materialized behind it, Ensho let out her obnoxious royal laugh. "Oh ho ho! A bit puny, isn't it?"

"Just ignore her, Shuri! We know what you're capable of!" encouraged Kan'u. She and Anthony had seen Shokatsuryo duel, so they knew full well what Troop Dragon could do.

"What is she capable of?" Bacho asked Chohi, who simply shrugged, neither of them having seen Shokatsuryo duel before, unlike Kan'u and Anthony.

"Well now I get to go! I summon my Trakodon!"

Bunshu summoned her own monster, which looked like a blue raptor with green stripes (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"Come on, Trakodon! Take out that trooper!"

The dino then rushed towards Shokatsuryo's dragon, before it slashed it with the claw on its foot, destroying the monster (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3400 LP). Without warning, a brand new Troop Dragon took its place, confusing Bunshu (LV 2: ATK 700).

"Where did that thing come from? Didn't my monster just send it packing?"

"The special ability of my Troop Dragon lets me summon another one when it's destroyed. And now I play my Call of the Haunted, to bring back my other Troop Dragon!"

Her card then revealed itself to show a picture of a graveyard, as Troop Dragon reappeared on the field, standing by its new comrade (LV 2: ATK 700).

"Well, if that's it, then I end my turn."

Shokatsuryo drew her card, before activating it, showing a picture of a monster called Tyrant Dragon spitting a fireball. "I activate my Dragon's Gunfire, letting me either deal eight hundred points of damage, or destroy a monster with eight hundred or less defense points. And since your Trakodon has only eight hundred defense points, I think I'll destroy it!" Both Troop Dragons then shot fireballs at Trakodon, destroying the raptor to Bunshu's dismay.

"And now I tribute both of my dragons to summon Serpent Night Dragon!"

As her Troop Dragons faded away, a new dragon appeared. It was dark purple, with four wings, four clawed legs, and a long snake-like body. It had a long, thin beak and red eyes (LV 7: ATK 2350).

"Serpent Night Dragon, attack directly with Nightmare Sonic Blast!

The dragon flapped its two pairs of wings as black crescent waves swarmed Bunshu, dropping her life points by a massive amount (Bunshu: 4000-1650 LP).

"This isn't good, Reiha. Bunshu just lost over half of her life points, she has no cards on the field, and her opponent has a high-level monster," said Ganryo, worried about her friend.

"Oh, just relax, Toshi. Ishe has dealt with worse situations in the past, and this is no exception. It's fine," said Ensho.

"Yes, Reiha," replied Ganryo, almost automatically, clearly used to agreeing with everything her lord said.

"Whoa! Rinrin didn't think that Shuri had such cool monsters in her deck!"

Anthony chuckled at Chohi's amazement. "You think this is cool, wait until you see her biggest beast!"

As Shokatsuryo brought her turn to a close, Bunshu drew a card that she played immediately.

"I summon my Two-Headed King Rex!"

Her new monster was a massive purple theropod with two horned heads and a pair of wings similar to a dragon (LV 4: ATK 1600). Once it was on the field, a familiar card was activated.

"And since I have less life points, I'll play my Megamorph, which will double the power of my dinosaur!"

The King Rex doubled in size and in power (ATK 1600-3200). It then stared at its opponents and roared from both heads. Serpent Night Dragon was unperturbed, but Shokatsuryo shrunk back in fear.

"And now I'll attack! Two-Headed King Rex, destroy that dragon with Foot Stomp!"

The two-headed dino lifted a massive leg and crushed Serpent Night Dragon into pixels (Shokatsuryo: 3400-2550 LP).

"Hawawa!"

"And since I still have less life points, my monster is just as strong! I end my turn."

Ensho began to laugh as Anthony became concerned. "Don't let her rattle you, Shuri! We believe in you!"

"I trust that you have the cards and the mind to deal with her!" added Kan'u.

"Rinrin knows that you can do this!"

"Yeah, what they said!"

Shokatsuryo mentally thanked her friends as she drew her next card. "I set one card face-down, and then I summon my Cave Dragon!"

Her new monster, despite being a dragon, had much more in common with an Ankylosaurus. It had a wide head and body covered with green and brown scales and bony white spikes, with three spikes on the tip of its tail (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"This monster can only be Normal Summoned if I don't control any other monsters, although I need another Dragon-type monster for it to attack," she explained, bringing her turn to an end.

"Well, I start by playing my Fossil Dig!"

A new Spell Card appeared on the field, showing a paleontology dig being done by the monsters known as Soitsu, Doitsu, Aitsu, and Koitsu. A small hole opened in the ground, and a card came out, going into Bunshu's hand.

"This card lets me add a level six or lower Dinosaur-type monster from my deck to my hand! And now I play my Silent Doom, which lets me summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in defense mode, like Trakodon!"

A card depicting a yellow beam coming out of the palm of a hand appeared, as Trakodon returned to the field in a flash of yellow light (LV 3: DEF 800).

"And now, by sacrificing my Trakodon, I can summon Megazowler, the card I added to my hand!"

As Trakodon vanished, a new dinosaur took to the field. This one was a large yellow Chasmosaurus, a dinosaur that had a frill on its head and horns above its eyes, although this one also had three rows of spikes lined along its body (LV 6: ATK 1800).

Anthony grimaced. "This could be it. Hopefully Shuri has something good on the field."

"Ha! Now Ishe can win this duel! And I will become the Supreme Leader of the Anti-Totaku Alliance!"

"You still have to beat Gi and Go, Lord Reiha," corrected Ganryo.

Ensho suddenly became flustered. "I knew that!"

'Sure you did,' thought Anthony, reminding himself to keep quiet.

"And now, Two-Headed King Rex! Attack with Foot Stomp!"

Ganryo panicked at her fellow advisor's actions. "Ishe, wait! Her face-down card!" But it was too late. As the super sized twin Tyrannosaur attempted to stomp down on Cave Dragon, Shokatsuryo played her card.

"I play a Trap Card called Dust Tornado, letting me destroy one of your spells or traps! And I pick your only spell, your Megamorph!"

A tornado tore a path through the field as Megamorph was destroyed, returning Two-Headed King Rex to normal (ATK 3200-1600). Even still, it attempted to crush the bulky dragon, stomping on its thick back, although it failed to damage its hide. Cave Dragon then swung its spiky tail and sent the Dinosaur-type monster flying backwards before it shattered (Bunshu: 1650-1250 LP).

"Hawawa...that was too close."

Bunshu flinched as one of her favorite cards was lost, but she forced a smile onto her face as she ended her turn.

"Good move, I never saw it coming!"

"Thank you, but the only reason you didn't see it ahead of time is because your strategy is all about power, getting big monsters on the field and making them bigger. Dinosaurs and Dragons are similar, in both appearance and play style, but I'm able to integrate strategy into my strength!"

Bacho turned towards Kan'u. "Does she always lecture her opponents before she beats them?"

"Well, both times I've seen her duel, she's done this, but I haven't seen her duel too much, so I'm not sure."

Shokatsuryo drew her card, before she smiled. "I summon my Mirage Dragon to help me bring this duel to an end!"

Her new monster had a serpentine body like an Eastern dragon, with a long crest on its head and long green hair. It had yellow plated scales that ran down its body, with larger plates on its four legs, and a tail with a sickle on the end. It had no wings, yet it appeared to glide through the air effortlessly (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Okay, since my Cave Dragon can attack now, I'll have it attack your Megazowler."

Cave Dragon lumbered over to the dinosaur at a steady pace before it swung its tail and struck it in the face, destroying it (Bunshu: 1250-1050 LP).

"Uh oh…," said Bunshu.

"Now, my Mirage Dragon will attack with Spectrum Blast!"

The dragon in question fired a rainbow-colored beam of light at Bunshu, concluding the duel (Bunshu: 1050-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo).

"NOOOOO!" To say the least, Ensho was distraught about losing her chance at being in charge. Bunshu, however, took her loss gracefully.

"Man, that was awesome! We should duel again sometime, okay?"

Shokatsuryo nodded shyly. "That sounds nice…"

"Awesome! Well, we should probably go so Soso can have a turn, right Reiha?"

"R-Right, of course. I'd watch, but between the 'Messenger from Heaven,' and the skirt-chasing midget, there's nobody to root for. Later, peasants!"

She then laughed as she returned to her tent, Bunshu and Ganryo by her side.

"Rinrin doesn't like her, big sis."

"Neither do I, but we're going to have to work with her, so you'll have to deal with her."

"Okay, big sis!"

As Anthony admired the cute scene before him, somebody behind him loudly cleared their throat. Anthony turned around, revealing it to be Soso, with her own peerage.

On her right was a woman with straight black hair, with a large cowlick in the front. She had piercing red eyes and a red top with a purple vest over her back, hips, and right breast, as well as a sash on the front and back that ran down to her ankles. She wore purple detached sleeves, with a skull on the shoulder of her right sleeve, and a red-trimmed Duel Disk on her left wrist. Her outfit was completed by black stockings and black shoes. This was the older of the Kako twins, Kakoton Genjo.

To the left of Soso was a woman whose outfit appeared to be a mirror of Kakoton's. Her top was blue, and the purple vest she wore covered her left breast instead. In addition, the sashes were replaced by triangular points on either side of her top. She had the same purple detached sleeves, with a skull accessory and a blue-trimmed Duel Disk on her left arm. She also wore black stockings and shoes. Her hair was blue and shoulder length, with her right eye being concealed by her bangs. Her visible eye was red, just like Kakoton. This was the younger Kako sister, Kakoen Myosai.

Finally, there was another woman peeking from behind Soso, who slowly came out, an annoyed look in her teal eyes. She was about the same size as Soso, although like the Gi leader, she was an adult. She had straw colored hair that was shoulder length with two portions sticking up in the shape of cat ears, as well as a green hood that resembled a cat. Clearly, she had a thing for cats. She wore a green top lined with black crosses and a large blue coat, a black pair of shorts, and a simple pair of brown shoes. To complete her outfit, she wore a bow tie with a green gem in the center, and a green-trimmed Duel Disk. This was the sole strategist of Gi, Jun'iku Bunjaku.

Soso then proceeded to look over Anthony's peerage, her eyes lingering on Kan'u in particular.

"Well then, it seems like this ugly man has managed to build up an entourage like mine! Though these ladies can certainly do better, right?"

Soso's peerage agreed, while Anthony was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, your harem, of course. Though as you can clearly see, mine is superior."

"Right, Lord Karin!" said Kakoton aggressively.

"Correct, Lord Karin," said Kakoen softly.

"Yes, Lord Karin," said Jun'iku seductively.

Anthony could feel his eyes shrink in panic. "It isn't like that, I swear! I'm not in any relationship! And I'm pretty sure that having a harem isn't legal, so…"

Soso sneered. "Of course it is! I wouldn't be in sexual relationships with all of these lovely ladies if it wasn't, moron! It's one of the many perks of being a lord."

Anthony's jaw dropped at this revelation, while Kan'u and Bacho unconsciously stored that information for later. Anthony rapidly shook his head as he tried to rid his mind of impure thoughts. "Whatever! I don't care about that! Who did you pick to duel us?"

Soso turned to the short strategist. "Keifa, please demonstrate the immense power of the Gi Faction!"

"Yes, Lord Karin! Messenger from Heaven or not, he's still a disgusting man, and my WATER monsters will drown him!"

While Anthony made a mental note to tell Shokatsuryo, Bacho, and Kosonsan about the whole "Messenger from Heaven" thing, he smiled. "Water, huh? Then it sounds like Sui should be the one to face you!"

Bacho was confused. "What does water have to do with me?"

"Your name means 'water'," he explained.

"Oh. Well, either way, you're going down, shrimp!"

Jun'iku sneered as she waddled over to the battlefield, ready to show her strength. 'Maybe if I win, Lord Karin will give me a special reward! Oh, yes, I can't wait!' While Jun'iku was salivating over the idea of "private time" with her lord, Bacho was shuffling her deck, ready for the fight to begin.

"Let's duel!"

(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)(Bacho: 4000 LP)

"Since my lord is a beautiful woman rather than some man, I think I deserve to go first," Jun'iku said, while Bacho failed to see what that had to do with anything. She opened her Field Spell Zone and put in a card that looked like an ocean. "I activate my Umi!" Suddenly, a large body of water covered the field and its surroundings, leaving Bacho up to her knees in water. Chohi tried to play in it, but the water simply bent out of the way, being nothing but a hologram, much to her disappointment.

"This Field Spell boosts the power of Aqua-type, Sea Serpent-type, Fish-type, and Thunder-type monsters, while weakening the power of Machine-type and Pyro-type monsters. It's a good thing I didn't volunteer myself," said Anthony, knowing how his machines would rust on this field.

"And now my monsters will be even stronger! Like my Fiend Kraken!"

Out of the water emerged a large yellow squid with bright yellow eyes, tentacles dancing in the air (LV 4: ATK 1200-1400).

"Now I set one card and end my turn. Go on, play your pathetic cards."

Bacho frowned at Jun'iku's words. "My cards are not pathetic! And I'll show you by playing my Pitch-Black Warwolf!"

This new monster was a black werewolf with metal armor and a red and black sword (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now my Warwolf will rip apart your Kraken!"

As the monster charged with its blade in hand, Jun'iku smirked and went to activate her face-down card, when Pitch-Black Warwolf let out a howl and covered the face-down with a black fog. Jun'iku wondered what was happening, when Fiend Kraken was sliced apart by Bacho's monster (Jun'iku: 4000-3800 LP).

"What did you do to my face-down!?"

"Pitch-Black Warwolf has a nifty special ability. Whenever it's on the field, it stops the opposing player from using their Trap Cards during the Battle Phase. And now, to end my turn, I place one card face-down!"

"Then it's my turn! And I play my face-down, Tornado Wall!"

This new card had a picture of a series of waterspouts.

"I can only play this card when Umi is on the field. With it, I don't take battle damage from your attacking monsters! And now, I summon my Great White!"

This new monster was a great white shark that also had two muscular arms (LV 4: ATK 1600-1800).

"Great White, take down that Warwolf with Razor Lunge!"

The monster dove under the water, as a fin steadily approached the Beast-Warrior. The Great White then leapt out of the water and caught the Warwolf in its jaws, before it dragged it into the water (Bacho: 4000-3800 LP). The shark's head reemerged back on Jun'iku's side of the field, while Bacho played her face-down.

"I activate Call of the Haunted, bringing back my Pitch-Black Warwolf!"

The card flipped up, and out of it pounced Pitch-Black Warwolf (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"I end my turn."

"Then it's mine! And I summon my Panther Warrior!"

Bacho summoned an anthropomorphic panther with leather armor, a green cape, and a sword and shield (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And since it needs a tribute to attack, I tribute my Pitch-Black Warwolf so that Panther Warrior can take out your Great White!"

The werewolf and Call of the Haunted disappeared as Panther Warrior rushed towards Great White with its sword, then slashed through the monster. Suddenly, the water began to swirl around Jun'iku, as a waterspout surrounded her, preventing her from taking any damage.

"Your weak cards can't get rid of my ultimate defense!"

"Ha, it looks like that lowlife actually managed to pull off an impressive move!" said Kakoton.

Bacho ended her turn, and Rinrin jumped to her friend's defense. "Leave her alone, you meanie! Sui is way better than you, cat lady!"

Jun'iku grimaced as she drew. 'I'm surrounded by idiots.' "Well then, let's see how she handles my Turtle Oath!"

A large basket with a lid that resembled a turtle shell appeared on the field. Suddenly, a blue jellyfish (LV 4: ATK 1200-1400) and a mermaid inside of a clam wielding a red bow (LV 4: ATK 1400-1600) appeared, as the lid of the jar slid open. Both monsters went inside, as the ritual began (4+4=8).

"By using my Jellyfish and my Red Archery Girl, I can Ritual Summon my mighty Crab Turtle!"

The jar then shattered, revealing a new monster. This one had a massive green turtle shell with eight red crab legs sticking out, as well as a pair of pincers and two thick legs. A purple stalk with one massive eye stuck out of the hole on top of the shell (LV 8: ATK 2550-2750).

"Crab Turtle, make her monster suffer with Crab Grab!"

The Ritual Monster then walked over to Panther Warrior and picked it up with its pincers, before it began to tug on it, until the monster was ripped in two and shattered (Bacho: 3800-3050 LP).

"Hawawa...what a brutal attack…"

"Well of course!" said Soso. "All of my girls are as powerful as they are lovely!"

"Oh, thank you, Lord Karin," drooled Jun'iku as she ended her turn. Bacho drew her card, then smiled. She then activated a spell which looked like a green pot with a creepy grin.

"I play my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards from my deck."

"Trying to pull off a miracle, are we? You must be getting desperate."

"You won't like this, you freak! I summon my Chiron the Mage!"

This new monster was a centaur wearing armor, wielding a staff which ended with a red orb (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And by discarding my Mystical Moon, I activate his special ability, letting him destroy your Umi!"

"WHAT!?"

Chiron rose his staff, which began to glow with magical power. He then pointed it towards the ground, as the water suddenly began to retreat. With the Field Spell gone, Tornado Wall was destroyed, causing Jun'iku to panic. Her monster became slightly weaker, now that it had lost its field advantage (ATK 2750-2550).

"And now, I play my Wild Nature's Release! Now my monster is going to get a massive power boost!"

Chiron suddenly gained strength equal to its defensive capabilities (ATK 1800-2800).

"Now attack!"

Chiron galloped forward, before it flashed a red light at Crab Turtle (Jun'iku: 3800-3550 LP). As Bacho ended her turn, her monster self-destructed.

Jun'iku drew her next card, and placed one card face-down before smiling. 'If that barbarian attempts to attack, my Mirror Force will make short work of any monster that she plays!' "Well, that's all that I can do. Go ahead."

"She's up to something," commented Kakoen.

"Good, that means that this duel is over," retorted Soso.

Bacho drew, before she activated her newly drawn spell.

"I activate my Soul Charge, letting me pay life points to bring back all of my monsters!"

The new card resembles a magician doing some sort of spell. Her life points fell until they were critically low (Bacho: 3050-50 LP) as all three of her monsters came back, before all of them were sacrificed.

"And now I tribute all three of my monsters to summon my best monster, Beast King Barbaros!"

This new monster was quite bizarre. It had the upper body of an anthropomorphic lion, while in place of its lower body was a panther body that had a stinger on the tip of its tail. It had bizarre golden plating similar to flower petals around its waist and its neck, and it carried a massive lance and a shield (LV 8: ATK 3000). The monster let out a mighty roar, before it plunged its lance into the ground. Suddenly, a spear made of stone popped out the ground and pierced Jun'iku's card. She was in complete shock.

"Again!? What happened this time!?"

"By summoning Beast King Barbaros using three tributes, I can destroy every card that you control. But since I can't attack on the turn I play Soul Charge, you've got another chance. I end my turn!"

Jun'iku drew, and to her dismay, the card that she drew was Power of Kaishin, a card that was useless without an Aqua-type monster on the field. And without any other cards in her hand or on her field, there was nothing she could do. Well, except for one thing. She put her hand over her deck.

"I fold." (Winner: Bacho)

"What?" asked Bacho, as her best monster faded. She couldn't believe it! Her opponent simply quit? What kind of cowardly move was that!? And she wasn't the only one disappointed.

"Keifa! What do you think you're doing!"

"I already lost, Lord Karin. I was just speeding things up." She then had a perverted smile on her face. "Does this mean you're going to punish me?"

"Without question. Come Shunran, Shuran. I need some...stress relief."

The four of them left, while Anthony made a mental note not to pass by their tent in the near future. He then ran up to Bacho. "You were great out there, Sui!"

Bacho began to blush. "Thanks, I really gave it my all back there. I didn't expect her to quit, though."

"I hate those who forfeit duels," said Kan'u. "It's a cowardly move to back out simply because things aren't going perfect."

"Maybe she really couldn't do anything?" suggested Chohi.

"Don't care. It's still disappointing," said Bacho.

"We've arrived."

The five duelists turned to see Sonken, as well as a new face. The new girl had purple hair done up in a bun with a red ribbon, purple eyes, and tan skin, although it was lighter than Sonken. She wore a red top with gray sleeves and a gray scarf. Her hands were bandaged, and she wore gray fingerless gloves, and a Duel Disk with a purple trim. She didn't wear a skirt or the like, due to the length of her top. Her legs were bandaged from just below the knee to her ankles, and she wore a pair of brown shoes. This was Sonken's personal bodyguard, known as Kannei Koha.

"You only brought one member of your peerage?" asked Anthony.

"Both of my strategists requested that they look into the location of Totaku's five generals. Besides, since Shishun is the duelist that I selected, only she was required to come."

"Even if you had selected Meirin or Non, I still would have accompanied you, Renfa," said Kannei, before she turned to the Kikai Faction. "Which of you shall be my opponent?"

Anthony put his hand to his chin. "I'll elect...myself!"

"What?" said Sonken.

"Are you sure, Anthony? Rinrin and I are able to take your place," said Kan'u, though Anthony politely declined.

"If I win this duel, then I'll be the supreme leader of the alliance. And considering my shitty first impression with these girls, I feel like leading by example is the best way to demonstrate my skills."

'Lead by...example?' While Sonken pondered Anthony's words, both he and Kannei began to shuffle their decks.

"When did Anthony start swearing?" Bacho asked Shokatsuryo, who only shrugged in response, though she did vaguely remember him swearing when Mukade and his goons insulted Kan'u.

"So, can I have the name of my opponent? My name is Anthony Calem, leader of the Kikai Faction, and the Messenger from Heaven."

"I go by Kannei Koha, personal bodyguard of the queen of Go, Sonken Chubo."

"Cool, now let's have some fun!"

(Kannei: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I shall go first," declared Kannei, drawing her card. "I summon my Vengeful Shinobi in attack mode, and end my turn."

This new monster was a ninja in black and white clothing, wielding a lengthy dagger (LV 2: ATK 400).

"That thing is really puny," said Bacho.

"Which means that it must have a dangerous effect," said Kan'u, as Anthony drew.

"I summon my KA-2 Des Scissors!"

The familiar blue robot towered over the duelists, pinching its claws in anticipation (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"KA-2 Des Scissors, take out her Vengeful Shinobi!"

The monster scuttled over to the ninja-like monster and slashed it to pixels with its claws (Kannei: 4000-3400 LP).

"And now my monster's effect activates. Whenever it destroys a monster in battle, you take five hundred points of damage for each level it had! Go, Toxic Haze!"

KA-2 Des Scissors opened its mouth, releasing a sea green cloud of gas that struck Kannei (Kannei: 3400-2400 LP).

Kannei didn't react to the toxic fog as she drew a new card. "Whenever an opponent selects my Vengeful Shinobi for an attack when it's in attack mode, I can draw a new card."

"Well, let's see if it's a good one! I end my turn."

Kannei drew, before she inserted three cards into her Duel Disk. "I end my turn by setting three cards."

"All she did was set? No new monsters?" asked Chohi in confusion.

"Hawawa...how dangerous...I can only pray that our lord knows what he is doing," said Shokatsuryo.

"Well, I draw, and I summon my Oni Tank T-34!"

This new monster was a large green tank that had the face of a Japanese demon known as an oni under the main cannon (LV 4: ATK 1400). However, as soon as it materialized, a sinkhole opened beneath it, and it fell in before shattering into light.

"Uh, what the hell just happened to my tank?"

A card on Kannei's field had flipped up, revealing a man who had fallen into a pitfall. "If you summon a monster with a thousand or more attack points, I can destroy it with my Trap Hole."

'Perfect, now Shishun is in control of the duel,' thought Sonken.

"He's doing the same as Bunshu did when we dueled, he's just playing into all of her traps."

Anthony overheard Shokatsuryo and turned towards her. "Well, until I can figure out how to deal with her traps, I don't really have a choice, Shuri." He then turned back to his opponent as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Well, I guess I'll attack with my Des Scissors."

As KA-2 Des Scissors lifted its pincers, Kannei played another card, showing a monster covered in spiked stone armor repelling two knights.

"I activate another of my traps, my Sakuretsu Armor, in order to destroy your monster."

She then became coated with the armor depicted in her trap card. As KA-2 Des Scissors grabbed her in its claw, the Machine-type shattered.

"Well, I'll end my turn."

Kannei drew, before she put her card on the field.

"I summon my Strike Ninja."

This new monster was a black-clad ninja, with a red scarf, a gold faceplate, and a kunai in each hand (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now my monster shall attack your life points directly with Stealth Slash Attack."

Her monster vanished in a puff of smoke, and when Anthony looked around for it, it fell from above and slashed him with its knives (Anthony: 4000-2300 LP).

"I now end my turn."

Anthony drew, and smiled at his new card.

"I summon my Mechanicalchaser!"

The green robot took the stage, bearing its weapons and ready for combat (LV 4: ATK 1850). Suddenly, a red portal opened on the ground below it, and Mechanicalchaser was dragged into it. Anthony gaped in shock, and looked at Kannei's field, where he saw her final face-down flipped up to show a goblin being dragged into a red portal by a bunch of spirits.

"Bottomless Trap Hole…"

"I see that you're familiar with this card."

"Yeah...whenever I summon a monster with 1500 or more attack points, you can play that card and banish my monster," he said, moving his card from his Duel Disk to a pocket in his satchel.

"What does 'banish' mean, big sis?" asked Chohi.

Shokatsuryo stepped in for Kan'u. "Rather than the Graveyard, banished cards are removed from play, and are placed in a separate area from the field."

Anthony sighed. "I end my turn."

"Then I shall begin mine, starting by summoning my Armed Ninja."

The new monster was a ninja in blue and gold wielding a bizarre polearm, with a blade shaped like a hook (LV 1: ATK 300).

"Now both of my ninjas will attack directly."

The monsters leapt towards Anthony and swung their weapons, bringing down a huge amount of life points (Anthony: 2300-300 LP). Sonken smiled, thinking that this duel was already won for the Go Faction.

Anthony drew, and made his move.

"I'll set one monster, and one card. That should be it."

Kan'u was worried. 'Everything lies on whether or not he can last this turn.'

Kannei drew, before she placed the new card in her hand. "Strike Ninja, destroy his monster." The ninja threw its kunai, as the face-down monster, Mechanical Snail (LV 3: DEF 1000) was destroyed. Kan'u was worried at first, until she noticed Anthony's unperturbed expression.

'What is he up to?'

Sonken made her own thoughts verbal. "He's about to lose, why is he so calm?"

"Because I'm not going to lose, at least this turn. I activate my own Trap Card, Time Machine, in order to revive my monster exactly how it was just before it was destroyed."

The time machine hissed as it opened its door, and Mechanical Snail leapt out before taking a defensive stance (LV 3: DEF 1000).

"Yes, he managed to last another turn! There's still a chance that Anthony can put the odds in his favor!" cheered Kan'u.

"Big bro can beat that ninja girl!" added Chohi.

"We'll see. I switch my Armed Ninja to defense mode, then place one card face-down." As her ninja crouched down (DEF 300), Anthony drew his next card, and he suddenly smiled wide before pulling down his sunglasses.

"It's time for you to face the future, Kannei!"

'Face the future?' thought Sonken.

"I tribute my Mechanical Snail to summon the monster that will win me this duel, Jinzo!"

The cyborg snail was replaced by a monster that wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. Most of its body was covered in green and black spiked metal armor, except for its head. It was bald, and upon closer inspection, skinless, with pink tissue exposed. Its face was concealed by a green breathing mask. The monster's goggles flashed red, as it let out a mechanical moan (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Oh my god, what is that hideous thing!?" screamed Sonken, losing her apathetic facade and displaying a face of pure terror.

"Hawawa, it's a living nightmare!" said Shokatsuryo.

"Come on, girls, you're hurting his feelings," joked Anthony.

"That thing is a guy!?" Bacho screamed.

"Anyway, my Jinzo is more than a match for your Strike Ninja. Go, Cyber Energy Shock!"

Kan'u began to freak out. "No, wait!"

"It's too late. I play my Kunai with Chain-"

But as the card, depicting a Y-shaped blade on a chain, began to flip up...

"-or at least you would," interrupted Anthony, "if it wasn't for Jinzo's special ability! Trap Search, activate!"

Jinzo's eyes flashed again as it fired a red laser beam from its eyes. The beam struck the Trap Card, which began to glow red and set itself back down. For the first time since the duel began, Kannei showed a different emotion than "stoic," as she began to sweat, as Jinzo summoned an orb of black electricity in its hand and threw it like a baseball at her Strike Ninja (Kannei: 2400-1700 LP).

"What did you just do?"

"Jinzo negates the effects of all face-up Trap Cards, and prevents Trap Cards from being activated. And since your deck appears to be reliant on traps, Jinzo completely shuts down your greatest weapon! Now I end my turn."

Kannei drew her next card, and slid it into her Duel Disk. "I set one card, and end my turn."

Anthony drew, and grinned. "I play my Shield Crush, destroying your Armed Ninja!" A yellow beam of light burst right through the defending ninja. "Now, my Jinzo will finish this duel with Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo built up a ball of black electricity between its hands, before it launched it directly at Kannei, who was forced to shield herself as she was knocked back (Kannei: 1700-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

Anthony's peerage began to cheer him on his victory as he lifted his sunglasses and made his way towards Kannei, who had been knocked onto her back by the shockwaves. He extended his hand, offering to pick her up, which Kannei gratefully accepted.

"That was a great duel, Kannei."

"Thank you, Messenger from Heaven. I trust that you will be an excellent leader for this alliance."

"I sure hope so," Anthony said, only half joking.

"I'm serious. Unlike the other two candidates, you have a kind heart, and leaders like that are very hard to come by. That's why I devote myself to Renfa."

"Well, I have to go," said Sonken. "Best of luck to you."

"Thanks, Sonken," said Anthony. "And Kannei, if you ever want a rematch, just come find me."

Kannei turned towards her lord without saying anything, although Anthony swore he saw her blush. As the women from Go left, Anthony turned back towards his peerage, whose cheering had died down.

"Hey Aisha, could you do me a favor and fetch Pairen?"

"Of course. Do you want me to bring her here or to the tent?"

"The tent. There's something that I need to go over with her, as well as you two," he said, pointing to Shokatsuryo and Bacho, who nervously shared a look with each other.

~KD~

"WHAT!"

Shokatsuryo and Bacho were completely floored by their lord's words. The other factions, as well as his own, believed that he was the Messenger from Heaven?

"I think I remember Ensho mentioning that," said Kosonsan, "but why didn't I hear of this?"

Anthony could only shrug. "Apparently, it takes longer for word to spread to the Empire than the smaller factions. Hell, I completely forgot about it until today."

Shokatsuryo could only put her face in her hands at her lord's actions, while Bacho was still curious. "So, are you actually the Messenger, or are you just going by the title?"

"Not sure, but Aisha seems to think so, mostly because of my clothes and my cards. Anyway, I thought I should mention this now, while it's relevant. For now, we should get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll start seeking out the five generals of Totaku, and after we've beaten all five of them, we'll be able to take on Totaku herself. Are you with me?"

"Y-yes," said Shokatsuryo.

"You got it, Anthony!" said Bacho.

"After all you've done for me," said Kosonsan, "it would be selfish to refuse. I'm in."

"Thank you, all of you. Now let's get some sleep."

As Kosonsan left, Bacho and Shokatsuryo went to the barracks, where Kan'u and Chohi were, while Anthony went to his own private barracks.

'Tomorrow, the game truly begins.'

* * *

 **Alright, there is an absolute FUCKTON of characters to go over, including two original characters, so I have to be quick.**

 ***deep inhale***

 **Ei (Kaku) is twenty, Shia (Choryo) is eighteen, Suru (Ketsugo) is 32, Miyabi (Kayu) is nineteen, Rai (Denki) is seventeen, Ren (Ryofu) is eighteen, Reiha (Ensho) is nineteen, Karin (Soso) is nineteen, Renfa (Sonken) is eighteen, Ishe (Bunshu) is eighteen, Toshi (Ganryo) is eighteen, Shunran (Kakoton) is eighteen, Shuran (Kakoen) is eighteen, Keifa (Jun'iku) is eighteen, and Shishun (Kannei) is eighteen.**

 ***panting***

 **Anyway, I gave Ishe Dinosaurs, due to her headfirst way of thinking. Keifa uses WATER cards due to the fact that they're rather versatile cards, and Keifa is a very intelligent woman. Finally, there's Shishun, AKA the newest member of the harem (surprise!). She uses Ninja monsters, but rather than Ninja support cards, she has very tricky Trap Cards, as well as a few spells, in order to play up the whole stealth element.**

 **Anyway, that's all for now, so keep an eye out for chapter eight!**

 **Edit 3/22/2019: added description of Beast King Barbaros, as this is now the first chapter he appears in. Starpion out!**


	8. Ghosts in the Machine

Anthony woke up the next morning to the sound of somebody rummaging through the tent. He swiftly put on his clothes, grabbed his bag, and slowly made his way to the main room, before coming face-to-face with…

"Sui?"

Sure enough, the brunette general was searching the main area of the tent, evidently looking for something.

"What's up, Sui? You lose something?"

Bacho turned to face the lord of the Kikai Faction, and Anthony noticed that her signature headband was missing. "My headband. I took it off in here last night, and I forgot to take it into the barracks. Could you give me a hand in finding it?"

Anthony nodded and began to join in on the search. A couple minutes later, they found it under the chair that Bacho was sitting in when Anthony told her about being the "Messenger from Heaven," and she tied it on, feeling like a new woman.

"Alright, let's kick some ass!"

Anthony laughed. "You know, I can't help but admire your enthusiasm, Sui."

Bacho blushed, when the two of them heard a familiar voice approaching.

"Hawawa, hawawa! I'm late for the meeting!"

As Shokatsuryo ran up to them, Anthony remembered that the strategists were supposed to be finding possible locations for the generals that served Totaku, and he went up to her.

"Want me to go with you? I'll give you a pass."

"Hawawa...thanks, Anthony."

"Could I come too? I wanna look for somebody." Anthony found Bacho's request odd, but granted it anyway, as the three of them went to the main camp.

"So, who are you looking for?" Shokatsuryo asked Bacho.

"My dad. He runs the Ryoshu Faction. I thought I might run into him here."

"A ruler? Hopefully he's not like Soso, or even worse, Ensho," said Anthony.

"No way, he's the coolest!" defended Bacho. "Not only did he teach me how to duel, but he was the one who gave me my best card, Beast King Barbaros!"

Anthony smiled, hoping that he could meet this man. Soon the three of them found the place, with two figures waiting outside.

The first one was a familiar face: Jun'iku Bunjaku, the one who dueled Bacho yesterday. The other one was somebody that none of them had seen before. This new figure had shoulder-length hair that was mint green in color, blue eyes, and a small pair of glasses. On her head was a yellow headdress with small red tassels. She wore a small white aegis around her neck and shoulders, and had two rather long red sleeves. She wore a red top that exposed her stomach, although save for a pink lacy bra, her large chest was completely exposed, which was more than a little distracting. She wore white stockings with an edged, pixel-like cutoff point, and a simple pair of red shoes. This was one of Go's strategists, Rikuson Hakugen.

"Hi there! You're Anthony, right? The Messenger from Heaven? Renfa and Shishun have been talking about you and your metal monsters," said Rikuson.

"That's right, I just came to escort my strategist. This is Shokatsuryo Komei, and she's one of the best duelists I've seen, and one of the smartest people I know."

While Shokatsuryo attempted to hide herself in her beret due to the mountains of praise, Jun'iku scoffed. "Praise from a man is cheap," she snarked. "To think someone like that became the Supreme Leader of our alliance…"

"H-Hey, Anthony is a great leader!" shouted Shokatsuryo.

"Yeah, and unlike you, he doesn't give up when things get too tough!" insulted Bacho, having very little patience.

Jun'iku looked like she was about to throw a tantrum, when Anthony grabbed Bacho's shoulders and attempted to pull her away. "And we were just leaving. It was nice seeing you, er…"

"Jun'iku."

"And I'm Rikuson!"

"Right. Well, later, Shuri. Please play nice." Shokatsuryo began to shake as her friends left. She barely knew these two, what if they already hated her? What if she messed up? What if-

"So, Shokatsuryo," said Rikuson, "do you like to read?"

Shokatsuryo suddenly calmed down. On second thought, this might not be so bad.

~KD~

"Have you seen your dad yet?"

"No, I figured that he would have joined the alliance."

So far, the two of them had no luck finding Bacho's father. As they were passing the mess hall, they noticed two familiar figures wandering around.

"General Kan! Where are you, General Kan?"

"General Kan? Do you think that they mean Aisha?" Anthony asked Bacho, who simply shrugged her shoulders in response. So the two of them walked up to the figures, who turned out to be Soso's two generals, Kakoton and Kakoen.

"So, what's going on over here?"

"We've been ordered to find a General Kan for Lord Karin. Why do you need to know, you ugly man?" said Kakoton.

"Well, we were just looking for my dad, if that's okay with you."

"Hmm," mused Kakoen. "You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Bato Jusei, would you? Because we were informed that he wished to stay neutral in this battle. A shame, really, since he is one of the only men to earn Lord Karin's respect."

Bacho slumped her shoulders in disappointment, while Anthony tried to get the conversation back on track. "Can we stop beating around the bush for a second?"

"What bush?"

Kakoton's literal-minded response made Anthony blink in response, before he managed to recover. "Look, if you're trying to find Aisha, I can get her for you. She is my general, after all."

"Very well," said Kakoen, so far proving to be far more polite than her sister. "Lead the way."

The four of them stopped at the Kikai tent, as Anthony went inside. He asked permission to enter the barracks, and came face to face with Kan'u and Chohi.

"What's wrong, big bro?"

"Nothing, Rinrin. Aisha, Soso's generals are looking for you. In fact, they're outside our tent right now."

"What? What do they want with me?"

"I don't know, which is why you should go with them."

Kan'u sighed. "If I must."

"Good luck, big sis!" said Chohi, hugging her sworn sister. Kan'u gladly returned the hug, before she went off to see the Kako sisters, cards in tow.

"Rinrin is a little worried."

"Me too, which is why we're going to follow them. Come on!"

And so Anthony, Chohi, and an equally curious Bacho followed the three to the Gi tent.

~KD~

Kan'u was a little nervous. Here she was, face to face with the leader of Gi! Soso was sitting on a makeshift throne, essentially a large chair with a purple cushion, looking at Kan'u with a perverted smile.

"So, you are the beautiful Kan'u Uncho. I should have recognized your extraordinary body from the day before, but apparently I wasn't thinking straight."

Kan'u flinched at these words. "Beautiful...are you implying that I'm weak?"

Soso laughed. "Of course not. Beauty is what sets you apart from the ugly men. Which is why I'd like to extend an offer to you."

"What kind of offer?"

"Well, to join my peerage, of course."

This caught Kan'u by surprise. "What?"

"Isn't it obvious? I can tell that you're not only beautiful, but talented. To serve a man leaves your talent squandered. If you join my faction, you will be given the chance to truly let your skills be known throughout China!"

'And your body will be mine,' she mentally added.

"I appreciate the offer, Lord Soso, but I must decline. I live only to serve Lord Anthony, having fought by his side before, and I wish to continue to do so. Besides, I believe that he is the one who will unite our country," said Kan'u, catching the twins off guard. Refusing an invitation to join the esteemed Soso? Surely she must be crazy! And Soso didn't take it well either.

"Him? Some ugly man, with no respect for authority, who somehow managed to become the leader of this alliance through dumb luck, is the one who will unite our country? Don't make me laugh! Only the Gi Faction has that kind of power!"

"My loyalty remains with Anthony, and that's final."

"What can he do that I couldn't do better!?"

"She said no, now fuck off."

Kan'u spun around as Anthony entered the tent with an enraged face, Bacho and Chohi trailing behind him.

"Big sis!"

"Yo, Aisha!"

"You followed me? But why?"

Anthony turned towards Kan'u. "We were worried about you." He then turned towards Soso. "Now listen here! I am not going to lose Aisha to some entitled, arrogant, misandrist, disrespectful...skull loli!"

As soon as he finished the insult, Soso's impatience twisted into unbridled rage. "What did you just call me!?"

"A skull loli, which is pretty fitting, now that I think about it. I think I found your new nickname!"

"You dare speak to Lord Karin in such a manner, you worthless clod!?" screamed Kakoton as she was held back by Kakoen, trying to break free and wring the man's neck until he stopped breathing.

"Well, if you won't give her to me," said Soso, pulling out her Duel Disk, "then I'll just have to take her. I challenge you to a duel, and the winner gets to keep Kan'u Uncho!"

"No deal," said Anthony. "She's a fucking person, not just some piece of property that you can win as a prize."

Kan'u bowed her head and began to tear up. "Thank you, Anthony."

"But I will duel you, if only to test your skills," Anthony added.

Soso then had an idea. "How about a rematch for your title, then? The winner becomes the Supreme Leader, and is unable to lose their title. Does that sound better?"

Anthony's response was to whip out his Duel Disk, place his deck into the slot, and push the button that brought the device to life. "Those sound like much better odds, Skull Loli."

Soso frowned at her new nickname. "I should warn you, I don't just sit around and bark orders like Ensho. I actually have the skills to back up my title."

"What a coincidence, so do I."

(Soso: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"Ladies and lolis first."

Soso ignored Anthony and drew her card. "Let's see you make your jokes when you face The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams!"

A fog-covered bed with a knight sleeping in it appeared on the field. Suddenly, a skeletal ghost with long purple hair emerged from the sleeping knight, wielding a serrated scimitar and a heater shield, before it let out a wail like a banshee (LV 4: ATK 1300). Suddenly, Kan'u let out a high pitched scream.

"IT'S A GHOST! Get it away, get it away!"

"And you wanted to take her from me?" said Anthony. "You don't even know anything about her!"

"Spare me your excuses, you ugly man. Now I equip my ghost with the Sword of Dark Destruction!" The monster threw away its shield, and replaced it with a second scimitar, this one having a red blade and a demonic face on its hilt (ATK 1300-1700). "And now my turn is over!"

Anthony drew his new card, then looked over his hand. Suddenly, he began to formulate a plan, one that would surely prove how good he was.

'I'm going to win this duel…without declaring a single attack!'

"So, is your lord as good as he claims to be?" asked Kakoen.

"Yep! He beat Rinrin," Chohi said, pointing to herself, "and Sui!" She then pointed to Bacho. "But big sis beat him," she added, pointing to Kan'u, who had curled up into the fetal position.

"Ha! Lord Karin can beat every member of her peerage without even trying, yet this man loses to one? Then why doesn't she lead?" pondered Kakoton.

"I b-believe," Kan'u managed to get out, "that h-h-he is the o-one t-to unite Ch-China."

"We'll see," said Kakoton, looking back to the duel.

"I summon my Giga-Tech Wolf, then I place two cards face-down. That's all for me."

The mechanical wolf appeared on the field, as well as two face-downs (LV 4: ATK 1200).

Soso drew her next card. "I summon my Headless Knight in attack mode!"

This new monster was, as advertised, a headless knight. It was clad in silver plate armor, wielding a short sword and a heater shield as its weapons (LV 4: ATK 1450).

"You know, it's kind of distracting how somebody with the body of a child has such creepy monsters in her deck," said Anthony. "Maybe I should let you borrow my Jinzo."

"Don't patronize me, you ugly man. I order my Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams to attack your monster!"

The ghost let out another unholy shriek, terrifying Kan'u as she hid her face behind her knees. Chohi and Bacho went to comfort her, as Soso's monster crossed its blades and flew towards Anthony's monster, as Anthony pushed a button on his Duel Disk and a Quick-Play Spell flipped up.

"I activate my Limiter Removal, which doubles the attack points of all my Machine-type monsters!"

Giga-Tech Wolf let out a mechanical howl as it gained a massive power boost (ATK 1200-2400). It then leapt towards the Fiend-type and bit it on the neck, destroying it (Soso: 4000-3300 LP).

"Grr...I end my turn." But as soon as Soso declared her turn to be over, Giga-Tech Wolf began to spark, before it exploded.

"Whenever the turn that Limiter Removal was played ends, all the monsters that were affected by it are destroyed. All that power has to come at a cost."

Bacho was confused. That never happened when he played it during their duel, did it? But then again, he had won the duel on the same turn.

"It's my turn now, and I play my Bowganian!"

Anthony's new monster looked like a green metal eye with a blue iris. It had two metal arms, with a crossbow in its right hand (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"I end my turn."

Soso drew. "I tribute my Headless Knight to bring out my Summoned Skull!"

Her knight was replaced with a new monster that was quite iconic. It was a white demonic skeleton with purple muscle holding it together. It had powerful claws, wings, and a horned head with a nasty grimace (LV 6: ATK 2500).

"Makes sense, Summoned Skull for Skull Loli."

"Bite your tongue! Summoned Skull, destroy his monster with Lightning Strike!"

Electricity began to build up between the wings of her monster, before it unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning that decimated Anthony's monster (Anthony: 4000-2800 LP).

"I use my Time Machine to resurrect my Bowganian!"

The time machine appeared in a flash of light, as the door opened to release Anthony's machine (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"Well, I end my turn."

"Then I draw! Then since it's my Standby Phase, Bowganian deals six hundred points of damage! Blast her life points with your Crossbow of Calamity!"

Bowganian took aim, and fired a steel bolt at Soso (Soso: 3300-2700 LP).

"Lord Karin!" yelled her generals.

"I'm fine," Soso reassured them. "Which is more than I can say for my opponent!"

"That might be hard," said Anthony, "since I'm equipping your Summoned Skull with my Flint."

A card appeared on the field, before it released a metal orb with three tentacles. The bizarre metal contraption wrapped its arms around the Fiend-type and bound its arms to its body, as well as weakening it (ATK 2500-2200).

"And not only does it get weaker, but it can't attack anymore, either! To end my turn, I'll switch Bowganian into defense mode." His monster then crossed its arms over its eye (DEF 1000).

As Soso drew, she began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Chohi.

"Lord Karin just drew something good," explained Kakoton.

"To start off, I summon my Souls of the Forgotten!"

The new card was a group of purple spirits that were moaning loudly (LV 2: ATK 900). Kan'u screamed again.

"Please stop! I can't take much more of this!"

Chohi led Kan'u outside to calm her down, while Bacho stayed inside to give Anthony support. Soso then activated a Spell Card.

"Now, my Stop Defense will force your monster into attack mode, so that it can't protect your life points when I make my next move."

As Bowganian returned to attack mode (ATK 1300), Soso played one more card. "And now I begin the Zera Ritual!"

"Zera Ritual?" asked Bacho.

"This duel is over," declared Kakoen.

Suddenly, a throne with a warrior in green armor appeared, as his eyes, cloaked in shadow, suddenly flashed red as both of Soso's monsters became cloaked in purple smoke. The smoke suddenly swirled into the man on the throne, who began to convulse as he transformed into a new monster (6+2=8).

"I Ritual Summon my Zera the Mant!"

This new monster looked like a blue, skeletal, massive gargoyle with a purple cape. It stared at Anthony and roared, its cry reverberating (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Is it safe to come in?" asked Chohi.

"I guess," said Bacho, as Anthony gazed at the powerful Ritual Monster.

Chohi and Kan'u stepped in, and the two of them gaped at the new monster, which apparently wasn't ghostly enough to send Kan'u into a panic.

"Zera the Mant, destroy his Bowganian with your Jagged Claw Attack!"

The monster towered over Anthony's machine as it raised an enormous claw and brought it down, cleaving right through it (Anthony: 2800-1300 LP).

"Oh no, Anthony!" shouted Kan'u. She started to worry if her being scared was causing him to worry about her and lose focus, which wasn't the case, though it seemed plausible to her.

"I end my turn. Though I doubt that you can pull off a victory at this rate."

As Anthony placed his hand on his deck in order to draw, Kan'u spoke up. "Anthony, whatever happens to me, don't let this woman beat you! I believe in you, one hundred percent!" Anthony smiled at her words, and when he drew, he placed his sunglasses over his eyes. "I set one monster and end my turn. Make your last move a good one, Skull Loli."

"Very well. I summon The Portrait's Secret!"

The new monster was a portrait of a man, with two hands and a head with spiky black hair sticking out (LV 4: ATK 1200). The ghostly monster made Kan'u stiffen, but for her lord's sake, she attempted to remain calm.

"Zera, destroy his monster!"

As the Ritual Monster struck the face-down monster, it suddenly flipped up to reveal a red metal sphere with a timer and five clamps (LV 4: DEF 1400). It suddenly clamped onto Zera the Mant, as the timer slowly began counting down.

"The Portrait's Secret will now attack you directly!"

The other Fiend-type extended its hand and swiped at Anthony (Anthony: 1300-100 LP).

"I end my turn."

Anthony drew his card, then put it into his hand without even looking at it. "You do know that I've already won, correct?"

"Excuse you?" asked Soso.

Anthony adjusted his sunglasses with a confident grin. "Right now, your monster has been equipped with my Blast Sphere. On your next Standby Phase, which is right after you draw next turn, Zera the Mant will be destroyed, and you'll take damage equal to its attack points."

"What?" said the Kako twins in unison. Soso simply gaped, while Anthony's peerage began to silently cheer. He had actually outplayed the leader of Gi!

"Well, as much as I'd love to gloat, I'd rather not be a hypocrite, Skull Loli, plus there's no point in delaying the inevitable. I end my turn."

Slowly, Soso gathered the strength to draw, and when she did, the timer hit zero on Blast Sphere.

"It's time to face the future! Blast Sphere, destroy Zera the Mant with Mutual Destruction!"

Both Blast Sphere and Zera exploded, forcing everyone but Anthony to shield their eyes, as Soso was knocked back (Soso: 2700-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"Thank goodness...it's over…" Kan'u let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as Kakoton and Kakoen ran to Soso's side. Suddenly she came face to face with Anthony, who suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"I am so sorry, Aisha, I mean, I know how you are with ghosts, and I should have been more concerned, but, I just couldn't let her win, after how she tried to take you away from us."

"It's alright, thank you," said Kan'u, blushing furiously. Anthony then turned towards Soso, who was in shock after having been beaten.

"I won. I'm still in charge. Stay the fuck away from Aisha, or any of my peerage, for that matter." Soso could merely nod in response, as the four members of the Kikai Faction returned to their tent.

~KD~

At the moment, Anthony and Kan'u were the only ones in their tent, with Shokatsuryo with the other strategists and the other two looking for something to eat. Anthony was flipping through his cards while Kan'u was reading a book she had borrowed from Shokatsuryo.

"You know, Skull Loli was right about one thing."

Anthony's words took Kan'u away from her concentration. "Excuse me?"

"Being called beautiful isn't an insult. Nor is being feminine being weak. I thought we had this conversation the day we met Shuri."

"I'm sorry, it's just what I was told at a young age."

"Well, then maybe you need to adapt. Change your way of thinking, you know?" said Anthony, still looking at his cards.

Kan'u smiled. "I'll try to keep that in mind. Although I do have one question."

"Shoot."

"Do you think I'm beautiful? I want you to answer honestly."

Anthony looked up from his cards to face Kan'u. He then spoke as earnestly as possible, a warm smile on his face. "Well, to be honest, you're one of, if not the most beautiful girl I've ever met, Aisha, and I mean that in the best way possible."

Kan'u doubted that her face could become a deeper shade of red. "Thank you. It appears that I made the right choice all along."

Suddenly, Shokatsuryo burst in. As both Kan'u and Anthony turned towards her, she spoke. "I think we've figured out where one of Totaku's generals is."

* * *

 **Another day, another chapter! Now down to business. Non (Rikuson) is eighteen years old. And as you can see, Karin uses Fiend-types, which suit her rather well, both with her skull and reaper motif, as well as her power hungry and ambitious personality. And that's all I have to add, so I'll see you all next time. Starpion out!**


	9. The Shadows Fall

Inside the main tent, the members of the Anti-Totaku Alliance were sitting around a large table with a map of the country on it. Standing up were the four strategists: Shokatsuryo, Jun'iku, Rikuson, and a new face. She had lightly tanned skin, long black hair that had a pink ribbon at the end, and bright green eyes behind red-rimmed glasses. She wore a red outfit that had long sashes around her legs with yellow flowers printed on them, and it exposed her stomach and a fair amount of her large chest. Apparently the Go Faction wasn't particularly worried about modesty. She wore long brown gloves and had light pink, translucent fabric wrapped around her arms. To complete her look she wore two interlocking belts that were white in color, brown stockings, and white high heels. This was the primary strategist of Go and Rikuson's teacher, Shuyu Kokin.

"All right, I'll begin," said Kosonsan. "As you all may or may not know, in order for one governor to challenge another for their territory, they must first defeat all of their generals, before they may challenge them, with the winner gaining all of the territory owned by the loser, regardless if the challenger had any generals remaining."

"What about strategists?" asked Anthony, who was still new to this, which made Soso murmur about how she "lost to an idiot."

"They don't need to be defeated, which can make them particularly dangerous. A lord can send out a strategist to wipe out a whole slew of generals and not risk anything in return."

"Well, since the rest of us know this," said Ensho, looking at Anthony, "what does this have to do with anything?" This prompted the tan strategist to adjust her glasses in irritation and speak up.

"The four of us believe that we've found out the most likely location for one of Totaku's generals," said Shuyu.

"Well then, get on with it!" demanded Ensho, who was still bitter about Anthony being made the supreme leader.

Shuyu frowned, as she pointed to a familiar point on the map, which Anthony recognized as Sishui Pass. "This passageway is the easiest way into the empire, and as such, a vital location to guard."

"If we can beat the general in a duel," said Rikuson, "then not only will we have one less obstacle, but we can interrogate them to discover the locations of the other generals."

"And once all of the generals have been beaten," finished Shuyu, "then we can challenge Totaku herself!"

"Sweet!" said Anthony. "So, who wants to volunteer to challenge our mystery opponent?"

Jun'iku shook her head, muttering something about an "idiot for a leader" before she spoke up. "It's not that simple. Imperial generals usually have exceptional skill and access to rare and powerful cards."

"Usually. Ohohohoho!" laughed Ensho, looking in Kosonsan's direction. Jun'iku glared at the interruption, before continuing.

"If we want to have a chance of defeating them, then we need to stack the odds in our favor."

Shokatsuryo chimed in. "Our plan is to send the representatives from one faction as a primary force, then have the other factions join in as support."

Anthony nodded, liking the plan so far, but he noticed something was off. "What about the camp? Somebody has to guard it." He then turned towards Ensho. "Hey, I know that your green-haired advisor-"

"Bunshu, and the other is Ganryo, at least to you."

"Bunshu, is a talented duelist, but is Ganryo?"

Ensho unleashed her annoying signature laugh. "Of course! Why do you think she's among my peerage, hm? Ohohoho!"

"Then you can stay here with them and guard the camp."

"What!"

Anthony then turned towards Kosonsan. "Pairen, you know the empire and the surrounding area more than anyone else here. I need you to send your men to scout out other potential vantage points. You with me?"

"Of course."

"And the Kikai Faction will lead the charge!" he announced as he activated his Duel Disk, catching the six who hadn't seen it yet by surprise. "Skull Loli, Sonken, I want you to wait five minutes after we leave before you follow us, so that we can catch them by surprise. Deal?"

Soso groaned at her new nickname, but complied nonetheless. "If you insist, 'supreme leader.'"

"Very well," said Sonken. But Ensho wasn't satisfied with her task.

"This is ridiculous! Surely, the En Faction is capable of participating in this mission, as it is the mightiest of the-"

Anthony's glare cut her off. "My orders. Are final. You entitled bitch. You don't see the other faction leaders whining about not being on top, do you?"

Ensho finally shut up.

"Good. Come on, Shuri, we have to get going if we're going to confront them before dark."

"Hawawa…" Shokatsuryo, startled by her lord's outburst, left the table and joined the rest of her faction as the five of them headed off towards Sishui Pass.

~KD~

Kayu was bored. She was currently pacing through the otherwise empty passage, wearing a plain gray Duel Disk on her left arm. She hated this. She was a woman of action, and she desperately wanted for someone, anyone, to face her. She thought that guarding the main passage into the empire would be more exciting, but so far, nothing. And hopefully, the power that man gave her will be enough to ward off the alliance. Little did she know, she was not alone.

Above her, on a ridge on the mountains, was a man lying on his back. He had short brown hair, and wide brown eyes as he had a huge cheerful smile on his face. He was wearing a bright yellow tunic with purple trim and sleeves, two brown interlocking belts, and a pair of bright yellow shoes. An unusual choice of garments, but there were two things that stood out the most. One was his pants, which were a dazzling white, unlike the rest of his outfit. The other was his Duel Disk, which unlike the light gray ones that had a solid blade with five slots, or Anthony's, which had the blade split apart when not in use, his was aquamarine and dark gray, with only two slots visible on his Duel Disk, the others being retracted when not in use. He was humming to himself as he was reading what looked like a children's comic book.

Suddenly, the man's Duel Disk began to glow with yellow light, as he suddenly sat up and began to giggle. "The boss is calling!" he quietly announced, his voice playful and enthusiastic like a child. He brought the life point meter of his Duel Disk, which was shaped like an eye, to his mouth, and began to speak. "Tanoshi here, how may I help you?"

"Enough games, Tanoshi. Is everything going according to plan?"

"You betcha! Everyone hates Totaku, the power you gave them works like a charm, and a whole bunch of duelists should be coming to play with the generals! Then the fun can REALLY begin!"

"Excellent. Make contact with me tomorrow, and go over the events that transpired. It's too risky to call you myself anymore."

"Got it, boss! This is gonna be fun!" And with that, Tanoshi broke contact and looked down at Kayu, eagerly awaiting the showdown.

~KD~

About thirty minutes after the Kikai Faction left, the five of them came face to face with the open chasm known as Sishui Pass. Currently, they were all standing right outside the entrance.

"So remember, girls," said Anthony, "I will challenge them first, and if I lose, the rest of you will challenge them one by one, until we're victorious. Now keep in mind, the fact that we need thirteen duelists to take on one is a clear indication of their skill level. Are all of you ready?"

"We were ready when we agreed to follow you," said Kan'u, the other girls agreeing with her.

"Okay then." The five of them walked into the pass, and came face to face with Kayu, standing by herself in the large road.

"Hello there, the name is Kayu. So, I understand that you want to overthrow the emperor?"

Anthony nodded. "Her reign of tyranny can't last forever, so it's best if we put a stop to it prematurely and keep as many people as possible from getting hurt."

Kayu grimaced as she lifted her Duel Disk. "You don't know anything about her, do you?"

"I know enough."

"Well, do you know that in order to challenge the emperor, you'll have to defeat me and my fellow generals? Because we won't let you get close to her otherwise."

Anthony activated his own Duel Disk. "Why do you think we're here?"

"Show no mercy towards her!" screamed Kan'u.

Kayu rolled her eyes. "If you intend to duel me, it would take all five of you at once to surpass me!"

"I'll take my chances," said Anthony, as his deck was automatically shuffled. And just like that, the duel began.

(Kayu: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

Before either player drew their opening hands, Kayu put her hand over her deck, and a purple aura coated her cards, as well as Anthony's, although nobody but her noticed this.

"I'll go first!" And with that announcement, Kayu drew her next card. "I set one monster, then set one card face-down!" Two face-downs, one vertical and one horizontal, appeared on the field as Kayu brought her first move to a close. Anthony drew, then placed a monster onto his Duel Disk.

"I Normal Summon my Gradius!"

This new monster was a large silver fighter jet that zoomed out of the card into the air, before screaming down and coming to rest around three feet above the ground (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"That's certainly an odd monster that you've summoned," said Kayu.

"Big bro has a deck full of them, and they're super powerful!" shouted Chohi.

"And now, my monster will attack! Blast that face-down!"

Gradius then unloaded a payload of lasers, as the face-down was revealed to be a tan lizard with an inflated body, making it look more like a balloon (LV 4: DEF 1900). The blasts simply bounced off of Balloon Lizard's spherical body as it spit out a burst of wind, repelling Gradius (Anthony: 4000-3300 LP). Suddenly, Anthony felt his feet and part of his lower legs go stiff, and he heard his peerage gasp in horror. He spun around, finding himself unable to move his legs, to see the four girls in various states of shock, trembling and looking down.

"Girls, what's wrong?"

Shokatsuryo pointed at his legs. "L-L-Look!" He did, and immediately wished he hadn't. From his feet, to halfway up his calves, his body had become made of marble. Anthony became paralyzed with fear.

"What the fuck!? What did you do to my legs? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!"

Kayu responded. "It seems you've noticed the effects of this Shadow Game. Whenever a player loses life points, their body will slowly turn to stone until they will be nothing but a statue, as their soul is carried away to the Shadow Realm. You didn't think that this would be easy, did you?"

"What's a 'Shadow Game?'" Chohi asked Kan'u, who simply shook her head.

"I have no clue, Rinrin."

"Neither do I, which scares me. Hawawa…" said Shokatsuryo.

"Well, I end my t-turn," said Anthony, as he began shaking.

"It looks like you're scared," said Kayu. "Well you should be! Since it's my Standby Phase, my Balloon Lizard gains a counter, and for every counter it had when it's destroyed, you take four hundred points of damage!" Her monster then inflated even more. "Now I summon my Grappler!"

The new monster was a purple creature that looked like a humanoid snake, which hissed at Anthony (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Grappler, crush his Gradius!"

The serpent man hissed again and jumped at Gradius, bending its body around it in an unnatural way and constricting the plane until it shattered, and Anthony's body continued to petrify (Anthony: 3300-3200 LP).

"And to end my turn, I play two Spell Cards, known as Raimei and Red Medicine." Two cards appeared, one showing a thunderstorm, and the other, a bottle filled with a red liquid. The former fired a bolt of lightning at Anthony, as he soon became stone up to his knees (Anthony: 3200-2900 LP). The latter rejuvenated Kayu, bringing her life points above the starting point (Kayu: 4000-4500 LP).

"This is really bad," said Kan'u, as more people suddenly began to enter the chasm.

"What's going on right now?" asked Sonken.

"And what's with those hideous Monster Cards?" asked Jun'iku, cringing at the Reptile-types.

"Hawawa! Anthony challenged her, but she made it a 'Shadow Game,' and now whenever Anthony loses life points, that happens!" shouted Shokatsuryo, as she pointed to the only part of Anthony that wasn't shaking in terror.

"Whoa…" was all that Rikuson could say.

"Can he still duel?" asked Soso harshly.

"I don't know, but if he doesn't…" Kan'u couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, as she turned towards Anthony, who had finally drawn his new card.

"I play my Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice one of your monsters for a Tribute Summon instead of my own." A card depicting a knight and a dragon switching souls appeared on the field. "The only downside is that I can't attack this turn. But it doesn't matter, as I tribute your Balloon Lizard to set one monster on the field!"

Balloon Lizard vanished from the field, as another card set itself on Anthony's side.

"I end my turn."

Kayu smirked as she drew her card. "All that for what? A pitiful attempt to defend your life points? Let's see your new monster handle my Armored Lizard!"

A blue lizard on two legs appeared, with its scales as hard as armor (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Armored Lizard, attack his monster!"

The monster lunged at the face-down and bit down, only for its teeth to touch hard metal, as a turquoise and purple spiked legless robot with a bright yellow and red eye, known as Megasonic Eye, was unaffected by the attack (LV 5: DEF 1800)(Kayu: 4500-4200 LP).

Chohi tilted her head in confusion. "How come the tall lady didn't turn into rock? She just lost life points."

Shuyu then noticed Kayu's life point counter. "She has more than the number given at the start. It must only apply if the player has less life points than they started with."

"Well, that's kinda dumb."

Kayu ended her turn, as Anthony began his own.

"I switch my Megasonic Eye into attack mode, and I'll have it take down your Grappler with its Steel Gaze."

The metal monster changed into attack mode (ATK 1500), and it fired a red laser at the snake man, blasting it into shards of light (Kayu: 4200-4000 LP).

"Still no noticeable dent in her life points," complained Soso. "He was much better against me, so what's wrong?"

"I think...he's scared," said Kan'u.

"I set one monster to end my turn."

As Kayu stared at the horizontal card, she drew her own, and slightly widened her eyes. She had drawn her best card, given to her by that same man who gave her the power to create Shadow Games. However, if she summoned it now, it wouldn't be nearly strong enough. 'Later,' she thought. "Armored Lizard, attack his face-down!"

Armored Lizard roared and lunged at the face-down, which turned out to be Blast Sphere (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"Ha! Now his monster will equip to hers and deal a ton of damage!" said Bacho.

"Not a chance," said Kayu, activating her face-down, which was revealed to be an eye surrounded by snakes. "My Gorgon's Eye negates the effects of all monsters in defense mode!" A red light came out of the Trap Card, turning Blast Sphere into a statue, as it was turned to fragments of rock by Armored Lizard.

"And that will end my turn. Go ahead."

Anthony shuddered at her words as he drew his next card. "All I'll do is set one monster." He put the card on his Duel Disk, then looked over his field. 'If she attacks my face-down, then my Battle Footballer will deal a fair bit of damage to her life points, and if she attacks my Megasonic Eye, both monsters will be destroyed. I just need to hold on a little bit longer, and draw something that can get me out of this shitshow.'

Kayu drew, and smirked. "First, I'll play my Snake Rain!"

The new card looked like a bunch of snakes falling from the canopy of a rainforest onto a pair of explorers. "This card lets me discard one card, then send four Reptile-type monsters from my deck to the Graveyard!" She sent a card from her hand to the Graveyard, then sent Sinister Serpent, Cobraman Sakuzy, Razor Lizard, and Spawn Alligator to her Graveyard as well.

"Why is she sending so many of her own monsters to the Graveyard?" asked Kakoton, to nobody in particular.

"Hawawa...nothing good," said Shokatsuryo.

"And now, I banish all of the Reptile-type monsters on my field and in my Graveyard in order to Special Summon my ultimate card, Evil Dragon Ananta!"

Suddenly, her Armored Lizard disappeared into a black vortex, as did the six monsters in her Graveyard. Out of it came a massive tan serpent, with a metal snake-shaped brace around its body. Its head was pink, with two fins on either side of its head and piercing red eyes (LV 8: ATK ?).

"And my monster's attack and defense are equal to the amount of monsters that I used to summon it multiplied by six hundred!" Sure enough, six more heads sprouted out of the monster's body, bringing it to a grand total of seven (ATK 4200).

"I've never seen such a powerful monster!" screamed Kakoton.

"Neither have I," said Kakoen.

"Now destroy that Megasonic Eye with your Coiled Chaos!"

The monster suddenly launched all seven of its heads at Megasonic Eye, as they tore it apart with their fangs. Anthony screamed as his body began to once again become stone, stopping at his armpits, leaving his arms and head free, but the rest of him solid rock (Anthony: 2900-200 LP).

"And now I end my turn." Anthony put his hand on his deck and grabbed the top card, but he suddenly stopped, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"The fear is getting to him," pointed out Kannei. "If he doesn't snap out of this now, he might even go into shock." This caused Kan'u to panic.

"Anthony! ANTHONY!" But her words were drowned out by the overwhelming panic pumping through whatever was left of Anthony's body.

'I can't even feel my heartbeat...this is too much. I thought that Duel Monsters was just a game, and now I'm about to lose my soul, my friends, and maybe even the one chance we have to save China from Totaku. I know I need to win, but...I can't...I just can't…' His eyes began to tear up, small trails of saltwater rolling down his cheeks. He never wanted this…

"-thony! Anthony! Snap out of it!"

'Aisha?'

He turned his head to see Kan'u screaming to him at the top of her lungs, trying her best to get his attention. Noticing that he was looking at her, she smiled.

"I know that you're scared right now, but we're depending on you to pull through this! Please, don't give up on us now!"

Anthony wiped away his tears, before putting on his sunglasses. "You're right, Aisha. I...I have to do this. Yeah, I'm terrified. But even though the future is blinding, I have to face it head-on!"

Kayu rolled her eyes. "So are you going to play or not?"

"You asked for it!" Anthony drew his card as hard as possible with newfound vigor, and grinned when he saw it. "First, I summon my Mighty Guard!"

The green gear-covered robot emerged before taking a battle stance (LV 4: ATK 500).

"What the hell is he going to do with a pathetic monster like that!?" asked Jun'iku. It appeared that Kayu shared the sentiments of the brunette, as she laughed at the metal guard.

"For a monster with the word 'mighty' in its name, it certainly doesn't live up to it."

"Well, that's not what you should be worried about! I play a Spell Card called Monster Gate!"

A card showing a monster called Giga Gagagigo falling out of a magical glyph appeared, as Mighty Guard suddenly disappeared, as a blue circular portal appeared on the field.

"Now I draw cards until I find a monster that can be Normal Summoned, and Special Summon it, while sending all other cards to the Graveyard." He then drew the card on top of his deck and looked at it, before sliding it into his Graveyard. "That was my Metalmorph, a Trap Card, so it goes to the Graveyard." He then drew and discarded his Flint, his Limiter Removal, and his Widespread Ruin.

'Damn, these are all good cards! I just need to draw something that can help me pull off a miracle…' As he thought this, he drew a monster, one that had the potential to win the duel for him. He smiled brightly, as he slapped his new card onto the Monster Zone.

"I Special Summon the monster that will help me turn the tables, Barrel Dragon!"

This new card was a large metallic beast that resembled a dragon. It was mostly a dark gray, with the exception of three large, light blue cannon barrels, one on its head, and one in place of each hand (LV 7: ATK 2600).

Rikuson's jaw dropped. "Did he have cards like that when you dueled him yesterday?" she asked Kannei.

"Yes," she replied simply. "But this one is new."

"Rinrin's never seen it either!" the youngest one of the bunch added.

"I have, when he was rebuilding his deck," said Kan'u. "But I don't know what it's capable of."

Anthony decided to shed some light on its effect. "As you can see, my monster has three proton cannons on its body. Now, once per turn, I can have it charge up all three of them, and if at least two of them are fully charged, then Barrel Dragon can blow one of your monsters to kingdom come!"

The cylinders of Barrel Dragon's cannon barrels began to spin, charging energy. The one on its head began to crackle, before it fizzled out, much to Anthony's disappointment. However, the one on its right arm also began to spark, before the power became stable, and the proton cannon began to warm up with a sound that slowly increased in pitch. It was the moment of truth.

"Come on...come on!"

The energy building in the left cylinder stabilized, as Barrel Dragon let out a mechanical roar and aimed its arm cannons at Evil Dragon Ananta.

"Yes! Barrel Dragon, it's time to slay her hydra with your Proton Blast!"

The Machine-type complied, firing two blasts of energy at the Reptile-type, destroying it to the horror of its owner. But Anthony wasn't done yet.

"Now Barrel Dragon, attack directly!"

The monster then tilted its head forward, firing a massive blue blast of energy that struck Kayu, as suddenly, her body became stone from her stomach down (Kayu: 4000-1400 LP).

"Look, now she's turning into stone!" pointed out Chohi.

"I told you so," said Shuyu.

"I end my turn."

Kayu drew, and did all that she could do, setting one monster face-down. "I end my turn!"

Anthony drew his card and slipped it into his hand. "Barrel Dragon, lock and load." All three drums began to spin, and all three stabilized. "Now, Proton Blast!" Her monster, Gale Lizard, didn't stand a ghost of a chance against Barrel Dragon's effect.

"Now, it's time to bring this duel to a close! Attack!" The laser struck Kayu once more (Kayu: 1400-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony)

Anthony suddenly turned back to normal, as he stared at Kayu, who was undergoing a painful transformation.

"No, no, no! This wasn't how this was supposed to go! Totaku…YUE!"

Her body completely transformed into white stone, a pained expression on her face, while a purple blob, presumably her soul, left her body and disappeared, as most of the spectators either looked away, or looked on in horror, as Anthony could only watch, falling onto his knees. He then slumped over and placed his hands on the ground, as his generals and his strategist ran to his side, while the others approached the petrified Kayu. Anthony was staring blankly at the ground, chanting to himself.

"It's only a game, it's only a game, it's only a game…"

"Anthony?" Kan'u lifted his head and removed his sunglasses, revealing his eyes to be shrunken in fear. They suddenly flickered towards the black-haired general.

"Aisha, it's just a game, right?"

She had no idea how to answer.

* * *

 **Well, well, well, it looks like Shadow Games are a thing now! Alright, so Tanoshi, whose name literally means "fun," is 25, although he certainly doesn't act like it. Miyabi uses Reptile-types, mostly because I wanted to show them off, but I couldn't figure out who to give them to. Sorry? Anyway, next chapter, a new harem member shall be revealed, and hopefully, Anthony will get better, though seeing as he almost got his soul taken and sent to a world of unbearable pain and agony, it might take some work. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 2/28/2019: fixed the description of Grappler, which was rather inaccurate.**


	10. Harpy About Something

**Real quick, just because I forgot about it last chapter, Meirin is twenty. No, she's not in this chapter, but I wanted to get it out of the way. Enjoy!**

* * *

Currently, Anthony was standing outside a cell in the camp's dungeon, occupied by the statue that was once Kayu. After the duel concluded, it had taken the combined efforts of Kan'u, Chohi, and Kakoton to carry the statue back to their base, as per Anthony's request. Ever since he came back, he had stared at the statue, not leaving the room, not even to eat. It was currently sunset, as Anthony heard footsteps approaching, although he didn't react to them. Kan'u suddenly stepped in front of him, holding a plate of food.

"Anthony, you've been here for hours. Everyone's worried about you. Rinrin, Shuri, Sui, Pairen, even Sonken has been wondering when you'll come out. At least eat something, please."

Anthony slowly held out an open hand, declining the offer. "I'm not hungry."

Kan'u furrowed her brow. "You haven't eaten for at least eight hours. And for the last four hours, you've been here. It isn't healthy."

Anthony then walked out, with Kan'u following him. He then walked through the camp, before sitting down in the empty dining hall and staring into space, completely unfocused. Kan'u set the plate in front of her lord, who simply pushed it away. She pushed it back in front of him, and he pushed it away again, with the same blank stare. This went on for a while, with Kan'u being too stubborn to give in, until she received a tap on her shoulder. She spun around, and came face to face with Kakoen.

"Hm? What are you doing here? I thought I told Soso that I have no intention of leaving Anthony."

Kakoen closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's not why I'm here. I saw you with your lord, still traumatized over his duel."

Kan'u sighed. "I can't get through to him. He's barely spoken ever since the 'incident.'"

Kakoen looked at Anthony, still staring into space. She then turned to Kan'u. "Perhaps I can try to get him to open up." Kan'u simply gestured to her lord, granting the bluenette permission to try. Kakoen pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

"Hello there, Lord Anthony. How are you doing?"

Nothing. Kakoen had to pry harder if she wanted a response.

"Are you doing better after your duel with General Kayu?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Kan'u gasped. Those were the most words he'd said in the last four hours! Kakoen smiled. She had him now.

"Look, I understand you don't, but unless you talk things out, you won't get any better. I understand that it's hard to admit that you're frightened."

That did the trick, though a little too well. "Frightened? I'm frightened? Yeah, I am. I'm fucking scared out of my mind. And do you know why?"

He turned to Kakoen, a look of rage in his eyes. "It's because I almost lost my soul! And even if I didn't, she did, and there might be no way to bring her back! Even if she was 'the enemy,' nobody deserves a fate like that! And what if I lost? What if YOU lost, Kakoen!? Do you think your sister and Skull Loli would simply move on? No! I spent my entire life thinking that Duel Monsters was just a game, a fun hobby, but now, lives are on the line." Tears began to stream down his face as he continued to chew out the Gi general. "It's not just a game anymore, and I've never been so scared in my life!"

Kan'u was worried. She had got what she wanted, but Anthony was freaking out now. If she didn't step in and try to calm him down, he could have a panic attack! But Kakoen beat her to the punch, almost literally.

*SMACK*

In one fluid motion, Kakoen slapped Anthony, her right hand making hard contact with the left side of his face, causing an audible slapping sound and a red mark to appear in his face as he stopped screaming, breathing heavily as he attempted to calm down. Naturally, Kan'u took exception to this.

"Why did you hit him!?"

"He was acting hysterical. It was the only thing that came to mind."

"There are other ways to calm somebody down, Kakoen!"

"At least it worked."

"So what if it worked!"

"Don't worry. I've done it to Shunran several times before, and she held no ill will."

"Lord Anthony is not your sister!"

Anthony chimed in. "No, Aisha, it's fine. I'm good. Thank you, and sorry, Kakoen." Kakoen nodded in response, before she had an idea.

"The reason why you're feeling all of these negative emotions - fear, guilt, paranoia - is because of the Shadow Game, correct?"

Anthony looked down. "Yeah…if you lose a Shadow Game, you lose your soul. It wasn't a fun experience to participate in one."

"Well then," suggested Kakoen, "if you initially believed that Duel Monsters was just for fun, then maybe we need to reaffirm that belief."

Anthony looked at her. "What are you getting at?"

"Duel me."

Kan'u was rather against this idea. "Hold on, it was a duel that caused him to act this way in the first place! How is this going to help!?"

"It was a Shadow Game that caused him to act this way. This duel has no risks, no catch, no wager. It's only for fun, like he's used to."

Anthony pondered this. 'Now that I think about it, I haven't dueled for fun since I got here. All of my duels have had some sort of consequence or wager behind them.' "I'll accept."

Kakoen smiled. "Meet me outside at the duel arena in twenty minutes. That should be more than enough time to eat." As she left, Kan'u looked at him with pleading eyes. Anthony sighed, and began to dig in. As he did, he suddenly brightened up.

"Hey, this is really good," he said between bites, causing Kan'u to smile warmly.

"Thank you, I worked really hard on it."

Anthony stopped for a second, before he turned to Kan'u with a look of shock. "You cooked this?"

Kan'u nodded.

"On your first try?"

Kan'u shook her head. "My fourth. It took me a few tries to get it perfect for you." 'A few, disastrous attempts.'

Anthony continued to eat. "Well, it's fantastic. Thanks for not giving up on me, I suppose."

"So are you really going to duel Kakoen?"

Anthony put down his utensils, pushed away the empty plate, then stood up, looking his general in the eye. "Look, I have no intention of doing another Shadow Game, not after what happened today. But this is different. We're just gonna duel for fun, and that's something that I can do."

Kan'u became serious. "Fine, but I'm going to watch. I need to make sure that you're doing better."

Anthony nodded his head as he reached into his satchel and pulled out his Duel Disk, before strapping it on. "That's okay with me." And with that being said, the two of them made their way to the arena, ready for the duel.

~KD~

When the two of them arrived, the sun had finished setting, and the sky was black with white stars scattered across it, the moon glowing above their heads. Kakoen was already there, Duel Disk on her wrist. She smiled when she saw them approaching and brushed her hair out of her right eye, only for it to fall back over it.

"You came. I was worried that you weren't going to show up."

Anthony got into place as Kan'u stood a distance behind him, as he activated his Duel Disk. "Why would I miss this?"

"A great answer. Let's begin!"

(Kakoen: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I'll let you go first," insisted Anthony.

"Thank you," said Kakoen as she drew. "I summon my Harpie Lady!"

This new monster took into the sky, revealed to be a blue-skinned harpy. She had long pink hair, and wore a sleeveless skin tight jumpsuit that was violet in hue. Her arms and legs ended in talons, and she had bright blue tail feathers, and wings of the same color on her arms (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And that will end my turn."

'So she uses Harpie monsters,' thought Anthony as he drew. "Well, I summon my Overdrive in attack mode!"

His new monster was a green armored vehicle that tore onto the field with its four wheels before screeching to a stop, its gray minigun aimed at Harpie Lady (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now my Overdrive is going to take out your Harpie Lady!"

The monster's chain gun roared to life, as a hailstorm of bullets tore through Harpie Lady, who shattered into yellow pixels (Kakoen: 4000-3700 LP).

"And now I end my turn by setting two cards!"

As two cards appeared face-down behind Overdrive, Kakoen drew her next card.

"I summon my Birdface in attack mode."

Another monster graced the field, this one looking like a humanoid bird. It had green and yellow feathers, with an iron piece of torso armor and gold armor on its limbs (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"To end my turn, I set one card."

"Alright," said Anthony, as he drew his next card. He then placed his new card onto the field.

"I Normal Summon Guardian of the Throne Room!"

This was another new Machine-type, which resembled a golden robot with tank treads in place of its legs. On its back was a rack filled with gray missiles with red warheads (LV 4: ATK 1650).

"Now my Guardian of the Throne Room will permanently ground your Birdface with its Safeguard Missiles!"

His monster aimed its rockets at the Winged Beast-type, when Kakoen pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

"I activate my Mirror Wall, which halves the attack points of all your attacking monsters!"

Suddenly, a glass wall appeared in front of Kakoen's side of the field.

"Oh no!" said Kan'u, while Anthony simply played his own Trap Card.

"I activate my Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

This card had a picture of a penknife with multiple tools sticking out of it, as Anthony's life points took a self-inflicted hit (Anthony: 4000-3000 LP). As this happened, the Mirror Wall had a crack appear in it, which began to grow and branch until the entire barrier shattered into tiny glass shards, letting the rockets hit their target without fail, destroying Birdface (Kakoen: 3700-3650 LP).

"Thanks to my trap, I was able to pay one thousand of my life points to negate your Mirror Wall," Anthony explained. At this time, Kakoen put her monster into the Graveyard, then added another monster from her deck to her hand.

"By destroying my Birdface, you've let me add a Harpie Lady to my hand."

"No big deal. Overdrive, attack directly!"

His monster then let loose another round of gunfire, inflicting quite a bit of damage (Kakoen: 3650-2050 LP).

"Keep it up, Anthony! She's almost halfway out of life points!" cheered Kan'u.

Anthony gave her a thumbs-up, as he ended his turn. Kakoen drew her new card, smiling.

"First, I summon my Harpie Lady!" The bird woman returned, or at least another copy of it did (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Now, I play my Elegant Egotist!"

A new Spell Card appeared on the field, this one showing some sort of kaleidoscope showing images of Harpie Lady.

"And with its power, I can Special Summon my Harpie Lady Sisters from my hand!"

Suddenly, three more harpies appeared on the field next to Harpie Lady. They all had a light skin tone, unlike the light blue Harpie Lady. One had long pink hair and purple wings, one had shoulder-length orange hair with green wings, and one had spiky blue hair with purple wings. Each of them wore golden plate armor (LV 6: ATK 1950).

"Oh dear, this might be trouble," said Kan'u to herself.

"Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy that Guardian with Triple Scratch Attack!"

The three newly summoned sisters flew towards the golden robot, before all three slashes at it with their talons, destroying it (Anthony: 3000-2700 LP).

"And that will end my turn!"

Kan'u looked towards Anthony with a worried expression as he drew. 'He has remained calm so far, but even so…'

"First off, my Overdrive will take care of Harpie Lady!" Once again, his Overdrive blasted a Harpie Lady out of the sky (Kakoen: 2050-1750 LP). He then looked at his newly drawn card, Giga-Tech Wolf, before he made up his mind and put it on the field, face-down.

"I'll end my turn by setting one monster!"

Kakoen drew her next card, before she smiled, and slid it into her Duel Disk.

"I play my Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards and discard two!"

A Spell Card showing an angel holding a glowing card appeared, as Kakoen drew three cards and added them to her hand, before taking out two of them and sending them to the Graveyard. She then played a spell that looked like a massive lightning bolt.

"Now I activate my Raigeki!"

"Oh crap!" shouted Anthony. "That card destroys all monsters on my side of the field!"

"It does WHAT!?" asked Kan'u. Suddenly, a thunderbolt fell from the sky and obliterated Anthony's Machine-types. But Kakoen wasn't quite finished yet.

"Now I equip my Sisters with the Equip Spell, Cyber Shield!"

Suddenly, all of the Harpie Lady Sisters gained brand new armor. This new armor was a dark gray steel, with spikes shoulder and thigh guards (ATK 1950-2450).

"This isn't good," said Kan'u.

"Go, Triple Scratch Attack!"

As the harpies slashed at Anthony with their talons, Anthony suddenly remembered something as his life points fell (Anthony: 2700-250 LP). Without missing a beat, he activated his other trap.

"I activate Damage Condenser!"

His card flipped up to reveal what looked like a power generator overloading, as Anthony sent a card from his hand to his Graveyard, then pulled out his deck and flipped through it.

"Here's how it works. Whenever I take battle damage, I discard one card, then I can Special Summon a monster from my deck who has attack points equal to or less than the damage I took. And I pick my ace in the hole, Machine King!"

He then selected a card from his deck and placed it on the field, before he put his deck back into his Duel Disk, which automatically shuffled it. The massive mechanical monarch appeared before Kakoen, causing her visible eye to widen (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300). Kan'u smiled as Anthony summoned his signature monster to the field.

"First that unusual exploding sphere, then that massive metal dragon, now this? What other secrets lie in your deck?"

Anthony smiled as he flipped down his sunglasses, even though it was night. "More than you can imagine."

Kakoen was intrigued. 'Perhaps the rumors of him being the fabled Messenger from Heaven have some truth to them, after all. He did manage to beat Lord Karin, a task I once thought impossible.' "I end my turn."

"Then I begin mine!" Anthony smiled when he saw what he drew, but it wasn't enough by itself. He needed some backup, and he selected a card from his hand to provide it.

"I summon my Robotic Knight in attack mode!"

The robotic soldier appeared on the field, prepared for combat (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And since I have another Machine-type monster on the field, my Machine King gains power!"

Robotic Knight then got down on one knee and bowed before Machine King, as the larger monster got a small power boost (ATK 2300-2400).

"And I'll end my turn with this face-down!"

Kan'u watched closely as Anthony set one card, and Kakoen drew. 'I hope that Anthony's card can keep him from losing, because if Harpie Lady Sisters manage to destroy his Robotic Knight, it's all over.'

"I'll have my Harpie Lady Sisters destroy your Knight for the win!"

The three harpies began to circle Robotic Knight, before they flew towards it, claws outstretched. The world seemed to go into slow motion as Kan'u saw the three winged women close the distance between themselves and the Machine-type, but Anthony was prepared, as he played his face-down in the nick of time.

"It's time to face the future!" he announced, as his card flipped up to reveal an image of Mechanicalchaser defending itself against an approaching pink blast, with Cannon Soldier behind it, firing its own blast to counter the attack and protect its fellow Machine-type. "I play my Trap Card, known as Covering Fire!"

His Machine King then stood next to its subject, charging power in its chest, while Robotic Knight aimed its laser arm (ATK 1600-4000).

"What's happening? Suddenly your monster gained more than double its original attack power!" shouted Kakoen.

"You've fallen into his trap, it seems!" said Kan'u.

"Aisha's right. By attacking one of my monsters, you've activated my Covering Fire. This lets me select another monster I control, and the monster that you selected for an attack gains the amount of power that the monster I picked has, until the turn is over. Now, my monsters will take out your harpies!"

The two monsters shot their weapons at the Sisters, destroying them and leaving Kakoen with an empty field (Kakoen: 1750-200 LP). Kakoen was speechless, and all she could do was set a monster to protect her life points.

"She's almost done, Anthony! Finish her off!" shouted Kan'u. Her lord was doing great, both game-wise and mentally!

"With pleasure, Aisha," he said as he drew his next card. "I tribute my Robotic Knight to summon my Jinzo!" The horrific green cyborg appeared on the field, once more catching his opponent off guard (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Jinzo, blast her face-down monster with Cyber Energy Shock!"

His monster built up a dark orb of electricity between its hands and fired it at the defending monster, which was Kakoen's third and final Harpie Lady (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"Now I'm gonna end this duel! Machine King, Jet Punch!"

His monster launched its arm at Kakoen and knocked her backwards, ending the duel at long last (Kakoen: 200-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"That was incredible!" Kan'u cheered as Anthony deactivated his Duel Disk and put his sunglasses back on the rim of his hat.

"Thanks, Aisha."

Suddenly, Kakoen walked up to the two of them, applauding and smiling.

"That was quite a duel you gave me, Lord Anthony."

"Thanks, though it wasn't easy. You sure gave me a run for my money. And, uh, thank you, Kakoen, for everything."

Kakoen widened her smile. "After everything that's happened today, I think you've earned the right to call me by my secret name, Shuran."

Anthony smiled, before he suddenly turned serious. "I'm really glad you snapped me out of my funk, but there's something I need to make clear. I have no intention in participating in any more Shadow Games for as long as I can help it."

"But what if you have to?" asked Kan'u.

Anthony thought about this for a minute. "Then I have to. But enough about that for now. Right now, I want to go to bed. Come on, Aisha. And Shuran?"

The blue-haired general of Gi looked at the leader of Kikai. "Thanks for reminding me why I love this game."

As the two Kikai representatives returned to their camp, Kakoen returned to hers, feeling flushed. She noticed that she was blushing.

'What is this? I can't be falling for him, I have Karin.' Her blush then deepened. 'But even so, he's kind of sweet.' She decided to push these thoughts into the back of her mind and return to her barracks, in order to fall asleep and prepare for the next day.

* * *

 **Yay, Anthony's back, bitches! He just needed some help for the newest member of the harem, Shuran! I mean, come on, I couldn't leave out Best Girl! I gave her Harpies because I wanted both her and her sister to have female monsters, making her one of the privileged few to use an archetype (at least in the first story. The other three will make them far more commonplace). Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed, and I'll see you again soon with the next chapter! Starpion out!**


	11. Shock & Claw

When Anthony woke up the next morning, he heard a rapid knock on his door.

"Just give me a second," he said, getting ready, when the knocking continued after exactly one second had passed. Anthony rolled his eyes, and once he was done, he opened the door, revealing Chohi, who had begun to knock on his chest.

"Hey there, Rinrin."

Suddenly she stopped and looked up, a huge smile on her face as always.

"Hi big bro! Pairen found another one of the bad guys in the mountains! So I came to get you!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he said, as he slung his satchel onto his shoulder and followed Chohi with a smile on his face, though there was a hint of fear in the back of his mind. Another general meant that there might be another Shadow Game, and he wasn't looking forward to that. He had to remind himself that the sooner that Totaku was brought to justice, the sooner that this whole Shadow Game business could finally be put behind him. And so he simply followed the energetic redhead to the main tent.

~KD~

When the two of them arrived, they noticed that everyone else was there, meaning that they were the last two to arrive. Ensho, naturally, couldn't help but laugh at Anthony's expense.

"Ohoho! Did you have enough beauty sleep, oh mighty supreme leader?"

"Big bro had a rough day yesterday, so leave him alone, you meanie!" shouted Chohi, her cheeks puffed out with anger. Nobody talked to Anthony, or Kan'u for that matter, like that on her watch!

"Please listen to her, he's been through much more than you know, Lord Ensho," said Shokatsuryo, not wanting Chohi to get into a fight with the leader of En. Fortunately, they both calmed down, as Shokatsuryo decided to speak about what Kosonsan's spies had discovered.

"Since we fought the first of Totaku's generals at Sishui Pass, General Pairen had her soldiers scout out the other passages that lead from here to the empire."

"But Rinrin remembers Pairen saying that Sishui Pass is the only way to the empire," said Chohi, tilting her head in confusion.

"I never said it was the only way," clarified Kosonsan, "only that it was the easiest way. There are a few more ways to reach the empire, but they're a fair bit more perilous."

"Perilous how?" asked Anthony.

"This passage, rather than going between the mountains, goes above them," explained Shuyu. "It's a steep and narrow climb, not at all suitable for large cargo."

"But people can still get through, although it's a lot longer to travel over the mountains than through them," said Jun'iku.

"Well, it shouldn't be a problem for us," said Anthony. "Do we know who's guarding this passage?"

"We believe that it's a new recruit into the Imperial army," said Rikuson, "who goes by the name Denki."

'Is his common name Kaminari?' snarked Anthony mentally.

"One more thing," said Shuyu. "Since this passage is more narrow, we can't send as many people at once. Only two factions can do this mission."

"Only two?" said Anthony. He pondered this for a bit, before he turned towards Ensho, an idea popping into his head. "Hey Ensho, how would you and your advisors like to accompany the Kikai Faction on this mission?"

Ensho smiled victoriously. "Well, it's about time that you recognized my greatness! Ishe, Toshi, get your Duel Disks and decks at once!"

"Yes, lord Reiha!" they said in tandem, before they went off to grab their gear.

"Uh, meeting adjourned, I suppose?" said Anthony, as his peerage followed him out of the tent, leaving only the members of Gi and Go in the tent.

"So, who's in charge until they return?" asked Soso.

~KD~

At the moment, the eight of them were standing at the bottom of the passage. It was not a straight path, zigzagging back and forth at parts, and it was just wide enough for somebody to hold their arms out, which was fortunate, as that was the only way that they could travel through it. The angle itself was roughly thirty degrees, but to make matters even harder, the constant use of the path had made it smooth, and hard to gain decent traction.

"Alright, everyone, I need you to put your hands on the edge, like this." He walked over to the path, thick stone walls on either side, and put his hands against them, while he began to climb slowly. Slowly, the others began to follow him, starting with Kan'u, then Bacho, Bunshu, Chohi, Ganryo, Shokatsuryo, and Ensho bringing up the rear. Slowly they began to make decent progress, scaling the steep path up the mountains.

"So, who should be the one to duel Denki once we reach the top?" asked Bunshu.

"Well that should be obvious," said Ensho haughtily. "Anthony here is the supreme leader, correct? And he defeated Totaku's first general, so he's the perfect choice!"

Anthony suddenly stiffened, and froze in his tracks.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Bacho.

"Hawawa, Anthony, is everything okay?"

Anthony continued moving, speaking in a gravely serious tone. "No way. Not after what happened last time. Somebody else can have a turn."

Chohi was worried about her big brother. As his sworn little sister and his general, it was her job to make sure he was happy, or at least that's what she believed.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

"Rinrin will duel him!"

"What!" shouted Kan'u. "Rinrin, you can't possibly be serious!"

"Rinrin is super serious! And a good duelist, too!"

"Are you sure? I'm not sure that a child should be the one to handle such an important mission," said Ensho.

"Rinrin isn't a kid! She's thirteen!"

"Hey, if she wants to do this, then who are we to stop her?" said Bacho.

"Thanks, Sui!" said Chohi, happy that her friend was sticking up for her.

"If you're sure," said Kan'u, finding it much harder to argue with Chohi than anyone else. Soon enough, they reached the top, which was much more spacious and even. In fact, it looked like a decent amount of stone had been carved out to turn this section of the pass into a stopping point, or maybe even a hideout. However, it was also empty.

"Where's the general?" asked Ganryo. "General Kosonsan said that he would be here."

"Right here!"

Suddenly, everyone looked up to see Denki, wielding a Duel Disk with yellow trim. He was standing on the edge of the rock wall, as he jumped off and landed on his feet, not even flinching.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you've made it to the party. I was wondering when you'd show up."

Anthony stepped forward. "I'm assuming that you're Denki?"

"Yep. I'm quick as lightning, and light on my feet!"

"Interesting," said Ensho. "Well, now you must face us, as punishment for serving the wicked dictator Totaku Chuei!"

This caused Denki to lose his carefree attitude. "What do you know about Emperor Totaku!? She's no dictator! And I won't let you get to her!"

"Rinrin, get ready," said Kan'u. Chohi smiled as she went up to Denki, Duel Disk at the ready.

"Rinrin is ready to duel! Are you ready?"

Denki covered his deck with his hand, as his and Chohi's cards suddenly became enveloped in a purple aura. "Are you?"

"What's happening?" asked Bunshu, as suddenly, dark clouds covered the once clear sky, and Anthony stiffened once again.

"It's a Shadow Game…"

"A what?" Ensho asked Anthony.

"A duel where the consequences are much more severe," Kan'u answered.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Chohi: 4000 LP)(Denki: 4000 LP)

"Rinrin draws! And now she plays Scapegoat, to summon my Sheep Tokens!"

The four Sheep Tokens floated onto the field, defending Chohi's points from attacking monsters (LV 1: DEF 0). She then ended her turn.

"Those things don't have any defense points!" said Ganryo.

"But there are four of them, meaning that she is protected from four attacks," said Shokatsuryo, as Denki drew his own card.

"Oh yeah? How about protection from this? I activate my Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card, like my Lightning Conger, I can wipe out every face-up monster that you control!"

Suddenly, a spiral of lightning bolts fell from the sky, destroying all of Chohi's tokens in one fell swoop.

"Uh oh…" was all that she could say.

"And now I summon my Electric Virus!"

This new monster was a small creature that appeared to be entirely made out of yellow electricity. It had six thin legs, a large head, and bright orange eyes (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Now I'll attack directly!"

The electric monster flew over to Chohi and proceeded to bite her, wiping out a fourth of her life points (Chohi: 4000-3000 LP). As this happened, the storm clouds began to rumble. Before anyone knew what was happening, a blue bolt of lightning struck Chohi, bringing her to her knees.

"RINRIN!" screamed a horrified Kan'u and Anthony, as Chohi slowly began to stand up, her smile becoming strained due to the pain. The others simply gasped or cringed, even Ensho, although Denki certainly wasn't bothered, as he began to let out a high pitched laugh.

"Hahahahahaha! Pretty awesome, huh? Whenever a player loses life points, they get struck by lightning! And the bigger the damage, the bigger the bolt!"

"Hawawa, how cruel…" said Shokatsuryo.

"How can you do this? What did she ever do to you, you monster!" said Kan'u.

Denki merely shrugged. "Hey, when I accepted these powers, I knew the danger. But I won't let anything happen to Totaku. And if I have to take your souls, then whatever!"

"Rinrin...draws…" Chohi interrupted. "And summons Silver Fang!"

As the silver-furred wolf appeared on the field (LV 3: ATK 1200), Chohi activated a Continuous Spell, which looked like a fanged jaw with green venom coating the teeth.

"Now Rinrin plays her Poison Fangs, so whenever a Beast-type deals damage in battle, you take even more damage! Now Rinrin will make her Silver Fang stronger with Rush Recklessly!"

The Quick-Play Spell caused the Beast-type's power to spike (ATK 1200-1900), as the peanut gallery began to cheer for her.

"Well, maybe she was the right choice after all!" said Ensho.

"Rinrin rules!" added Bacho.

"Now Silver Fang attacks!"

The wolf let out a howl, before it pounced on Electric Virus and crushed it in its jaws (Denki: 4000-3100 LP). Then Poison Fangs began to glow, and a pair of jaws came from below Denki and bit on him (Denki: 3100-2600 LP). And like clockwork, two blue lightning bolts came down and struck Denki, causing him to hunch over. But rather than groan in pain, he began to...laugh? He suddenly roared his head back, cackling wildly like a hyena. He then stared at his opponent, blue eyes wild and his smile threatening to split his face in half.

"Oh man, what a rush! I feel completely energized from that! Like a new man, ready to take on the world!"

Anthony recoiled at the general's behavior. "What the hell is wrong with him!? He just got struck by lightning, and he's acting like he just drank a gallon of coffee!"

"Hawawa...he's clearly not mentally stable," said Shokatsuryo, while wondering what "coffee" was.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Let me have a go! Finish your turn already!"

"Um, okay. Rinrin couldn't do anything else anyway." (ATK 1900-1200)

"Awesome!" As Denki drew, he immediately put his new card into the Graveyard. "I discard my Thunder Dragon to add two more to my hand!" Sure enough, two cards came out of his deck, and he added them to his hand. He then activated a Spell Card.

"I now activate my Monster Reborn, to bring back my Thunder Dragon!"

A card depicting a green coat of arms with a red jewel appeared on the field, as suddenly there was a flash of yellow light, as a new monster appeared on the field. It was a green Eastern dragon with two large wings. Yellow electricity danced along its body, as it let out a powerful roar (LV 5: ATK 1600).

"And now, I'll have my Thunder Dragon destroy your Silver Fang with Lightning Force!"

The monster opened its mouth and fired a yellow blast of electricity at Silver Fang, which destroyed the wolf and sent another bolt of lightning down on Chohi, although she was able to stay on her feet (Chohi: 3000-2600 LP).

"I'm done! Show me what you've got!"

"Don't let this maniac rattle you!" shouted Kan'u. "I've known you for years, and I know that you're much more resourceful than others give you credit for!"

"Thank you, big sis. Rinrin draws, and plays her Stray Lambs!"

This card summoned two Lamb Tokens to the field, one pink, and one white (LV 1: DEF 0). Chohi ended her turn, as Shokatsuryo looked worried.

"W-What is she doing? The last time she tried a move like this, her monsters were destroyed in one move, leaving her open for direct attack!"

"Rinrin knows what she's doing," said Anthony. "I've seen her duel before; hell, I've dueled her before, and she was quite pragmatic, combining tricky cards with power boosters to completely bypass my monsters."

"You better be right, 'supreme leader,'" complained Ensho.

"Well, I draw, and I summon my Mega Thunderball!"

The new monster wasn't exactly powerful, but it was enough to get the task at hand done. It was a big blue and green ball with metal spikes and a single red eye (LV 2: ATK 750).

"Now my monsters are going to clear your field! Mega Thunderball, take out the pink sheep with Rolling Spark! Thunder Dragon, wipe out the white one with Lightning Force!"

The smaller monster became coated in electricity as it rolled into one of the tokens, destroying it, while the larger one blasted the other token into smoke with another blast of electric breath.

"And that's enough punishment for now."

"Well, Rinrin summons her Giant Rat!"

A large blue rat on two legs holding a skull in its front paws appeared on the field, which made the ruler of En scream in fright (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Eek! Get that horrible monster off of the field at once! I command you!"

"I don't think she can do that, Lord Reiha," said Ganryo, a blank expression on her face.

"And now, my rat's gonna smash up your ball!"

The Beast-type approached the Thunder-type and crushed it into pixels between its incisors (Denki: 2600-1950 LP), as suddenly, the green-tipped fangs came from below him and clamped onto his waist (Denki: 1950-1450 LP). The thunderbolts once again came down, and once more they only seemed to pump him up.

"Man, I'm feeling light-headed! I can't wait to tell the others about how much fun I had!"

"Not a chance!" yelled Ensho. "You will be defeated just like that scoundrel that we defeated in Sishui Pass!"

Denki suddenly became quiet. "...what…"

Bunshu began to freak out at this. "Lord Reiha, I think you just made him mad!"

"You...beat Miyabi?"

Anthony stiffened at the painful memory. "Yes...we defeated General Kayu."

Denki began to tremble, as Chohi swore she could see sparks coming off of him. "YOU BEAT MIYABI!?" Suddenly, the words from the mysterious man who gave them the powers to create Shadow Games echoed through his mind.

"Oh, and one last thing. If you lose a Shadow Game, then your soul will be lost to the Shadow Realm instead."

He drew as hard as he could. "She was my best friend! She was the one who put in a good word for me! She's the one who made me who I am! And thanks to you, she's gone!? YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

He then activated a familiar Spell Card. "I activate my Polymerization, fusing the two Thunder Dragons in my hand to Fusion Summon my best card, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

The two dragons went into the blue vortex, and a much larger beast emerged. It was a large red lizard with four legs ending in green-scaled talons, with a wide mouth, a long purple horn on its snout, and a second mouth on the back of its neck (LV 7: ATK 2800).

"Now, my monster, destroy her Giant Rat! BLITZ BREAKER!"

The monster roared from both heads, as a small orb of blue lightning appeared on the tip of its horn. The orb grew bigger, and bigger, until it shot out as a massive beam of lightning, frying Giant Rat (Chohi: 2600-1200 LP). Another thunderbolt, the biggest so far, came down on Chohi, as she screamed in pain, before she was hunched over, smoke curling off her body in thin trails.

Anthony looked on in complete terror, as Kan'u rose her hands to cover her mouth, when suddenly, Chohi coughed twice, before she looked up, a determined fire burning in her eyes.

"You need...more power...to hurt Rinrin."

"No freaking way…" said Anthony. These lightning strikes should have had enough power to kill a man several times over, and yet she was still standing! How strong was she?

"Whoa, credit where it's due, the kid has some serious stamina. She's definitely earned my respect," said Bunshu.

"Is she even human?"

"She was always like this, Sui," replied Kan'u. "One thing I learned is to never underestimate Rinrin."

Denki, however, despite also being impressed by her insane endurance, buried his amazement underneath his own determination to win. He, Kayu, Ketsugo, Ryofu, Choryo, and most of all Kaku: all of them made a pledge to help Totaku, which is why when that mystery man came offering them the strength they needed to protect her, they all took it. He couldn't give up now.

"When Giant Rat...is destroyed...Rinrin can...summon an EARTH monster...with 1500...or less attack."

Suddenly, a blue portal appeared, and another Giant Rat popped out (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Another one!? You have to be kidding me!" Naturally, Ensho took exception to this.

"No, this is good," said Shokatsuryo. "She's trying to get out a specific monster, and when the other Giant Rat is destroyed, she'll get it!"

"You want more power, kid? You've got it! Thunder Dragon, wipe out that rat with your Lightning Force!"

The other monster fired a bolt of lightning that blasted Giant Rat into pixels, as a small lightning bolt struck Chohi, who was completely unfazed (Chohi: 1200-1000 LP).

Another portal appeared, and this time, the monster that emerged was Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, which let out a fierce roar (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"I end my turn."

Chohi drew her next card, and smiled when she discovered her new card.

"Rinrin plays her Polymerization!"

Suddenly, her Berfomet joined her Gazelle on the field, as the two monsters fused together into Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"Now Rinrin's Chimera will take down that Thunder Dragon! Go, Pulverizing Pounce!"

The mythical monster obeyed, as it leapt into the air and onto the green dragon, tearing through it and reducing it to pixels (Denki: 1450-950 LP). Once again, he was suddenly bitten by the effect of Poison Fangs (Denki: 950-450 LP), and once more, two lightning bolts came down, only this time, he didn't appear to become energized, but instead became tired.

"Damn, I think I'm about to crash," said the blonde, as he teetered back and forth. Chohi ended her turn, as her sworn siblings began to smile. This guy was almost down for the count! But as Denki drew, they were reminded that it wasn't over yet.

"Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, take down her Chimera," said Denki, with much less enthusiasm or rage than previously demonstrated. The Fusion Monster charged electricity in its horn, and fired a beam of lightning at Chimera, destroying the three-headed beast as a bolt of lightning struck Chohi (Chohi: 1000-300 LP).

"Whenever Chimera goes away, one of the monsters used comes back out to play again!" And true to Chohi's word, Berfomet returned to the field, its four arms guarding its body (LV 5: DEF 1800).

"And that's it for me."

"Come on, Rinrin, you can do this!" shouted Kan'u, as Chohi steadied herself and drew her card. When she saw what she drew, she smiled as wide as she physically could.

"This ends now, you meanie! Rinrin plays De-Fusion!"

A card depicting the two monsters fusing in Polymerization appeared, although they appeared to be forcibly separating. Suddenly, the Thunder-type was suddenly caught in a vortex, as it suddenly left the field.

"That card makes it so that a Fusion Monster is sent back to the Fusion Deck, but why does she have it in her deck? Was she expecting to face a Fusion Monster?" asked Ganryo.

"Actually, if the Fusion Material monsters are in the Graveyard of the person who used it, they can be Special Summoned," explained Shokatsuryo. "It's a useful strategy for multiple attacks."

"Now Rinrin switches her Berfomet into attack mode! Go, win this duel!"

The multiple armed Fiend-type suddenly roared (ATK 1400), as it ran towards Denki and swiped him with its claws (Denki: 450-0 LP)(Winner: Chohi).

Suddenly, the storm clouds gave one last ominous rumble, before a massive lightning bolt enveloped Denki, who screamed in pain, as a purple wisp traveled up the bolt. When the wisp reached the clouds, the lightning stopped, and the clouds vanished without a trace. Denki and Chohi both toppled forward, due to the loss of their soul and exhaustion respectively, as Kan'u and Anthony both ran up to Chohi, turning her onto her back.

"Rinrin, are you okay?" asked Anthony.

"Please, Rinrin, speak to us!"

As the two of them began to cry, Chohi looked up at them and smiled weakly.

"Big bro...big sis...did Rinrin do good?"

The two of them smiled, tears still cascading down their faces, as they pulled her into a tight hug, with no intention of letting go in the near future. Bacho and Shokatsuryo went up to the three and smiled, while the En girls looked over Denki, who was completely comatose.

"Whoa, that does not look like fun," said Bunshu.

"Agreed," said Ganryo.

Then Ensho suddenly had, surprisingly, a good point. "How are we supposed to get down now that we have to carry this dead weight?"

The tender moment stopped, as suddenly Anthony had an idea. Walking up a smooth, steep incline was difficult, but going down had a much simpler solution.

"Have you guys ever heard of a slide?"

* * *

 **Alright, another day, another duel! So if his name wasn't enough of a hint, Rai uses Thunder-types, fitting his lightning motif and his hyperactive nature. Also, before I go, I should probably mention that all of the cards will be using the censored artwork that we got in the States, just to clarify. Starpion out!**


	12. Good & Evil, Land & Sky

Kaku was stressed. This Anti-Totaku Alliance was going to be the end of her, especially since she had received word that two of the four points that she had assigned to be guarded were now left open. And once all four paths to the empire were open, then the alliance could begin an assault on the city, in their attempt to overthrow Totaku. If only they knew the truth of the matter…

"Well, actually, things aren't going too good."

Kaku froze. Somewhere in the palace was a voice that she had never heard before, one that sounded like a child who had been caught misbehaving. She left her bedroom, bringing her green-trimmed Duel Disk with her, and walked down the wide halls, following the voice that she had heard.

"Please, enlighten me, Tanoshi."

A new voice. This one was calm, although she doubted that the speaker's emotions were the same. She tracked the voice down to a room that was familiar to Kaku: her personal library, one that was made as soon as Totaku became the emperor.

'Yue…'

She slowly put her ear to the door, attempting to figure out what exactly they were talking about.

"Well, two of the generals have already been beaten, and none of the alliance members have lost to them."

"I see...and their souls were sent to the Shadow Realm?"

'Shadow Realm? I know I've heard of that somewhere...wait...that calm voice, it sounds familiar…'

"Yep! It was awesome! The looks on their faces were hilarious!"

"Good. We can't let the alliance know the truth. If they find out the truth about Totaku, then this was all for nothing."

'What!?'

Suddenly, the door she was leaning on swung in, causing Kaku to fall into the room, alerting her presence. While she cursed her luck, she looked up to see a single figure with an odd Duel Disk.

"What was that! I thought you said you were in a secure location!"

Kaku almost screamed when she saw the Duel Disk talk, the life point counter glowing yellow.

"So did I," said the man. "Ooh, ooh, can I play with her? I never did get to play with the little one."

"Fine by me, just make sure to leave no witnesses." And with that said, the Duel Disk dimmed.

"What did you...are you responsible for everything that's happened?"

"Maybe I am, maybe not. I'm not telling you!"

Kaku frowned. His playful nature was hiding something dangerous, she just knew it. She swiftly activated her Duel Disk.

"If you want to duel me, then I expect something in return! I want to know what you're up to, and how Yue plays into all of this!"

"Okay, but this better be fun!" The man, Tanoshi, activated his own Duel Disk, as the blade suddenly extended. In full length, it resembled a sickle with a forked tip. A dark energy covered their cards briefly before disappearing, indicating a Shadow Game.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Kaku: 4000 LP)(Tanoshi: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared Kaku, although inwardly she grimaced when she saw her hand. All of the cards that she had to work with were Monster Cards! She cursed her luck again, although she eventually decided that she could work with this.

"I'll set one monster and end my turn!"

As the horizontal face-down graced her field, Tanoshi drew his own card, and grinned.

"I set my own monster! And then it's your turn to play!"

Kaku drew, and flipped up her monster.

"I Flip Summon my Man-Eater Bug!"

Her card was shown to be a massive bipedal insect, with brown armor, horns, and a massive mouth that took up most of its face (LV 2: ATK 450). Suddenly, it walked over to Tanoshi's card and opened its mouth even wider. The Insect-type grabbed the Monster Card in its teeth and shattered the card.

"Hey! No fair!"

"It's plenty fair. Whenever Man-Eater Bug is flipped up, it destroys one monster. And now I summon my Swarm of Locusts!"

A card appeared on the field, and a swarm of brown locusts flew out and joined the Flip Monster (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Now, my monsters are going to attack you directly!"

First was her Man-Eater Bug, which simply swiped at Tanoshi with a clawed arm (Tanoshi: 4000-3550 LP). Then Swarm of Locusts surrounded him, biting and scratching the man child (Tanoshi: 3550-2550 LP).

"To end my turn, I activate the effect of my Swarm of Locusts, changing it to face-down defense mode."

As the insect hoard set itself, Tanoshi drew, before he began to giggle wildly.

"Oh boy! Now we can have some real fun! Time for us to take a trip to Toon World!"

He then activated a Continuous Spell, ad a book appeared on the field, while the immature duelist took a good deal of damage (Tanoshi: 2550-1550 LP). The book opened, revealing it to be a pop-up book, with the inside showing a very odd town with old looking buildings.

"It isn't doing anything," said a very confused Kaku. "All that it did is make you pay a thousand of your life points."

"But now, I can play with my Toon Monsters! Like my Toon Masked Sorcerer!"

Out of Toon World came a rather odd looking monster. It had a long purple cloak, small red shoes, large hands, orange hair with a flower in it, and a blue mask with a crooked nose and a large grin (LV 4: ATK 900).

Kaku was surprised, though not by its cartoonish appearance, but rather how it appeared to be a bizarre copy of an existing card known as Masked Sorcerer. Was this man's entire deck filled with goofy knock-offs of existing monsters? And what did that Toon World have to do with it? She was torn from her thoughts when Tanoshi activated another card.

"And since I control Toon World, I can tribute my monster to Special Summon my Toon Dark Magician Girl!"

The Toon Monster gave a wave goodbye, as it went into the storybook, which snapped shut, before opening, revealing a new Toon Monster, also based on an existing card called Dark Magician Girl. The monster was a young girl with long blond hair, wearing a blue and pink wizard outfit and twirling a small wand that ended in a spiral (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Unlike most of my Toons, Toon Dark Magician Girl doesn't have to wait her turn before she can play, and Toon World lets her attack directly! Dark Burning Attack!"

The monster pointed her wand at Kaku, and a small wisp of smoke came out. Frowning, Toon Dark Magician Girl looked at her wand and shook it, when suddenly the tip began to glow with pink magical energy. She then smiled and pointed her wand at Kaku once more, before firing a pink orb of energy, sending the Toon Monster flying backwards, as the blast struck the green-haired strategist (Kaku: 4000-2000 LP).

"And I end my turn with one face-down! Now you can play!"

Kaku frowned as she drew. There wasn't much she could do, unless she took down that Continuous Spell. Fortunately, she had a way of dealing with it.

"I Flip Summon my Swarm of Locusts, letting me destroy your Toon World!"

But just as the card began to flip up, Tanoshi's cheerful smile became much more malicious.

"Hold on now. I'm not going to let you ruin my fun, am I? I play my Divine Wrath."

His face-down was revealed to be a Counter Trap with an image of Cannon Soldier being struck by lightning, as a lightning bolt struck Swarm of Locusts, while Tanoshi discarded what appeared to be a smaller version of Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"By sending a card from my hand to the Graveyard, like my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon, I can negate the activation of your monster's effect, then destroy it!"

Kaku could only watch in horror as her last hope was destroyed. All of her monsters had effects that activated when they were flipped, and she still only had monsters. And since his monster could attack directly, there was nothing she could do.

"I...end my turn."

"Good idea!" Suddenly, Tanoshi reverted back to his childish state, his sadistic side having seemingly vanished. "Toon Dark Magician Girl, let's do this!"

His monster went over to Kaku and bashed the duelist on the head with her wand (Kaku: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Tanoshi).

Kaku fell to her knees, holding back tears. She had lost her only chance to save Totaku! Suddenly, Tanoshi walked over to her, holding his comic book.

"You lost the game," he said, once more win his cruel smile. "But don't fret, you can still have fun with me."

Kaku tried to run, but her body refused to listen. He then opened the comic, before he flipped to the last page, which showed a purple vortex. He then held out his comic, and the vortex became larger, and began to spin. Kaku could suddenly feel something tugging on her, and realized, to her horror, that the vortex was pulling her towards it. Before she had a chance to grab onto something, she was brought into the pull of the swirling portal and screamed as she was swallowed by darkness. Tanoshi looked at the formerly blank page, seeing Kaku surrounded by shadows, a terrified expression on the illustration of the strategist.

"I better get out of here. I've had enough fun for today." And with that, Tanoshi ran to a window and opened it, before running into the night, quietly giggling in euphoria.

~KD~

It was early in the morning, as Anthony woke himself up. Yawning, he stretched as he began to get ready. He was just putting on his fedora, when he heard arguing. Two familiar voices, both getting closer to the Kikai tent. Rolling his eyes, Anthony put on his sunglasses and grabbed his bag before heading out with a smile.

As he entered the common room, he noticed Kan'u was shuffling her cards, when she turned to face him.

"You're certainly cheerful, considering what happened yesterday."

Anthony simply sighed. Currently, Denki was in a cell, just like Kayu. Anthony had considered putting him in the infirmary, but considering he had his soul removed, that probably wouldn't have done anything. The arguing increased in volume, snapping him out of his thoughts and causing his smile to evaporate.

"Do you hear that, Anthony?"

"Unfortunately."

Taking a deep breath, Anthony went to the exit, and bravely moved the tarp.

"Could you speak a bit louder? I can't hear you from down there, pipsqueak!"

"I said, it's amazing how an idiot like you managed to become the leader of anything!"

'Of course, Ensho and Skull Loli. Because they have nothing better to do.'

As per usual, the two blonde faction leaders were at each other's throats, with neither of them having any intention of stopping. Honestly, if these two went to war with each other as soon as the alliance ended, it wouldn't be a surprise.

Not wanting to get involved with these two, Anthony simply went to get something to eat, with Kan'u trailing him. When they arrived, they noticed that there was another conversation going on inside, although with a much more exhausted tone. They went inside to find Kakoen and Ganryo, seemingly talking about their fellow faction members.

"I swear, they can be quite a hassle! Reiha is obsessed with herself, Ishe tends to jump into situations without a second, or a first, thought, and sometimes, it feels like I'm the only one with a functioning brain between the three of us!"

"I wholeheartedly agree. I love Karin, and my sister, but they're both far too stubborn. Keifa doesn't see eye to eye with anyone, except for Lord Karin. And Ki can be more concerned with food than anything else."

"Who's Ki?"

As Kan'u went to grab food for herself and her lord, Anthony found himself sitting next to them and entering their conversation when he heard an unfamiliar name. The two of them turned to him, and Kakoen gave him an answer.

"Kyocho, the remaining general. Lord Karin left her behind to guard the Gi capital."

"Oh. I presume that she's a member of the harem as well?"

"No, she's too young, as well as straight."

"How old is she?" This question came from Ganryo, as Kan'u brought two plates to the table, and gave one to Anthony, before sitting down and helping herself to the other.

"Thirteen. Lord Karin chose her to join the Gi Faction when she witnessed the power of her FIRE deck. She happily agreed, as long as she could fight bandits."

"Neat," said Ganryo, as Anthony smiled.

"It's cool how you two get along so well, despite the fact that your leaders can't stand each other," he said between bites of rice.

"Well, we both fill similar roles," said Kakoen. "We're the voices of reason amongst the insanity of our friends."

The tender moment was abruptly destroyed as Ensho and Soso entered the dining hall, sitting at the table adjacent to Anthony and company. They were still fighting, it seemed.

"Well then, if you believe that you're so much better than me, midget, then why don't you duel me? The winner is to be considered superior to the loser for as long as this alliance lasts!"

"Why bother? Everyone in the country knows that you're horrible at Duel Monsters."

"How dare you!"

Ganryo leaned in and whispered, "It's true," verifying her lord's lack of skill.

"How about we simply elect someone to duel, somebody from our respective factions? Does that sound good, dumbass?"

"Of course, shrimp!"

"I've got an idea."

The two female leaders turned to the supreme leader of the alliance who simply pointed to the purple-haired advisor and the bluenette general.

"Why don't we have Ganryo and Shuran duel to decide who's superior?"

They stared at him. "Why those two in particular?" asked Ensho.

"And when did you gain permission to call her Shuran!?" demanded Soso.

"To answer your questions, these two are the only ones who can be civil about this, and Shuran let me call her her secret name after I beat her in a duel, two days ago."

"Oh really now?" Soso suddenly gained a knowing smile, as Kakoen began to blush. "Well, as long as they're okay with it, then it's fine."

Anthony couldn't help but widen his eyes. When it came to her underlings, Soso was surprisingly civil.

"I'll accept, Lord Karin."

"Me too."

"Then it's settled. The duel will be held two hours from now. That sound good, ladies?"

Ensho and Soso begrudgingly agreed, as they left with their respective peerage members to prepare. Anthony and Kan'u swiftly finished eating and went to gather the remaining members of the three factions, deciding that Go and Kosonsan probably didn't care.

~KD~

In the En tent, Ganryo was rebuilding her deck, looking over all of the cards she had, while Ensho paced back and forth in front of her.

"If we are going to prove that En is superior to that midget's pathetic faction, then you must be ruthless."

"Of course, Reiha."

"You must not let your opponent get inside your head, but instead, try to get inside theirs."

"Absolutely, Reiha."

"Take complete control, never allow her to gain the upper hand! Destroy her, and shove your victory in that skirt-chaser's ugly face! Ohohohohohoho!"

Ganryo simply smiled and nodded, not really paying attention to her lord's rambling as she finished building her deck.

"Yes, my lord."

"Perfect! Let's show her what we're made of!"

"Lord Reiha, the duel isn't for another thirty minutes."

"I-I knew that!"

~KD~

At the same time, Kakoen was in her room, putting the finishing touches on her own deck. Satisfied, she slipped her cards into her Duel Disk, before she headed into the common room to wait, where her lord was waiting.

"So, I see that Lord Anthony has unknowingly captured your affections. I hope you don't intend on leaving me for him, do you?"

Soso's words made Kakoen blush. "Lord Karin, it isn't like that! I remain loyal to you alone!"

Soso laughed, and walked up to Kakoen, leaning up to give her a peck on the cheek. "Well, despite his complete lack of tact, his general disrespect towards me, and the fact that he's clearly not ready for the real world, I suppose that he's not the worst man in the world. If you like, you have my blessing to pursue him, as long as I remain your number one. As you surely know, I have no qualms with multiple partners."

Between the kiss and Soso's words, Kakoen suddenly became as red as her sister's outfit. "Many thanks, Lord Karin."

"Excellent. And one more thing, Shuran."

"Yes?"

"Don't lose. I refuse to let Ensho have anything over me, lest her ego grow even more."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Perfect."

~KD~

Currently, Anthony and Kan'u were at the arena, waiting with everyone else. Shokatsuryo and Jun'iku were easy to find, talking with Kosonsan about where next to search for the generals, between a path that went through a tunnel, and somewhere called Hulao Pass, which was supposedly the most vital point for the empire to defend. After they got them to join them (Jun'iku was surprisingly easy to convince, once Soso was brought up), the four of them split up and sought out the last four. And now, the eight were simply waiting for the women of the hour to show up.

"So, do you know what's going on?" Bunshu asked Shokatsuryo.

"Apparently, Kakoen and Ganryo are going to duel each other, in order to determine which faction is better."

"Well then, this should be a snap! Toshi will crush anyone who stands in her way with her awesome Rock-type monsters!"

'So that's what she uses,' thought Anthony. 'So this will be a battle between land and sky.'

"Excuse you? The only one who will find themselves crushed will be your friend against my sister's Harpies!" retorted Kakoton.

"They're coming!" said Chohi, and true to her word, the challengers and their leaders were approaching. Ganryo and Kakoen shook hands, before taking their places on opposite sides of the field, while Ensho and Soso joined the crowd.

"May the best duelist win!" said Anthony, prompting the two duelists to begin.

(Ganryo: 4000 LP)(Kakoen: 4000 LP)

"You could go first, if you'd like," said Kakoen.

"Thanks," said Ganryo, as she drew a new card. "I'll set one monster and two cards, and end my turn."

As the face-downs appeared on the field, Kakoen drew, and immediately played her new card.

"I activate my Harpie's Feather Duster, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards that you control!"

"Ha! My sister's already eliminated her defenses!" boasted Kakoton.

A green feather suddenly swept up Ganryo's back row, destroying her cards, which turned out to be Trap Hole and Mirror Force, a dangerous combination.

"And next, I'll summon my Cyber Harpie Lady!"

The card resembled Harpie Lady with a normal skin tone, equipped with Cyber Shield and an energy whip (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now I'll attack your face-down monster! Go, Shadow Nail Slice!"

Cyber Harpie Lady took to the sky, before it flew down and aimed a razor-tipped kick at the defending monster. The card then flipped up, revealing an absolutely massive warrior made entirely from gray stone (LV 3: DEF 2000). The Giant Soldier of Stone simply shrugged off the kick, as Kakoen's life points fell (Kakoen: 4000-3800 LP). Kakoton's jaw dropped, as Bunshu smirked.

"Not all of her defenses, it seems. Toshi has a deck that's the opposite of mine. While I believe that the best defense is a good offense, she believes that the best offense is a good defense."

"I suppose there isn't anything else I can do but set one card," said Kakoen, ending her turn. Ganryo drew, before smiling and playing a Spell Card.

"I activate my Fissure, which destroys the weakest monster that you control, or in this case, the only one!"

Her spell showed a monster falling into a fissure, as the earth suddenly split below Cyber Harpie Lady. The monster in question stopped hovering and fell into the crack, which suddenly sealed itself.

"Next, I switch Giant Soldier of Stone into attack mode, and summon my Destroyer Golem!"

Her stone stood at its full height, as it drew two stone short swords (ATK 1300). Another monster appeared next to it, a large golem made of bricks, with the exception of its right arm, which was made out of uncovered muscle (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Giant Soldier of Stone, attack directly with Rock Crush Sword!"

The massive monster raised one of its massive arms and thrusted its sword towards Kakoen, who calmly played her card.

"I play my Mirror Wall!"

The reflective barrier of glass appeared in front of Kakoen, as the sword struck it. The attack reverberated through the wall, lowering the amount of damage she took (ATK 1300-650)(Kakoen: 3800-3150 LP).

"As long as my Mirror Wall remains on my field, the power of your attacking monsters shall be cut in half!"

Soso smirked, while Ensho bit her bottom lip in irritation.

"Well, I can still attack! Destroyer Golem, direct attack!"

The monster reared back its right arm, and let loose a powerful punch (ATK 1500-750)(Kakoen: 3150-2400 LP).

"And now I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And now I destroy my Mirror Wall!"

The card shattered into yellow pixels, as Bacho was confused (ATK 650-1300)(ATK 750-1500).

"Why did she destroy such a valuable card?"

"The alternative is to pay two thousand life points during each of her Standby Phases to keep it active," said Jun'iku, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That would leave her with a measly four hundred points."

"I summon my Harpie Lady!"

The familiar harpy appeared on the field with a screech (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And I'll equip her with Gust Fan, lowering her defense points by two hundred, but raising her attack points by four hundred!"

A multicolored fan with an image of a green dragon appeared in the talon of Harpie Lady (ATK 1300-1700).

"Now attack that Giant Soldier of Stone!"

The Winged Beast-type swept its fan downward, sending a blast of wind that sent the Rock-type tumbling backwards as it shattered when the monster's back hit the ground (Ganryo: 4000-3600 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

"This is pretty good," said Anthony. "I already knew what Shuran was capable of, but Ganryo's skill is a pleasant surprise."

Both duelists smiled at his words while Ganryo drew her next card, while Ensho took the opportunity to boast. "Of course she's skilled! My advisors are some of the best duelists in the En Faction!"

"All two good duelists in the kingdom," snarked Jun'iku, while Kakoton laughed.

"I set one monster and end my turn."

As Kakoen drew her next card, she smiled. "I play my Spell Card known as Elegant Egotist in order to Special Summon Harpie Lady Sisters from my deck!"

A card popped out of her deck, and she slapped it onto her Duel Disk, summoning the avian siblings to the field (LV 6: ATK 1950).

"And now I play my Triangle Ecstasy Spark!"

This new Spell Card depicted Harpie Lady 1, Harpie Lady 2, and Harpie Lady 3 in a triangle formation, with a triangle of energy between them, firing a beam with a large "X" in the center. Her Harpie Lady Sisters then flew into the same formation, as three lines of white energy connected them, and a yellow orb appeared in the center (ATK 1950-2700).

"Now, my Harpie Lady Sisters' attack points become 2700 until the End Phase, and for the rest of the turn, you can't play any Trap Cards. Now, my Harpies, turn that Destroyer Golem into rubble!"

The orb suddenly became a bright beam that pierced the opposing monster's chest, and made it shatter into pixels (Ganryo: 3600-2400 LP).

"And now my Harpie Lady will attack your face-down!"

The blue harpy flew towards the concealed card and slashed at it with her fan, revealing a green and blue wall-like statue (LV 4: DEF 2000). It shrugged off the blow, and its eyes glowed a bright orange (Kakoen: 2400-1800 LP).

"Hold on! She should have only taken three hundred points of damage!" shouted Kan'u.

"Not in this case," said Shokatsuryo. "That monster, Stone Statue of the Aztecs, deals double the battle damage against monsters that attack it."

"Well, I suppose that concludes my turn." As Kakoen said this, her Harpie Lady Sisters had their attack points fall back to their original value (ATK 2700-1950).

"Now I draw!" As Ganryo saw her new card, she smiled. "I play my Hammer Shot, to destroy the most powerful monster on the field!"

"Yes! Get her, Toshi!" cheered Bunshu.

Suddenly, a wooden mallet appeared, and flattened Harpie Lady Sisters without warning. To Kakoen's surprise, Ganryo then switched her monster into attack mode (ATK 300).

"Why would you do that? My monster is far stronger than yours."

"Not for long! I play Shield & Sword!"

A Spell Card showing a knight visibly switching its stats appeared, as both monsters swapped their original attack and defense points (ATK 300-2000)(ATK 1700-1800).

"Oh dear."

"Stone Statue, attack that Harpie Lady!"

The statue suddenly moved swiftly towards the Winged Beast-type, and smashed into it, destroying the monster (Kakoen: 1800-1600 LP). As Ganryo concluded her turn, her monster's attack points returned to normal (ATK 2000-300). Immediately, Anthony began to wildly cheer.

"Go, Ganryo and Shuran! Keep it up! You girls are freaking awesome out there!"

His fellow spectators then turned to face him, more than a few with bewildered faces. "You're cheering…" began Ensho.

"For both of them?" finished Soso.

"Of course! Look, I honestly couldn't care less about which faction is better. But these two are awesome! Not to mention, they actually respect each other, unlike you two."

Ganryo smiled at the compliments, while Kakoen closed her eyes and smirked, her cheeks gaining a light red tint.

"Well, if the supreme leader desires a good duel," said Kakoen, as she drew her next card, "then who as I to deny him one? I summon my Harpie Girl!"

Her new monster was a young teenage harpy with a blue skin tight bodysuit, pink wings, and blonde hair (LV 2: ATK 500).

"And she's going to take down your statue!"

The harpy flew towards Ganryo's card and slashed at it with her talons, sending it packing (Ganryo: 2400-2200 LP).

"Now I end my turn. Show me what you've got, Ganryo."

"With pleasure, Kakoen! I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior!"

This new monster resembled a gray knight covered in U-shaped magnets, with even its head resembling one. In its hands it held a short sword and a shield (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now, I play my Smashing Ground, destroying your monster with the highest defense!"

A card showing a muscular arm punching the ground appeared, and Harpie Girl was suddenly thrown onto the ground, making hard contact with the arena and shattering.

"Alpha, attack with Lightning Blade Slash!"

Her monster's sword became coated in electromagnetic energy, as it sliced through the blue-haired duelist (Kakoen: 1600-200 LP).

"Well, well, well! It seems that your general is rather far behind!" laughed Ensho.

Kakoton refused to let that arrogant bitch rattle her sister. "Shuran, don't give up! I know that you have the cards to win!"

Kakoen silently thanked her sister as she drew her new card, then smiled when she saw what it was.

"I play my Graceful Charity, letting me draw three more cards, at the cost of having me discard two!"

She drew her new cards, then discarded two, before she played a Spell Card.

"And now I activate my Monster Reborn, to resurrect my Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

With a yellow flash, a new monster appeared. It was a huge red dragon, with a gold chain around its neck (LV 7: ATK 2000).

"B-But how did it get there? I never sent it to the Graveyard!"

Kakoen smirked in response to Ganryo's panic. "No, but I did."

"Her Graceful Charity," explained Soso. "She discarded it so that she could Special Summon it."

"And now I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady!"

Another of her Cyber Harpies graced the field (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And since my Cyber Harpie Lady counts as Harpie Lady, my dragon's effect is activated, giving it an additional three hundred attack points for each Harpie Lady I control!"

Her dragon then reared up, before letting out a fierce roar (ATK 2000-2300).

"That's kind of like your Machine King," said Kan'u to Anthony.

"It sure is. Both are monsters that rely on their friends for strength."

"Cyber Harpie Lady, attack!"

The monster lashed its whip at Alpha, destroying the magnetic monster (Ganryo: 2200-1800 LP).

"And now, for the final blow! Harpie's Pet Dragon, attack with Fearsome Fire Breath!"

A massive stream of flame erupted from the dragon's maw, as Ganryo was engulfed in the holographic inferno (Ganryo: 1800-0 LP)(Winner: Kakoen). The En advisor fell backwards, as Bunshu and Ensho went by her side. Kakoen approached her opponent and outstretched her hand, with Ganryo accepting it.

"That was a good duel, Ganryo."

"Call me Toshi."

"Very well, then you may call me Shuran."

Anthony and the members of Gi approached the group, and Kakoton broke away from the group to congratulate her little sister.

"You were excellent, Shuran! I'm so proud of you!" Kakoton pulled her sister into a tight hug, as Kakoen laughed softly.

"Thank you, Shunran."

Anthony then approached the twins. "You were great, Shuran."

"Thank you," she said, averting her gaze, while Kakoton frowned.

"That name is reserved for family and close friends."

"Then I suppose that I'm a close friend."

Kakoton's jaw hung loose, as Anthony walked over to Ganryo and Bunshu, as Ensho was having her loss shoved in her face by Soso and Jun'iku.

"The same goes for you, Ganryo. I'm rather impressed by your strategy."

"Thanks. It's nice to get a little recognition."

"Hey! What about me!?" shouted Bunshu. "I'm always talking about how good you are!"

"Well, besides you."

Anthony could only smile. In these times of war, it was nice to have some people get along.

* * *

 **One new chapter! Two new duels! And three new decks! So Ei's deck is composed of Flip Monsters, what with her being a smart duelist who prefers to use tactics over strength. Tanoshi uses Toon Monsters, fitting his immature and unpredictable personality. And finally, Toshi uses Rock-types, both so that her deck, like her personality, is a foil for Ishe, and because it's a deck that combines brains and brawn, just like Toshi! Also, this is one of the few duels I had to edit after I finished writing it (but not before uploading it) because I thought that Shield & Sword switched the current attack and defense points, rather than the original. This is why I always look up the cards that I use in this story, just to be sure! Anyway, next chapter, there will be two new decks on display, so keep an eye out! Also, feel free to check out the omake I wrote, if you wanna see LV Dragons and Vehicroids duke it out. Starpion out!**


	13. The Mighty Magician of Go

With a soft yawn, Shokatsuryo got up. It was the day right after the duel between Kakoen and Ganryo, and she and her fellow strategists were supposed to figure out where to strike next. Seeing that the generals were all asleep, she very quietly changed out of her nightwear and into her usual outfit, before she silently walked into the common room of the tent. She saw Anthony was there, rather early for him, reading one of Shokatsuryo's books, before he tossed it behind him, to her horror.

"Hawawa!"

As she caught the book, the sound of the pages clapping shut and her sound of anguish alerted her lord to her presence.

"Hey there, Shuri. You know, someone your age really shouldn't be reading smut."

Shokatsuryo gasped. "Ninjas of Love is not smut! It is literary genius! It is the gospel!"

"It's filth, is what it is. You know, your friend Rikuson is old enough to read those, and she hates them."

"Hawawa! How do you know what Non likes?"

"Already on secret name basis, huh? Anyway, Sonken told me when we were discussing who should duel next, but that's not important. So, you're off to figure out where to go next, right?"

"Y-Yes," she said.

"Well, I'm not stopping you. Have fun!"

"Thanks, Anthony." And with that, she took off.

~KD~

When Shokatsuryo arrived, to her surprise, she saw that only Jun'iku was there, flipping through her deck with a bored expression. The two Go strategists were nowhere to be found.

"Hawawa, where are Non and Shuyu?"

Jun'iku glanced at her with an apathetic expression. "Well, the boob monster didn't show up. Shuyu eventually lost patience and went to get her herself." She then sighed, before turning towards Shokatsuryo. "You know, us flat girls need to stick together."

Shokatsuryo ignored the comment, while wondering where her fellow book lover was. 'I just hope that she's okay.'

~KD~

Rikuson was having a blast, inside her tent's common room. Currently, she was reading a book that she had borrowed from her new friend and fellow strategist and duelist, Shokatsuryo. It was a fantasy novel known as The Man With Two Souls, a story about a man who has two souls that are both fighting for control. It was a great read so far. Shokatsuryo had also offered a book called Ninjas of Love, but Rikuson declined, not interested in romance novels.

"Non."

What Rikuson truly loved was fantasy, whimsical and magical tales. She always found magic to be an interesting read, and she had actually built herself a deck around magic users, filled with powerful Spellcasters.

"Non!"

Ever since she was little, she was captivated by tales of wizardry. And even today, she could read for hours on end, leaving the world behind…

"NON!"

She suddenly jumped in her seat, before she turned to see Shuyu, with her arms crossed and her right index finger impatiently tapping on her left elbow. Rikuson marked her page and set down her book, before bowing her head in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Meirin. I was just reading this really good book, and I lost track of time."

"I'll say you have. You were supposed to meet with us twenty minutes ago!"

"Has it really been that long?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Just let me grab my cards, I think I know how to make it up to you, Meirin."

As Rikuson sprinted to her commons, Shuyu could only shake her head and sigh at her apprentice's actions. 'If that girl spent as much time studying as she did reading, she would be the most brilliant mind in Go, if not China.' Rikuson then arrived with her Duel Disk, which had a green trim similar to her hair color.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

~KD~

"So, who are we gonna go with today?" Chohi asked her sworn older brother, as they, Kan'u, and Bacho walked towards the meeting place.

"Well, last time we went with En, so either Gi or Go."

"How about Gi?" suggested Kan'u. "I understand you don't exactly see eye to eye with the majority of their officers, or their leader, but maybe we can turn things around."

"No way! I wanna see what Go can do, plus they aren't a bunch of jerks!" argued Bacho.

Anthony laughed nervously. "Well we can decide in a minute." And the four of them stepped into the main tent, before taking their seats. Surprisingly, everyone was on time today, not counting Rikuson being late for the pre-meeting discussion.

"Alright girls," said the Messenger from Heaven, "what ingenious plan have you four concocted?"

"We've decided to leave Hulao Pass for last, since it's heavily guarded and most likely the most difficult point to capture," said Shuyu, as she pointed on the map to a point north of Sishui Pass. "So we're going to take this point instead. It's a former mine that has been converted into a tunnel that leads into the capital. There's no way for light to reach it, so we must take torches into the tunnel. Also, my apprentice has a request."

"Okay, let's hear it. Rikuson, the stage is yours."

Rikuson nodded. "Since I was late to the planning, I have decided to nominate myself as the one to duel the general, who we believe is Ketsugo, the only general of Totaku who served the Imperial Court prior to her crowning. If you could give the word, supreme leader…"

Anthony turned to Sonken. "Are you okay with this?"

"If she so wishes."

"Alright, then we'll go right away. Pairen, you're in charge until we return, got it?"

Kosonsan nodded. "O-Of c-course."

"Perfect! Let's move!"

~KD~

In under an hour, the members of Kikai and Go had arrived at the entrance of a tunnel. The tunnel was about twelve feet tall, easily twice as tall as Anthony, who was the tallest of the nine. It was about fifteen feet wide, in a rough semicircle, and about ten feet in, it became pitch black. Fortunately, Shuyu, the only one not wearing her Duel Disk (Anthony wondered if she even had one), was holding five unlit torches, which were dry cones of wood wrapped in cloth that was soaked in alcohol, designed to light when rubbed against a rough surface like a crude match.

"Hey, how long will those torches last?" asked Anthony.

"Without being extinguished," answered Kannei, "they should last two hours each."

"So if we light them all, they'll last ten hours!" said Chohi, as she attempted to grab the torches from Shuyu, who pulled them away.

"Not if we light them all at the same time!"

"Oh. Rinrin forgot."

"This shouldn't take more than an hour, now let's go," said Sonken, as she and Anthony led the way, with Shuyu lighting one of the torches and giving the rest to Kan'u, as the two of them followed their leaders, with the other five trailing them.

The tunnel was quite eerie. The only sounds that could be heard were the footsteps and crackling flame, and despite how wide the tunnel was, it felt like it was getting smaller as they kept walking.

"This place is kind of freaky," said Bacho.

"Hawawa," agreed Shokatsuryo.

"Y-Yeah," said Anthony, not enjoying the feeling of being trapped.

"W-Well, maybe we won't b-be here that long," said Rikuson, shivering a little.

Kannei, who was completely calm as per usual, suddenly stopped.

"I hear somebody."

Everyone else stopped as well, as approaching footsteps could be heard. Shuyu went to the front and held out the torch, illuminating a woman with purple hair, Ketsugo. She had a purple-trimmed Duel Disk, and sewn into her dress was a pocket containing her Fusion Deck, seeing as fusion was her specialty.

"I assume that you are the ones who seek to overthrow Emperor Totaku."

"Yeah, we are," said Anthony. "We've heard about the horrible things that she's done, and we won't stand for it."

"Her reign of terror is about to end!" added Sonken.

Ketsugo simply shook her head. " I'm afraid that I can't let that happen."

"Well, we've already stopped two of her generals!" said Kan'u. "And once you and the last two have been stopped, she's next!"

"Over my dead body," said Ketsugo, lifting her left arm. "Who shall be the first to fall to my Fusion Monsters?"

"I'll take you on," said Rikuson, stepping forward, as the others went behind her.

"So I should probably ask this now, is she good at this game?" Anthony asked Kannei.

"Quite."

"Okay, good."

The two then activated their Duel Disks, and the duel commenced, with a purple aura over their decks indicating a Shadow Game.

(Rikuson: 4000 LP)(Ketsugo: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" said Rikuson, taking the first move. "And I summon my Rapid-Fire Magician!"

Her monster looked like a mage in a purple outfit, with a cape and a pointed hat. In each hand he held a clawed staff holding an orb, one orange and one green (LV 4: ATK 1600). A purple string then came out of its back and connected with Rikuson's chest, confusing the buxom bibliophile as she inserted a card into her Duel Disk.

"And my next card is one called Magical Mallet!"

A Spell Card appeared, showing a red mallet with white wings. Before its effect could activate, the staff in her Magician's left hand, the one with the green orb, began to glow, and it pointed its staff at Ketsugo before firing a fusillade of green energy blasts (Ketsugo: 4000-3600 LP).

"Whoa, she just dealt damage on the first turn!" shouted Bacho.

"Yep, my Rapid-Fire Magician deals four hundred points of damage whenever I play a Normal Spell. And now I activate my Magical Mallet's effect, letting me shuffle as many cards from my hand into my deck as I want, then draw the same amount of cards that I returned! And I pick all of them!"

She then removed her deck, put her entire hand into it, and shuffled her cards before drawing four new cards.

"Hey, if she took damage, then shouldn't Ketsugo have been punished?" asked Sonken.

"I don't think so. Look at that line connecting Rikuson and her monster," said Anthony. "I have a dark feeling that whatever is going to happen has something to do with that."

"I think you're right," she agreed.

"And now I end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Ketsugo. "And I summon my Goddess with the Third Eye!"

Her monster looked like a brunette woman with a green cloak, but her most striking feature was her third eye in the center of her forehead (LV 4: ATK 1200). As the purple thread connected the Fairy-type with its owner, Shokatsuryo let out a gasp.

"Hawawa…"

"What's wrong, Shuri?"

"It's that monster, Aisha. It can be used to replace any Fusion Material, so it's much easier for her to Fusion Summon."

"And now, I'll play my Fusion Sage!"

A card depicting a wizard casting some sort of fusion-based spell appeared, as Ketsugo added a card to her hand.

"This lets me add a copy of Polymerization to my hand, and I'll use it now, to fuse my Goddess with the Third Eye with my Flame Manipulator to Fusion Summon my Flame Swordsman!"

Her goddess was soon joined by a blue-haired man with a purple shirt and blue pants, surrounded by fire (LV 3: ATK 900). In the Fairy-type's eye appeared a card showing a green samurai known as Masaki the Legendary Swordsman (LV 4: ATK 1100). The two monsters then fused together, creating a new card. This one was a man wearing a blue suit with a massive orange headdress, wielding an orange long sword (LV 5: ATK 1800), as the purple thread ran from its back to Ketsugo's chest.

"Yeah, that string is definitely suspicious," said Anthony.

"Now, my Flame Swordsman will strike down that magician of yours with his Flaming Battle Sword!"

The monster's blade began to glow, before it became enveloped in fire. It then jumped towards Rapid-Fire Magician and slashed through the monster, reducing it to pixels (Rikuson: 4000-3800 LP). This severed the thread, as suddenly, Rikuson became coated in crackling purple energy.

"AAAAAUGHHH!"

Her shrieks of pain echoed through the cave, as the spectators cringed in fear.

"W-W-What's happening t-t-to her?" stammered Shokatsuryo.

"Her monsters are fused with her, so now she shares their pain. Whenever a monster is destroyed, its controller feels the pain that it felt in its final moments." Rikuson flinched as she heard Ketsugo's explanation.

"This is bad," said Sonken. "Non doesn't have a particularly good pain tolerance, so she might not be able to withstand the consequences."

"N-No, I can keep going," said Rikuson.

"Very well. I end my turn."

Rikuson drew her new card, and sighed in relief. This card might be able to give her a chance to swing this duel into her favor.

"First, I summon my Maha Vailo!"

This new spellcaster wore a dark blue robe, with two metal "wings" on the back, a pointed hat with two red orbs, and blonde hair (LV 4: ATK 1550). As the purple thread connected Maha Vailo with its owner, she then inserted a card into her Duel Disk.

"And now I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw, and I play my Fusion Recovery, allowing me to reclaim my Polymerization and a Fusion Material monster, like my Goddess with the Third Eye."

A Spell Card showing one of the monsters in Polymerization escaping appeared, as Ketsugo reached into her Graveyard and pulled out two cards.

"Now I play my Polymerization to fuse my Goddess with the Third Eye with my Mystical Elf!"

Her goddess reappeared next to a blue elf with blonde hair, a green robe, and a silver tiara (LV 4: ATK 800). The monsters then went into a blue portal, as the Fairy-type showed an image of a monster called Curtain of the Dark Ones, which looked like a red curtain with a pair of clawed hands (LV 2: ATK 600).

"Another Fusion Monster," said Kannei.

"This isn't going to end well," said Kan'u.

"I Fusion Summon my Kamionwizard!"

This new monster looked like a sinister knight. It had red and black armor and a blue cape, with a bizarre metal mask covering its face. In its hands it held a wicked scythe with a metal handle (LV 4: ATK 1300). As it formed a link with Ketsugo, the strategist raised an eyebrow at the general's monster.

"It doesn't seem to be that powerful," said Rikuson.

"Then allow me to amend that. I equip my Kamionwizard with Fusion Weapon!"

"Uh oh," said Anthony. This could pose a problem.

This new card was an Equip Spell, with an illustration of a monster named Dark Flare Knight being equipped with a red, wrist-mounted, three-pronged claw. The same weapon appeared on the right wrist of Kamionwizard, as it suddenly gained a huge sum of power (ATK 1300-2800).

"Holy crap! How can a card give a monster that much power without any trade-off!?" exclaimed Bacho in disbelief.

"Fusion Weapon can only be equipped to a Fusion Monster with six levels or less. And my Kamionwizard happens to be level four. Now attack with Trident Shock!"

Her Spellcaster jumped towards Maha Vailo with its new weapon, which was covered with electricity, when Rikuson played a Trap Card.

"I activate my Magical Hats!"

As the card flipped up, three top hats with question marks appeared on the field, as Maha Vailo suddenly changed to face-down defense mode. Rikuson then took two cards out of her deck before shuffling it, then placed them face-down on the monster zone. As the cards appeared, they were all covered by the hats, which shuffled faster than the naked eye could follow, before they all came to rest, with thin purple trails of light connecting all three silk hats to Rikuson.

"This card sets a monster that's under attack, then I place two Spell or Trap Cards on the field alongside it, both of which count as monsters with zero defense points. Now it all comes down to whether or not you can guess which card is the monster!"

"Cool! Now Boob Monster won't lose life points!" said Chohi, having adopted Jun'iku's nickname for her.

"Rinrin!" scolded Kan'u. "Don't call her that! That isn't a nice name!"

"Sorry, big sis…"

However, Shuyu was quiet, staring at the strings. 'Even if Non doesn't take any damage, even if she keeps her monster on the field for another turn, she's still going to have her hats destroyed. I can only hope that she can endure the pain long enough to win.'

"Well then, my monster attacks the hat on the left!"

Kamionwizard pierced the left hat, and it exploded, severing the string and causing Rikuson to flinch in pain. Fortunately for her, the card under the hat was revealed to be a Spell Card called Mystic Box, keeping her monster safe for the moment.

"Flame Swordsman, attack the center hat!"

Her monster obeyed, cleaving a hole through the card and sending another shockwave of pain through Rikuson, while unveiling the card under the hat, which was another spell, Magical Stone Excavation. As Ketsugo drew her turn to a close, Sonken smiled slightly.

"It looks like she managed to save her monster. Hopefully, she won't squander this opportunity."

Rikuson drew, then beamed from ear to ear as she practically bounced in excitement, causing her tassels and her breasts to jiggle slightly.

"It's time for this duel to really get good! First, I tribute my monster so that I can Tribute Summon my Dark Magician Girl!"

Her face-down vanished, as a new monster graced the field with a cheerful smile. This new monster was a young magician with blonde hair, and an ornate wizard's outfit, which was light blue with pink stripes. She had red gems on her chest, gauntlets, and boots, and her right hand held a blue wand with a golden curl at the tip (LV 6: ATK 2000). Of course, the purple thread soon connected the magician-in-training with her controller.

"But I'm not done! Now I play my Sage's Stone!"

Suddenly, a green runic circle appeared on the field, with a purple crystal hovering above it. Dark Magician Girl aimed her wand at it, and the crystal began to glow before it cracked, then shattered, causing a portal to appear in the glyph.

"This card can only be used if I control a Dark Magician Girl, and with it, I Special Summon my Dark Magician from my deck!"

Out of the portal, a new spellcaster slowly rose. He was a tall man with long purple hair and a stoic expression, wearing a long purple robe with a conical hat atop his head. A green scepter rose from the portal and spun around before the master magician caught it in his right hand (LV 7: ATK 2500). While the monster became linked with Rikuson, Anthony began to gape with a wide open smile, causing Kan'u to stare.

"Is everything okay?"

"Dark Magician...and Dark Magician Girl...this is going to be awesome."

"Don't forget," said Shuyu, "that Kamionwizard is still the strongest monster on the field."

"Not when I equip my Dark Magician with Magic Formula!"

In the left hand of Dark Magician appeared a leather-bound book with a lock on it, and a golden key. The Spellcaster-type tucked his scepter under his arm, and unlocked the book before skimming through the pages. When he came to a certain point, he read the ancient text, as his power began to grow (ATK 2500-3200). He snapped the book shut and grabbed his scepter.

"Now you're going to take some damage! Dark Magician Girl, destroy her Flame Swordsman with Dark Burning Attack!"

With a wink and a smile, the sorceress twirled her wand before she aimed it directly at the FIRE monster, and fired a purple burst of magic that destroyed the searing swordsman, which made Ketsugo break her stoic appearance briefly to bite her lip in pain, as the line connected to her monster was torn (Ketsugo: 3600-3400 LP).

"And now, my Dark Magician will clear your field with his Dark Magic Attack!"

The master of the dark arts charged a green orb of magic on the tip of his scepter, before he waved his staff, launching the blast and sending it directly into Kamionwizard, as the Fusion Monster shattered, and Ketsugo grunted in pain (Ketsugo: 3400-3000 LP).

"And now I end my turn! Great work, you two!" Her monsters seemed to smile at that.

"She's truly managed to turn things around," commented Kannei.

"Hawawa, what a relief," sighed Shokatsuryo.

"Don't forget, this duel isn't over yet," reminded Sonken, as Ketsugo drew a new card.

"Those pesky magicians are about to meet their end. I play my Dark Hole, destroying all monsters on the field!"

Suddenly, a black hole appeared in the center of the field, and Dark Magician and his apprentice began to get dragged into the immense gravity. Dark Magician Girl let out a cry of despair and Dark Magician grunted with a panicked expression as both monsters were helplessly pulled into the collapsed star, to the horror of Rikuson.

"NO!" she cried, as both monsters were swallowed by the darkness, as the threads were violently pulled in until they snapped.

"GAAAAAHHHHH!"

Rikuson began to shriek in excruciating pain, as she suddenly collapsed to her knees, eyes welling with tears. The spectators were aghast with horror, but none more than Shuyu, who could only stare, the hand holding the torch shaking.

'No...Non…"

"Do you see the gap between us yet?" asked Ketsugo. "In order to succeed, you must be strong, unless you want to lose those who you hold dear. If you cannot take pain, or loss, then you aren't fit to be a duelist." However, all that this accomplished was three people becoming riled up.

"Are you saying that she isn't strong?" asked Sonken, in a low tone of voice.

"If this is how she reacts to losing her cards, to a small bout of pain, then no, she isn't."

"Bullshit!" shouted Anthony. "That doesn't make her weak, it just makes her human!" Kan'u, Bacho, and Kannei blushed at this statement as Shuyu took center stage.

"I've known Non far longer than you have, and although she might be a bit scatterbrained at times, she is also one of the most compassionate people I've ever met, and I take great pride in being her teacher!"

Rikuson began to cry, but not in pain. "Lord Renfa...Lord Anthony...Meirin...thank you." She stood up, and smiled. "Now, it's time to keep going! Whenever Magic Formula is sent to the Graveyard, I gain a thousand life points!" (Rikuson: 3800-4800 LP)

"Well then, I continue my turn. I play my Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards!"

As she drew, she suddenly smiled. "I activate Fusion Recovery, to regain my Polymerization and Goddess with the Third Eye!" She added the cards to her hand, before she once more played Polymerization. "I fuse my goddess with my Crass Clown!"

A demonic clown on a colorful ball appeared next to the familiar goddess (LV 4: ATK 1350), as the third eye showed an image of a purple haired clown known as Dream Clown (LV 3: ATK 1200). The two monsters fused to form what looked like a sealed jack-in-the-box. The crank began to rapidly spin, playing "Pop Goes the Weasel." Suddenly it slowed to a crawl, before out popped a sinister looking monster. It had a white body, with large white hands, a red cape, a purple jester hat, crazed green eyes, and a large beak which was oddly filled with sharp teeth. It was attached to the box by a long spring, and it was teetering back and forth with a high-pitched cackle, as a purple thread went from its back to Ketsugo's chest (LV 7: ATK 2300).

"Behold, my mighty Bickuribox!"

Rikuson looked rather nervous as she stared at the terrifying Fiend-type, as it snickered sadistically.

"Bickuribox, attack directly with Surprise Screech!"

The monster coiled its spring before it shot towards its target, coming a foot within her reach before it let out a blood-curdling scream, making Rikuson cover her ears (Rikuson: 4800-2500 LP).

"This is bad," said Sonken. "Ketsugo has the upper hand."

"Look on the bright side," said Kan'u, "at least she isn't getting hurt."

"My turn is done."

Rikuson drew, and to her disappointment, she couldn't do anything with the cards she had. "I pass my turn."

"Oh dear," muttered Shuyu under her breath.

"Then it's my move!" Ketsugo looked at her newly acquired card, another copy of Polymerization. She simply added it to her hand as she ordered her monster to attack a second time, a command it executed with glee as it bounced towards Rikuson and screamed, before returning to its original position and laughing hysterically (Rikuson: 2500-200 LP).

"Make your final move if you can," said Ketsugo.

"Non. Whether or not you manage to defeat her, just remember, you are not weak."

Shuyu's words brought a smile to Rikuson's face as she adjusted her glasses before drawing, and examining her new card.

"I play my own copy of Pot of Greed!"

Once she drew her new cards, she suddenly began to smile even wider. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"I assume she drew something good," said Anthony.

"Hawawa, I sure hope so," said Shokatsuryo.

"Whenever she acts like this, she's just drawn exactly what she needed," explained Kannei.

"Now I activate my Black Magic Ritual!"

Soon, the ritual began. A red and yellow magic circle appeared on the ground, and next to it, two golden torches emitting purple flames. Two monster appeared in the circle, one being Dark Magician, and the other being a female elf with purple hair, a blue cloak, and a gold staff with the tip shaped like a crescent moon, who was known as Magician of Faith (LV 1: ATK 300). The two monsters were surrounded by purple flame, as a purple fireball hovered above the glyph, as a new monster was summoned (7+1=8).

"With these two monsters, I can summon the most powerful Spellcaster to ever walk the planes of existence! A monster that has tamed both light and darkness! Come forth, Magician of Black Chaos!"

From the magical circle came a new monster, a blue-skinned sorcerer with long black hair. He was wearing a skin tight blue outfit with black and pink accents, including multiple belts wrapped around his legs, and a headdress with a large green gem in the center. His eyes were yellow with red pupils, and in his hands was a long scepter (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Holy crap," said Anthony, "first Dark Magician, then Dark Magician Girl, and now the Magician of Black Chaos! This is awesome!"

"Hawawa," agreed Shokatsuryo.

"You're about to regret calling her weak, Ketsugo," said Shuyu.

"I-Impossible! How could such a rare card fall into her hands!"

Rikuson simply smiled. "You'd be surprised. Now where were we? Oh yeah! Magician of Black Chaos, destroy her monster with your Chaos Scepter Blast!"

The monster swung its scepter back as it charged a massive black ball of energy, before it swung it forward, sending the shot careening across the ground as it obliterated the box holding Bickuribox, sending the monster flying as it hit the ground before shattering, causing Ketsugo to violently flinch as she felt its pain (Ketsugo: 3000-2500 LP).

"And that ends my turn," she said, as everyone began to cheer for her.

As Ketsugo drew, she gasped to see that her hand now consisted of two Polymerizations. She knew there was a way to get out of losing her soul, but she couldn't take it. Her loyalty to the Imperial Court was too great to let herself be captured, but her pride was to great to simply quit. "I end my turn without making a move."

Sonken smirked. "Non just won this duel."

"Magician of Black Chaos, you know what to do! Win this for the both of us, buddy!"

Her monster appeared to smile, as it charged another blast, before it blasted Ketsugo with enough power to send her flying backwards (Ketsugo: 2500-0 LP)(Winner: Rikuson).

"I did it!" cheered the green-haired duelist as her friends came to congratulate her on her victory.

"Excellent job, Non," said Shuyu.

"Great work!" said Shokatsuryo.

"You were astounding," said Sonken.

Suddenly, they turned to hear screaming. Ketsugo was shrieking in pain, having long since abandoned her stoic appearance, as suddenly, a ghostly apparition of her was violently ripped from her body, causing Kan'u to scream and Shuyu to drop the torch. The phantom then became a black orb, and vanished, leaving the tunnel silent in fear.

"I wanna go home…" said Rikuson. The others could simply nod in agreement.

* * *

 **Alright, two new decks to cover! I gave Non the Spellcasters because of her love of reading, so I figured that a fantasy-themed deck would work for her. As for Suru, she uses Fusion Monsters, although the only reason I have is that I wanted somebody to use a Fusion deck. Starpion out!**


	14. White Lotus

"I thought for the longest time this was just a game."

Anthony was simply talking to himself in the dungeon. Before him were the bodies of the three generals that they had beaten so far: Kayu, Denki, and Ketsugo. And tomorrow, Anthony and Soso were set to lead their groups into Hulao Pass to face the two strongest members of Totaku's peerage, Choryo and Ryofu. And likely, two more people would have their souls lost to the shadows.

Anthony sighed. It was rather late, about nine at night if he were to guess. By now, Kan'u and the others were probably worried about him, thinking that he was going through another episode. He then heard footsteps approaching. He at first thought that Kan'u had come to check on him, but to his surprise, Shuyu had arrived.

"Hm? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you, in private. Is that alright with you, Lord Anthony?"

The Messenger from Heaven nodded. "Sure. I'll lend an ear."

Shuyu sighed, before she continued. "It's about Renfa."

"Sonken? What's the matter with her? Does it have something to do with Ketsugo?"

She shook her head. "No, it's just what you said, about dealing with loss. You see, we've both been dealing with loss ourselves. How much do you know about the Go Kingdom?"

"I know it's a thing, and that Sonken leads the faction."

"Well, she wasn't always the leader. Originally, it was her older sister, Sonsaku Hakufu, with the secret name Sheren."

"Originally? What happened to her?"

Shuyu looked down. "A few months ago, she mysteriously vanished. We searched everywhere, but after one month, nothing. She was declared officially deceased, and Renfa took the crown, before she was ready for it."

"Oh. That...that's horrible. I'm so sorry. You must have been close to her."

"Indeed. She was...my lover."

Anthony had to do a double take. "Okay, I was not expecting that. So unless I'm mistaken, Sonken feels that she's unable to fulfill the standards of Sonsaku."

"Correct. I've tried talking to her, but she simply shuts anyone out when they try to confront her. Shishun, Non, even her younger sister Shaoren is unable to get through to her." She then sighed. "At first, I had trouble adjusting to life without Sheren, and didn't see Renfa as my lord, until I realized that Sheren would have wanted me to support her sister in her time of need. But even so, I can't do this alone."

"Then why are you asking me? I've known the chick for less than a week, and have had less than five conversations with her."

"You seem to have a way with women."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought it should be obvious."

"So far, the only woman who's let it be known that she's into me molested me inside a crate."

It was Shuyu's turn to have a double take, before she decided to finally get this conversation back on track. "I don't want you to talk to her. I want you to duel her."

"What does that have to do with her sister!?"

"Her deck used to belong to her sister. It's all that is left, as well as her Duel Disk, which is kept in the palace."

"Okay, and do you really think that this will help her?"

"Didn't a duel help you get better after the incident with Kayu?"

"I guess."

"Just give it a try, okay?"

"Okay, just let me get my cards."

"Perfect! Meet us in the training area, the arena might cause too much noise."

"Got it."

~KD~

As Anthony grabbed his satchel from his room, he came face-to-face with Kan'u and Bacho, the latter of which was wearing a short gray nightgown with her hair down.

"Hello, Anthony. What are you up to?"

"Hey, Aisha. Shuyu asked if I could duel Sonken."

"Neat!" said Bacho. "Can we watch?"

"I'm not sure," he said, "I think it's just going to be the three of us."

"Okay then," said Kan'u. "If you need anything, we'll be here."

"Thanks, girls." On his way out, he turned around to ask them something. "Hey, do I have a way with women?"

The two girls blushed. "I suppose," said Kan'u.

Anthony shrugged at the uncertain answer. "Okay then." And with that, he left, leaving two flustered generals in his wake.

~KD~

The training room was from when Kosonsan was using the location for military purposes, and was used for sparring. It was mostly an open room with a wide arena with a wooden floor, as well as a few benches. Currently, Sonken was nervously standing around with her Duel Disk, while her peerage was sitting on the benches nearby.

"He should be here by now, Meirin. What's taking him so long?"

"He said that he needed to get his cards. Trust me, I may not know him well, but he doesn't seem like the type to break a promise."

"I'm here!"

The four girls turned to see Anthony, Duel Disk mounted on his wrist. He then noticed that Kannei and Rikuson were here, and tilted his head in confusion. "Why are they here? I thought it would just be me, Sonken, and you, Shuyu."

"They're here to give Renfa moral support," answered the strategist. Kannei nodded in Anthony's direction, while Rikuson waved cheerfully.

"I understand you're here to test my skills," said Sonken.

"Uh, yeah, I am. I know that Skull Loli is good with her cards, so I wanted to see if you were skilled as well."

"What about Kosonsan, or Ensho?"

"I've heard they aren't very good. Pairen admitted it herself, and Ganryo said that Ensho sucked."

Sonken struggled not to laugh, which didn't go unnoticed by the Kikai leader.

"What's wrong, is it improper to laugh?"

Sonken made a face of irritation as she prepared her Duel Disk. "Are you going to duel me or not!?"

"Okay, okay! Let's do this thing already!"

"Good luck, Renfa!" cheered Rikuson.

"Best of luck, Renfa," said Kannei with the slightest hint of a smile. Shuyu remained silent, eager to just watch.

(Sonken: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"If I may, I would like the first move," said Sonken, drawing six cards. "And I summon my Hitotsu-Me Giant!"

The large green cyclops appeared on the field, with a powerful roar (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Hey, Sui has that card!"

"Who's Sui?"

"Bacho? The one with the headband and the thick eyebrows."

"Hm. Well, my turn is now over."

"That's it? Well, I draw, and I summon my Oni Tank T-34!"

The possessed vehicle of war rolled onto the field, gun barrels aimed and primed (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And to give my monster some extra strength, I equip it with my Machine Conversion Factory!"

The Equip Spell materialized behind his tank, as the monster gained a bit of power (ATK 1400-1700).

"Now blast that giant to pieces!"

His monster obeyed, firing three rounds of cannon fire directly at the Beast-Warrior-type, as it shattered into pixels (Sonken: 4000-3500 LP).

"And that will end my turn!"

Sonken drew her card with a focused expression, before she activated her own Spell Card, which looked like a padlock emitting a green smoke.

"I play my De-Spell, destroying your Machine Conversion Factory!"

A green fog coated the Equip Spell, as it faded away, reducing the power of Anthony's monster (ATK 1700-1400).

"And now, I summon my Ryu-Kishin Powered!"

The gargoyle-like Fiend appeared on the field with a low growl, as Anthony recognized the monster from when Shokatsuryo dueled Mukade (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, it will destroy your tank!"

The monster lifted a sharp claw and tore Anthony's Machine in half, with the pieces being blasted into pixels (Anthony: 4000-3800 LP).

"And now, I end my turn."

Anthony drew, and realized that he was in desperate need of a better hand. On the bright side, he had the means to do so.

"I play my Card Destruction!"

The new card showed a hand throwing away a handful of cards, as Anthony placed his hand into his Graveyard.

"This card forces the both of us to discard our entire hands, then draw the same amount of cards we got rid of. So we both get four new cards.

As they both drew their new hands, Anthony smiled while Sonken lifted both of her eyebrows in surprise.

"It appears that Lord Renfa has just drawn something good," said Kannei.

"As has Lord Anthony," said Shuyu.

"Well now, it's time to turn things back into my favor! I summon Mechanicalchaser!"

The multi-armed mechanical menace hovered on Anthony's side of the field, ready for combat (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Now, my monster will attack with Arsenal Medley!"

His monster sped towards the Fiend and struck it with all of its weapons simultaneously, leaving nothing but yellow pixels in its wake (Sonken: 3500-3250 LP).

"And now I set one card to end my turn!"

"Come on, Lord Renfa, we know that you can take this guy!" cheered Rikuson. But as Sonken drew, Anthony immediately played his trap.

"I activate my Secret Barrel, to inflict two hundred points of damage for every card on your field and in your hand! And I count five in total!"

Out of the ground emerged five multi-colored gun turrets, which fired sporadic blasts at Sonken before disappearing (Sonken: 3250-2250 LP).

"It seems as if Anthony had brought his A-game," said Shuyu. 'And hopefully, it will be enough to get through to Renfa, for her sake.'

"Well, I play my Quick-Play Spell, Shrink, in order to cut the power of your monster in half!"

As Sonken said this, a card showing an orc getting shrunk down to half its size appeared, as Anthony's monster underwent the same fate, becoming smaller and smaller (ATK 1850-925).

"And now, I summon my Kaiser Sea Horse!"

This brand new monster was best described as a black knight wearing seahorse-themed armor. The armor was scale-like plated armor, blue and purple in color with massive plates around the hips and shoulders. The helmet was a deep purple, and covered in long spikes. Mounted on its right arm was a spiky shield, and it carried a golden spear in its other hand (LV 4: ATK 1700).

'Hold on, all of these cards seem familiar. Where have I seen all of these cards before?' thought Anthony, as Sonken entered her Battle Phase.

"Kaiser Sea Horse, attack his monster with your King's Pike!"

Her monster raised its spear as the tip began to glow with a bright golden sheen, as it rushed towards the miniature machine. Mechanicalchaser attempted to guard itself, but the Sea Serpent-type simply tore through it with its weapon (Anthony: 3800-3025 LP).

"And I end my turn by setting one card."

Anthony then realized the theme of her deck. 'These cards have all been used on the show by Seto Kaiba! Does this mean that she has…no, she couldn't!' But as he drew, he was still unsure; one of his peerage members did have Red-Eyes Black Dragon, so the other dragon could still show up.

"I draw! And I play my Cost Down, discarding one card to reduce the level of all the monsters in my hand by two!"

As he sent his Cost Down and another card, Weapon Change, to the Graveyard, he then summoned his ace.

"Now, I can summon my Machine King without having to tribute!"

The mighty metal monarch stood tall, power increasing due to its effect (LV 6-4: ATK 2200-2300). Naturally, the four members of the Go Faction were taken aback by this new monster, not having seen it for themselves.

"That thing is huge!" said Rikuson.

"Even larger than both his Jinzo and Barrel Dragon, although not quite as powerful," noted Kannei.

"Perhaps it could be," said Shuyu. "It became stronger as soon as it entered the field. Perhaps it has an effect that raises its power?"

"You've got it, Shuyu! Every Machine-type on the field, including itself, boosts my monster's power by one hundred, giving it up to a thousand extra attack points! Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Machine King, send her Sea Horse back to the water with your Jet Punch!"

As the monster reared back a powerful metal fist, Sonken took priority and played her face-down, which flipped up to reveal a Counter Trap with an image of a vortex on it.

"I activate my Negate Attack, which, true to its name, stops your monster from attacking and ends the Battle Phase."

Machine King then returned to normal, as Anthony ended his turn (LV 4-6). Sonken drew, then looked directly at her opponent.

"It's time for you to face my own signature monster, one that's a bit more powerful than yours. As you may or may not know, Kaiser Sea Horse can be used as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a LIGHT monster."

'No way, she can't actually be about to bring out what I think she is, is she? Maybe it's a different monster!'

"I tribute my monster…"

'Something like The Creator…'

"So that…"

'Or Mystical Knight of Jackal…'

"I may summon…"

'Hell, even Gilford the Lightning! There is no way that this woman has…'

"BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

Anthony's jaw dropped as her Kaiser Sea Horse disappeared, and a huge dragon took its place. The dragon was pure white, with a rigid torso, sharp claws and talons on its arms and legs, two large wings growing out of its back, a long neck, and a rounded head with a large mouth, and two small blue eyes. It reared back its head and let out a massive roar, as Anthony could only stare in shock (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"N-No w-way...no fucking way...it's Blue-Eyes, in the goddamn flesh…"

"He seems mildly surprised," teased Shuyu, a smirk gracing her face. At the same time, Rikuson began to rapidly scream her excitement, while Kannei simply smiled, a rare show of emotion from the ninja girl.

"My monster will now attack! White Lightning!"

Her monster opened its jaw and began to charge a large blue ball of energy, before a stream of energy spewed forth, hitting Machine King and completely demolishing the massive monster, as Anthony was forced to bring down his sunglasses and shield his eyes from the blinding display of incredible power (Anthony: 3025-2325 LP).

"And now, I end my turn."

As Anthony drew, he decided to do a tiny bit of prying, thinking it would help. "So, I imagine that card means a lot to you."

'More than you can imagine.' But despite her thoughts, Sonken remained silent. Anthony caught on, and simply dropped the issue, choosing to focus on the game.

"I Normal Summon my Drillago!"

His new monster was quite an unusual beast to say the least. It had a yellow torso, a rounded purple base, and thin metal limbs, but as for the rest of it? Drills, and lots of them. Its hands, its feet, and even its head were iron drills (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And it had a pretty sweet special ability. If all of your cards on the field are monsters that have 1600 or more attack points, then it can attack directly! Go, Spiral Thrust!"

All of the drills on the Machine-type began to spin, as the monster ran under Blue-Eyes and jumped towards Sonken, piercing the lotus queen (Sonken: 2250-650 LP).

"And now I end my turn."

"Lord Renfa is fairly low on life points, so she'll have to keep up her guard," said Kannei.

"Anthony is the one who needs guarding," said Rikuson, staring at the huge white reptile.

"Then I draw! And I summon my Saggi the Dark Clown!"

Despite its name, the new monster had more in common with a jester. It wore a blue outfit with puffy sleeves and a red collar with dangling golden orbs, a painted face with a star over one eye, a crooked mouth, and a purple pointed hat like a wizard (LV 3: ATK 600).

"First, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon will destroy your monster with its White Lightning!"

The dragon spit out a stream of energy that swallowed Drillago (Anthony: 2325-925 LP).

"And now, my Saggi will attack directly with Dark Light!"

The monster let out a sinister laugh, before it shot a beam of darkness at Anthony (Anthony: 925-325 LP).

"Now the lord of Kikai has half the amount of life points as Renfa," said Shuyu, watching the duel closely as Sonken ended her turn. As Anthony drew, he immediately played his new card.

"I need to stall for a bit if I want to win this thing! I activate my Nightmare's Steelcage!"

Suddenly, a round steel cage with net-like bars and spikes covered Anthony and his side of the field.

"I've heard of this card," said Shuyu. "Now for two of Renfa's turns, neither player can declare an attack."

"And that should give me enough time to pull off a miracle! I end my turn."

As Sonken drew, she decided that with her life points so low, she should play defensively and put most of her monsters in defense mode.

"I switch my Saggi into defense mode, and set one monster to finish my turn."

As a horizontal face-down appeared next to her dragon, the Spellcaster-type folded its legs and sat on thin air, while grabbing onto its shoulders with crossed arms (DEF 1500).

"Well I draw! And I end my turn by setting one card."

"I draw, then set one monster. That ends my turn."

As Sonken concluded her turn, the cage over Anthony disappeared, leaving him open for attack once more.

"It all comes down to this," said Kannei, not rooting for either of them in particular, but rather both of them.

"I draw!"

As Anthony saw what he drew, he smiled super wide, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

"You put up a great fight, Sonken, but now you have to face the future! I summon my Cannon Soldier!"

The purple robot landed on the field, beeping and whirring as it got into a battle stance (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"But this isn't all! I activate my face-down, Metalmorph!"

A mercury-like substance coated Cannon Soldier, before it was covered with a layer of light gray metal (ATK 1400-1700).

"Now my monster gains three hundred attack and defense points, as well as half of the attack of any monster it attacks! So now my Cannon Soldier has the power to take down Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

Sonken's eyes shrunk to pinpricks. "What?" she said weakly.

"Cannon Soldier, Cannon Blast!"

A mighty bolt of blue light cut through the air like a javelin, as the strength of Cannon Soldier spiked to tremendous levels (ATK 1700-3200). The blast managed to pierce the chest of Blue-Eyes, who let out one final roar before exploding (Sonken: 650-450 LP). Sonken weakly reached out her hand, trying to grab at the pixels before they shattered.

"And now, I use the effect of my Cannon Soldier to tribute it and wipe out your remaining life points!"

The robot began to malfunction, as it fired a blue beam from its barrel, dealing enough damage to end the game (Sonken: 450-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"Good game," he said, when he noticed that Sonken was still reaching out, trembling.

"Sonken? Is everything okay?"

Just then, she broke down crying and fell to her knees, causing everyone to rush over to her.

"Renfa! RENFA!"

~KD~

 _In the courtyard of the Go palace, a duel was taking place, between a man in common garb and a much more regal woman. She had tan skin, blue eyes, long light pink hair, a small beauty mark on the left side of her face below her mouth, and a regal mark in the center of her forehead. She wore a red bow, a golden tiara, a red choker with pink lace, and a gold necklace. She wore a sleeveless red dress which exposed a fair bit of her sizable chest, and detached white sleeves with gold braces around the parts that connected to her biceps. She completed her outfit with purple fishnets, red sandals, and a pink-trimmed Duel Disk with eight pink plates opposite of the wing, resembling a lotus flower. This was the queen of Go, Sonsaku Hakufu._

 _The duel was being spectated by Shuyu, Kannei, and Sonken, who had much longer hair, reaching all the way down to her calves. Sonsaku's opponent controlled only Serpent Night Dragon (LV 7: ATK 2350), while Sonsaku herself had both Spear Dragon (LV 4: ATK 1900) and Battle Ox (LV 4: ATK 1700). It was her turn, as she drew her next card, before grinning._

" _This duel has reached its pinnacle! I tribute both of my monsters to summon my pride and joy, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_

 _The mighty dragon flew onto her field with a mighty roar, making her opponent flinch in terror (LV 8: ATK 3000). It blasted his monster to pieces, deciding the winner (Commoner: ?-0 LP)(Winner: Sonsaku). Her sister and lover ran up to her, embracing the victor in a hug._

" _That was wonderful, Sheren!" said Shuyu, before bringing in Sonsaku for a brief, but passionate kiss. When it broke, Sonsaku could only laugh lightly._

" _It was nothing, really. To me, dueling is a way of life. And with it, we'll be able to unite this country."_

" _I don't really see how a game can unite a nation," said Sonken, crossing her arms._

" _Well, maybe you could try the game for yourself. You might like it."_

 _Sonken shook her head. "No thanks. I prefer more peaceful forms of entertainment, like books."_

 _Sonsaku laughed again. "Okay, but if you're ever willing to change your mind, I'm willing to teach you."_

" _I'll keep it in mind." Sonken then went off to her room, Kannei trailing her, while Sonsaku and Shuyu remained behind for a bit._

~KD~

 _When Sonken woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find that her sister had not woke her up herself. Puzzled, she went to her sister's room, believing that her sister had simply slept in. To her disbelief, she wasn't there either. Nor was she with Shuyu, or in the throne room, or even the courtyard. Her sister had simply disappeared. When searching the outskirts of the palace, however, she gasped when she saw her sister's Duel Disk and deck lying on the ground, completely abandoned._

" _SHEREN!"_

~KD~

 _One month after her sister's disappearance, Sonsaku was pronounced dead, and Sonken took on the role of leader. She had cut her hair, making it shoulder-length. She also was given her sister's deck, although the Duel Disk was hung above the throne as a decoration, not to be used by anyone. Currently, she was standing before Shuyu, who was the one who knew about Sonsaku as much as her family._

" _You want me to what?"_

" _Teach me how to duel. I need to know how, if I want to be as good of a leader as Sheren was. And with her gone, you're the best duelist in Go. Can you please teach me, Meirin?"_

 _Shuyu saw that she was desperate, and decided to concede, removing her pink-trimmed Duel Disk._

" _Alright, I will do my very best. Here, you will need this."_

 _Sonken stared at the device. "But how will you duel?"_

" _I won't. Besides our teachings, I'm retiring from Duel Monsters."_

" _But why?"_

" _Without Sheren, it doesn't seem right. Don't worry, we can duel without using the Duel Disks for now."_

" _Okay then…"_

" _Now, the first thing you want to do is draw the top five cards from your deck…"_

 _And with that, a new era began for the Go Kingdom._

~KD~

"Holy shit, I think she's having a panic attack, Shuyu!"

"Well don't just stand there, do something! How did you get out of this situation!?"

"Well, Shuran bitch-slapped me across the face, but I doubt that will help!"

"Sheren…"

The two stopped arguing, as all four of them stared at Sonken, who was finally speaking.

"I miss my sister...I tried to live up to her expectations, but I can't...I could never be as good as her!" And with that, she began to sob even louder. Then Anthony spoke.

"You aren't your sister."

This caused her to look up, eyes red and puffy, face flushed. "What?"

"You aren't Sonsaku, you're Sonken. I admit, before Shuyu told me about her, I didn't know shit about your sister or what she was like. But I know about you. And I know that you have the potential to be a great leader, in your own way. Maybe instead of following in your sister's footsteps, you could try to be somebody that she's proud of instead. And I would be honored to help you with that."

As he said this, he lifted his sunglasses so that he could look at her directly, and placed his right hand onto hers. As he finished, Kannei, Rikuson, and Shuyu did the same, as Sonken's sobs began to die down.

"Thank you...all of you…"

Anthony smiled. "It's not a problem, Sonken!"

"Renfa."

"Excuse me?"

Sonken stood up, a smile on her face. "My secret name, all of our secret names, are yours to use. As a token of my appreciation."

Anthony grinned. "Alright then! So, that's Renfa," he pointed to Sonken, who nodded, "Shishun," he pointed to Kannei, who blushed and lifted her scarf over her mouth, "Non," Rikuson, who beamed cheerfully, "and Meirin." This was Shuyu, who adjusted her glasses. "Sweet!"

"One more thing," added Sonken. "Could you come into my chamber, alone?"

Anthony was confused, but nodded. "Sure."

~KD~

The two faction leaders were now in Sonken's room, which looked exactly like Anthony's. Sonken reached under her bed, before pulling out a box. She then opened it, revealing a cavalcade of rare cards.

"You probably didn't know this, being a relatively new lord, but Go is the second largest card distributor outside of the capital. As thanks, I want you to have one of these."

"Any one I want? Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Anthony scanned the cards, before noticing a blue-skinned fiend that had long ears.

"I'll take this one, Zoa. I have a card that can be used with it."

As Sonken gave him the card, Anthony suddenly had an idea. "Hey Renfa, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Well, I was just wondering, are you up for an alliance?"

"We're already in an alliance."

"I mean after we stop Totaku. An alliance between Kikai and Go. I mean, you're much better company than either Ensho or Skull Loli, and our peerages are on good terms. With my dueling skills and your resources, the two of us might have a better chance of bringing peace to this land."

Sonken thought about this for the longest time, before she extended her hand. "It's a deal." And the two newly forged allies shook hands, before Anthony left to return to his tent.

'He's rather kind and considerate. I understand why Shishun is so fond of him.'

Meanwhile, Anthony walked back to his quarters with a spring in his step. Sure, he got a new card, and better yet, a new ally out of the deal, but to see Sonken smile? That was the best reward he could have asked for.

* * *

 **Hooray, Blue-Eyes made its long-awaited appearance! So yeah, before her disappearance, Sheren was twenty years old. The reason why she, and later Renfa, use the Kaiba deck is pretty simple: both the Kaiba and the Son families are well-known and powerful families, with access to powerful cards due to their wealth and their involvement in the game's distribution. Meirin's deck, however, is a mystery for now. By the way, no, Renfa is not in the harem. Don't worry though, another member shall be revealed next chapter. Starpion out!**


	15. Wild Knights

"So, rumor has it that an ugly man like you has formed an alliance with Go."

Currently, the members of Kikai and Gi were walking up to the mountain range that surrounded the capital, on route to Hulao Pass, a wide pass that led straight to the heart of the empire, and as such had a large gate blocking entry, which is why smaller towns that made up part of the empire relied on Sishui Pass. Soso had asked the question out of nowhere, with no previous conversation, which caught Anthony by surprise.

"Where did you hear about that? I only told my peerage last night!"

Kakoton smirked. "I noticed you leaving the Go tent, so I followed you! You can never trust a man, right, Lord Karin?"

"That's not true!" defended Kan'u. "Anthony has done nothing to make me question my trust in him."

"Well then, your naivety matches your beauty, Kan'u," said Soso.

"Leave big sis alone, you big jerk!" shouted Chohi, cheeks puffed up in anger.

"Don't even think about insulting Lord Karin, you brainless pig!" shouted Jun'iku. After that, the child and the woman with the childlike body began to have the lamest fight in history, as they began to bang their fists on each other's heads like they were both throwing a temper tantrum. Shokatsuryo and Kakoen worked fast to defuse the situation, grabbing their friends and pulling them away.

"Hawawa, leave her alone, Rinrin! She's not worth it!"

"Keep it together, Keifa. Don't lower yourself to her level."

Wanting to avoid any further fighting, Anthony thought it best to change the subject. "So, Skull Loli, know anything about these generals?"

Soso turned to face the Messenger from Heaven. "Choryo Bun'en is a former gang leader, who after getting run out of business decided to go straight after seeing someone with long black hair take down a group of bandits, or so they say. Not much is known about Ryofu Hosen, except that she loves animals, and is insanely strong."

"How strong?" asked a curious Bacho.

"Enough to lift a boulder three times her size."

This answer made Anthony's jaw drop, while Bacho let out a low whistle. "That's pretty strong…"

"Aisha, you can duel her. Even if it wasn't a Shadow Game."

"No problem, Anthony! I would be happy to!"

And the nine of them came to the entrance, as they began to walk towards the fortress guarding the capital.

~KD~

"Damnit, where are they? It's been six days now, and still nothing! At this rate, we'll never get to duel!"

"Duel...each other…"

"I'm tempted, Ren, but if we do that, the damn punks might just sneak right by us like a bunch of jerks!" shouted Choryo, letting her hatred of those who played dirty be known to the world. At the moment the two girls were on top of the fortress, keeping an eye out for any potential challengers. "I need a drink something fierce…"

"Shia…"

Choryo turned to Ryofu, who was looking through a spyglass. "Yeah?"

"They're here."

Choryo could feel her eyes shrink as she frantically grabbed the spyglass to see for herself, the first person she saw being Anthony.

"It looks like some guy with weird clothes and a funky Duel Disk is the one in charge...he's kinda cute. Too bad the two of us are gonna destroy his sweet ass."

Ryofu simply tilted her head, similar to a puppy.

"Okay, there's a chick with a really pointy Duel Disk and twin drills, a pissed-looking chick, a mellow-looking chick, some girl in a cat hoodie, a chick with huge eyebrows, a kid in a weird hat, a kid with a tiger hair clip, and...and…"

She dropped the spyglass and gasped dramatically, bringing her hands over her mouth, which alerted Ryofu.

"Shia?"

"Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod!"

Choryo had bent over slightly, and was holding her fists below her mouth, with a curved smile and wide eyes. This was something that Choryo tended to do whenever she got really excited, affectionately referred to as her "neko mode" by her fellow generals, due to it vaguely resembling a cat.

"Ren, don't you know who that is!? That's Kan'u Uncho!"

"Who?"

"She's the one I've been telling you about! When I saw the amazing power of her Black Luster Soldier in action, I knew that I had to become more like her! Hell, I filled my deck with Warriors, just like her! She's the coolest, don't ya think?"

Ryofu, however, remained quiet. "...duel Kan'u…"

"What?"

"I want to duel...Kan'u."

"What!? But I wanted to take her on! She's my idol!"

Ryofu, however, simply maintained a blank stare, which made Choryo relent. "Goddamnit, how can a grown-ass woman be so freaking cute! That should be reserved for animals and little kids only!"

"I'll be back."

Ryofu then hopped off the gate, and landed on the ground, wielding her red-trimmed Duel Disk, as she sprinted towards the members of the Anti-Totaku Alliance, ready to intercept them.

~KD~

"Hey, what's that up ahead?" asked Bacho, the members of Gi and Kikai having made their way into Hulao Pass. Currently, Ryofu was sprinting towards them, showing no signs of stopping or slowing down.

"Uh, Skull Loli, I don't mean to alarm you, but there's a redhead running towards us."

"What?"

Suddenly, Ryofu came to a stop before them, digging her heels into the ground.

"That's General Ryofu," said Soso. "I assume that General Choryo is at the fortress?"

Ryofu nodded in response, then looked over the crowd. "Kan'u Uncho…"

Confused, Kan'u stepped forward. "That's me. What do you require from me?"

"...a duel…"

Anthony turned to his first general. "Well, better give it to her. I think she means business." He then turned to his fellow leader. "Skull Loli, I want you to take your peerage to Choryo and challenge her. Can you do that?"

"With relish. Good luck, General Kan'u."

With that said, the four women from Gi took off, as Kan'u and Ryofu prepared to face off, with a dark aura coating their cards.

Anthony gulped audibly. "Another day, another Shadow Game."

"Hawawa…"

(Ryofu: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I draw...summon Kurama…"

Her monster was a large blue anthropomorphic crow, with a long whiplike tail and piercing yellow eyes (LV

3: ATK 800). Ryofu then set one card and remained still for a minute.

"Um, have you ended your turn?" asked Kan'u. Ryofu nodded, prompting Kan'u to draw.

"Okay then, prepare to face judgement, fiend!" she shouted, game face on. "I begin my turn by playing my Reinforcement of the Army, which lets me add a level four or lower Warrior-type monster from my deck to my hand!"

A Normal Spell showing a picture of Marauding Captain leading a group of soldiers appeared on the field, as Kan'u added a card to her hand, which she immediately summoned.

"Now I summon my Marauding Captain!"

Her warrior appeared on the field with both swords drawn, as it lifted one into the air (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"And with its special ability, I can Special Summon my Rocket Warrior from my hand!"

Her new monster was another warrior, wearing green and yellow armor that looked a little like a rocket ship, with a mostly blank face, the only noticeable features being two black eyes. In its right hand was a sword, and its left, a shield with a star on it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, my Marauding Captain will take out your monster!"

Her knight sprinted to Kurama and slashed it apart (Ryofu: 4000-3600 LP). As this happened, several gray ghosts appeared next to Ryofu, which made Kan'u recoil and lose her composure.

"What are those!"

Ryofu looked around her and saw the spirits. "Oh. They come...when we lose points."

"And I assume that they'll drag the loser to the Shadow Realm?"

Ryofu answered with a nod, as Anthony surprised everybody with a light chuckle. Usually, the idea of a Shadow Game would put him on edge, but he could only laugh at the redhead's behavior.

"You know, for somebody who's trying to steal our souls, she's honestly pretty adorable."

Ryofu blushed and averted her gaze, making Anthony laugh again.

"Well, anyway, my Rocket Warrior attacks directly!"

The monster shot thrusters from its feet, wielding its sword, as Ryofu played her face-down, revealing a Trap Card depicting a monster known as Swordsman of Landstar leaving the Graveyard, as Kurama reappeared (LV 3: ATK 800).

"Hey, it's back!" said Chohi.

"That card is called Limit Reverse," explained Shokatsuryo, "and it lets her Special Summon a monster from her Graveyard, as long as it has one thousand or less attack points."

This didn't impede Kan'u's monster from attacking, and once again, the crow was slashed apart, as more spirits surrounded Ryofu (Ryofu: 3600-2900 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Ryofu drew, then activated a Spell Card known as Foolish Burial, showing a rounded tombstone, and a hand holding a shovel buried in front of it.

"This is dangerous," said Shokatsuryo, as Ryofu took a card out of her deck and sent it to the Graveyard.

"How so?" asked Bacho.

"That card lets her send one monster from her deck to the Graveyard, so now she has easier access to a powerful monster."

She then ended her turn, and as she did, she revealed a monster in her hand, Sleeping Lion, before she sent it to the Graveyard, and pulled out a different card, the one that she just sent there.

"Special Summon...Manticore of Darkness!"

Her new monster was a manticore, a deadly beast from Greek mythology. Most of its body was that of an anthropomorphic lion, with rippling muscles and razor-sharp claws. However, there was a little more to it. Two black-feathered wings sprouted from its back, and a red scorpion tail was coiled by its legs. The monster let out a powerful roar that shook the cavern (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"Cool!" said Chohi and Bacho, admiring the Beast-Warrior.

"Not for Aisha," said Anthony, as Kan'u drew her next card, then she removed Marauding Captain from her field, putting a stronger monster in its place.

"I tribute my Captain to summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

A warrior in golden armor appeared on the field. Parts of his arms, his waist, and his face were exposed, revealing that they were pitch black, with blue eyes with red pupils. The armor had black lightning bolts along the chest plate, clawed gauntlets, curved silver spikes on the shoulders, and a spiked helmet that was fairly similar to a Roman helmet (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Now, Rocket Warrior, attack that Manticore!"

"Wait, what! That monster's too weak to beat that huge beast! It'll get squashed!" shouted Bacho.

"Not quite. My monster's effect, Invincible Mode, prevents it from being destroyed when it attacks, and I don't take any damage. Now go, Invincible Attack!"

The monster then folded up, the rocket-like armor making it look like an actual rocket, as it blasted towards Manticore of Darkness, before it struck it and turned back to normal as it returned to its original position, as the Beast-Warrior lost power (ATK 2300-1800).

"Let me guess," said Bacho, "another effect of Rocket Warrior?"

"You've got it, Sui! Now my Megacyber can take out that monster with Cyber Flare!"

The monster in question brought its hands together, charging a silver ball of energy between them, before it shot a blast that destroyed Ryofu's monster, and more hollows appeared around the quiet To general (Ryofu: 2900-2500 LP).

"And that ends my turn!"

As she did this, however, Ryofu revealed another monster in her hand, Dig Beak, and sent it to the Graveyard, with Manticore of Darkness returning to the field (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"What? But I just destroyed it! How does it keep coming back?

"As long as she keeps discarding monsters during the End Phase of the turn that it was sent to the Graveyard," said Shokatsuryo, "it will keep returning. Hawawa...what a powerful card."

Ryofu drew, then placed a card on her field.

"...summon Griffore…"

The Manticore of Darkness was soon joined by a large, round beast with a red hide and yellow claws (LV 4: ATK 1200). She then played a card that by now, everyone was familiar with.

"That's..." said Chohi.

"Wild Nature's Release…" finished Bacho, as Kan'u prepared for the worst. The eyes of Griffore turned pure red as the monster let out a roar (ATK 1200-2700). Ryofu pointed at The Fiend Megacyber, and Griffore jumped into the air and landed on top of the warrior, crushing it, as gray hollows began to float around Kan'u, putting her on edge (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP). She then pointed at Rocket Warrior.

"Furious Frenzy…"

Her Manticore roared as it glided towards Rocket Warrior and carved it into pixels with a series of slashes from its claws, making even more ghosts surround Kan'u (Kan'u: 3500-2700 LP). As Ryofu nodded to end her turn, her Griffore exploded into pixels.

"Don't worry about the ghosts, Aisha!" shouted Anthony. "The sooner you win, the sooner they disappear, and until then, they can't hurt you!"

"Thank you. I set one monster and end my turn."

With that, it was time for Ryofu to go, as she played her Fairy Meteor Crush, giving her monster the power to deal piercing damage. She pointed at the face-down, and Manticore of Darkness tore into it, revealing Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (LV 4: DEF 1200). As the monster was destroyed, even more ghosts surrounded Kan'u (Kan'u: 2700-1600 LP). However, it wasn't over yet, as Kan'u looked through her deck.

"Whenever my Warrior Lady is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon an EARTH Warrior-type monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points, like my Masaki the Legendary Swordsman!"

Sure enough, the green samurai appeared on her side of the field, as Ryofu ended her turn (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"Now I draw, and I play my Monster Reborn, to bring back my Rocket Warrior!"

Her monster reappeared on the field, ready to rumble (LV 4: ATK 1500). Kan'u then got a confident smile, as she prepared to finish this duel once and for all.

"And now I tribute both of them to summon my Gilford the Lightning!"

Her new monster was a muscular warrior wearing metal armor and a long red cape. With both hands, it was holding a long single-edged sword, with small bolts of electricity running along the blade (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Gilford, take out her monster with your Lightning Sword!"

The monster let out a war cry before it swung its mighty blade, cutting Ryofu's monster in half, with more ghosts surrounding her (Ryofu: 2500-2000 LP).

"And now I end my turn!" And once this happened, Ryofu noticeably didn't do anything.

"Perfect," said Anthony, "she can't bring back her Manticore! This is great! Aisha can totally win this thing!"

"No…"

Everyone then turned towards Ryofu, who had begun to cry.

"Can't...lose...my pets...they need me…"

Kan'u suddenly felt bad for the woman. It was clear that the reason why she served under Totaku was to take care of her pets, which made sense, as Soso said that she loved animals earlier. Out of the kindness of her heart, she decided to do something.

"I promise, we can take care of your pets for you."

Ryofu sniffled. "...really?"

"Yeah! Rinrin loves animals!" said the youngest general.

"I have no problem with that," said Anthony.

Ryofu dried her eyes, then made a decision, putting her hand over her deck. Kan'u and the peanut gallery thought she was about to quit, but…

"End Shadow Game."

Suddenly, a black fog rose from the cards of both players before dissipating. The ghosts also vanished, much to Kan'u's relief, although she had to ask something.

"You can just end a Shadow Game?"

"On my turn, before I draw. Only I could, since I started it."

Anthony's jaw dropped, partly because of this new revelation, and partly because that was the most he'd heard Ryofu speak in one sitting. Ryofu then drew her card, and set her monster on the field.

"Your turn."

"Okay! It's time to finally bring this duel to an end! I summon my Axe Raider!"

Her ax-wielding warrior entered the field, axe swinging (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Axe Raider, take out her monster with Rummaging Axe Attack! Gilford, finish her with Lightning Sword!"

Her weaker monster ran up to the face-down and swung its axe horizontally, slicing her monster, a large white wolf named, well, Wolf, into pieces (LV 3: DEF 800). Her Gilford the Lightning then brought down its sword for a mighty vertical slash, bringing down a thunderbolt that wiped out Ryofu's remaining life points (Ryofu: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"That's game."

As the holograms faded away, the tattooed redhead walked up to Anthony, and simply stared at him, her head tilted like a cat or a dog.

'She's so frickin' cute…'

"May I help you?"

"Keep...your promise?"

Now, to say no to Ryofu would make anybody a heartless bastard, so Anthony answered accordingly.

"Of course! Once we defeat Totaku, we'll bring your pets to Kikai, where you can take care of them. Sound good?"

She nodded, then spoke.

"Want to join you."

Anthony did a double take. "Seriously? You want to join the Kikai Kingdom? Are you sure?"

She nodded. Anthony turned to his peerage. "Are you four okay with this?"

"She's already earned my trust by ending the Shadow Game," said Kan'u. "Plus, another general would certainly be nice, as long as she does her part."

"Rinrin likes her! She likes animals, just like Rinrin!"

"Hawawa, it's up to you."

"Go for it! A new friend is always welcome!"

Anthony smiled. "Okay, Ryofu-"

"Ren."

Anthony backtracked upon learning her secret name. "Ren, welcome to the Kikai Faction. We're happy to have you aboard."

Ryofu gave the smallest smile, and Anthony felt his heart skip a beat. The six members of Kikai then went further into Hulao Pass, in order to see how Soso and her group were faring against Choryo.

~KD~

Around the same time that Kan'u and Ryofu began their duel, Soso and her harem had managed to reach the fortress. It was at least twenty feet high, with heavily locked gates blocking unwanted intruders. They also noticed a figure looking down at them.

"What's up? I hear that you guys want to take down Totaku. Well…"

She then leaped off of the wall, landing gracefully on her feet. "...you'll have to deal with me first!"

"Gladly," said Soso, walking up to Choryo. "I have no intention of losing this Shadow Game!"

"Actually, that's not gonna fly."

"What do you mean?" asked Jun'iku.

"Well, I've kinda got a thing against foul play, and that Shadow Game crap? Not my style. So here's the deal. I'll take on one of you, and only one. If I win, you punkasses can get lost. If I lose, then you're one step closer to Totaku. That is, if Ren hasn't already wasted your pals."

"And what if we don't play by your rules?" asked Soso, raising an eyebrow.

Choryo suddenly lost her carefree demeanor, turning deadly serious as she cracked her knuckles loudly. "Easy. I get physical, and paint Hulao Pass with your blood."

Jun'iku flinched, disturbed by the violence displayed by the general. "I think I'm good. I have an allergy to excruciating pain."

"Well, unlike you, I'm not afraid!" said Kakoton, stepping forward. "I challenge you!"

Soso smirked. Kakoton was her strongest general, in both physical strength and at Duel Monsters, so either way, she had the best chance of defeating her opponent.

"Sweet! I hope you brought your A-game!"

(Kakoton: 4000 LP)(Choryo: 4000 LP)

"Since I'm feeling a little generous today, I'll let you go first," said Choryo.

"You will come to regret that decision! I summon my Amazoness Swords Woman in attack mode!"

Kakoton's monster was a tan woman with orange hair, a muscular body, and light purple armor. She wielded a single-edged blade with a purple hilt covered in orange spikes (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I end my turn!"

'Perfect,' thought Soso. 'Kakoton's Amazoness monsters easily have enough power to overwhelm her opponent!'

Choryo drew, then smirked. "I play my Reinforcement of the Army, in order to bring a new Warrior to my hand!" She then pulled the desired card from her deck before shuffling it, then she summoned her new monster.

"Get a load of my Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Her new monster was completely covered in thick metal armor, which was blue and white in color. Its right hand had a curved blade similar to a cutlass, while its left had a shield (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And my sweet new monster has enough power to wipe out your swordswoman with his Metal Forearm Thrust!"

Her monster rushed forward and pierced Amazoness Swords Woman through the gut, causing her to explode, as her blade flew towards Choryo and passed through her (Choryo: 4000-3700 LP).

"The hell? Why'd I take damage? I'm the one who took out your lame monster, not the other way around!"

"My monster is not 'lame.' And as for you taking damage, that's her special ability. Any battle damage that I might take is dealt to you when she battles."

"Well then, all I can do is end my turn with one face-down. Bring it!"

"This is good," said Kakoen. "Shunran has already caught her opponent off guard. In no time, she'll be in complete control!"

"I draw! And now, I summon a favorite of mine, my Amazoness Paladin!"

The new monster was another tan amazon, wearing a sand-colored cloak and skirt, holding a double-edged sword (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And her effect has her gain one hundred attack points for every Amazoness monster that I control!"

Her monster lifted her sword above her head as her power had a slight increase (ATK 1700-1800).

"Just like my Harpie's Pet Dragon...or Lord Anthony's Machine King…"

Jun'iku turned towards Kakoen with a bewildered expression. Was...was Kakoen interested in a man!? On the one hand, she hated her allies associating themselves with enemies, especially wicked, disgusted men like the Kikai leader. On the other hand, more Soso for her!

"And now, for some additional strength, I equip her with Axe of Despair!"

Her monster soon traded her sword for a massive battle axe with a thick wooden handle (ATK 1800-2800).

"Denied! I play my Collected Power!"

A Trap Card appeared, which showed multiple yellow lights being drawn to a single man. The Axe of Despair suddenly began to glow yellow, as it was pulled into the hand of Gearfried, much to the surprise of Kakoton.

"What did you just do?"

"My card lets me equip every Equip Spell on the field to one monster, and I chose my Gearfried. But there's one little thing you should know about him…"

Suddenly, the knight began to squeeze on the axe, as cracks began to form in the handle, before it shattered into shards of light.

"He destroys all Equip Cards that are equipped to him!"

Kakoton could do nothing but bring her turn to an end, as Choryo drew a new card, and immediately placed it on the field.

"Now I summon my Blade Knight!"

The new monster was another knight, completely coated in a light blue armor. It wielded a scimitar and a rhombus-shaped shield (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And he's not quite strong enough to take down that paladin of yours, so I better give my buddy some help. Like the Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade!"

An altar appeared on the field, with a double-edged sword with a golden phoenix-shaped hilt inside of it. Blade Knight sheathed its blade, then walked up the altar steps and drew the sword, before jumping off of the altar with its new weapon (ATK 1600-1900). As the altar disappeared, Blade Knight pointed its Phoenix Blade at Amazoness Paladin, as Gearfried walked up beside it.

"Check it out! My monsters are ready to kick some amazon ass! Better not keep 'em waiting! Blade Knight, attack!"

The knight leapt into the air, and brought down its sword onto Kakoton's monster, destroying it (Kakoton: 4000-3900 LP).

"Now Gearfried will attack directly!"

Her iron monster slashed through an unperturbed Kakoton (Kakoton: 3900-2100 LP).

"Shunran doesn't look so good up there," said Jun'iku, showing a rare moment of concern.

"She's fine," said Soso, "she simply needs to regain her momentum."

"Well, my turn's over! Bring it!"

"I shall. I summon my Amazoness Blowpiper!"

The new monster was a purple haired woman with an outfit made of vines, and knee guards with skulls on them. Her weapon was a blowgun with an animal skull at the end the dart came out of (LV 3: ATK 800).

"She may not be that strong right now, but I can change that with my Amazoness Spellcaster, switching the original attack of her and your Iron Knight!"

This new card depicted an elderly amazon casting some sort of spell, as the powers of Gearfried the Iron Knight and Amazoness Blowpiper were switched (ATK 1800-800)(ATK 800-1800).

"Get her, Shunran!" cheered Kakoen, getting excited.

"Amazoness Blowpiper, attack!"

Her monster loaded a dart into her blowgun, and blew into the weapon, sending a dart straight into the chest of Gearfried, destroying the knight (Choryo: 3700-2700 LP).

"And now, I end my turn."

Choryo drew, and smirked.

"I play my Cost Down, in order to reduce the level of all the monsters in my hand by two! So now I can bring out my best monster with only one tribute!"

'Her best monster?' thought Soso, as Blade Knight was suddenly replaced by another knight, one that was much more intimidating. It was a green-skinned knight on top of a purple war horse, with both horse and rider wearing blue armor with red spikes. In each of the monster's hands was a long red lance (LV 7-5: ATK 2300).

"Check out my Gaia the Fierce Knight! But he's not ready quite yet. I activate the effect of my Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade, letting me banish two Warrior-type monsters to return it to my hand."

Choryo then pulled three cards out of her Graveyard, set two aside, and played the third, as the divine blade appeared on the back of Gaia (ATK 2300-2600).

"And now it's time to kick some ass! Gaia, wreck her Blowpiper with your Spiral Spear Strike!"

Her monster kicked his horse, which let out a fierce neigh and galloped towards Kakoton's monster, as spirals of wind surrounded the lance of Gaia. Her monster then thrusted its lances forward, sending forth a powerful blow that tore straight through the amazon (Kakoton: 2100-300 LP).

"Think you can handle this bad boy? I end my turn!" (LV 5-7)

Kakoton gritted her teeth as she drew, but smiled when she saw her new card. It was time to demonstrate the true power of her Amazoness monsters.

"I play my Monster Reborn!"

The green crest appeared on the field, before being replaced by Amazoness Paladin (LV 4: ATK 1700-1800).

"And now, I tribute her to summon Amazoness Queen!"

The new monster was yet another amazon, with blue hair and an eyepatch over her right eye. She wore a skimpy outfit made from animal hide, and carried a huge single-edged sword with a spiked guard and a skull marking on the hilt (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"This is perfect! Shunran just got her strongest monster onto the field!" said Kakoen.

"And next turn, Shuran, it will be off of the field," said Jun'iku, who saw that the queen was still weaker than Choryo's knight.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Soso, as Kakoton ended her turn, and Choryo drew her next card.

"Sorry, pal, but you just fucked yourself!" laughed Choryo, while Kakoton was confused on how that was physically possible. Choryo then summoned a second monster to join Gaia.

"I summon my Hayabusa Knight!"

An anthropomorphic falcon wearing iron armor, a green cape, gold gauntlets and greaves, and holding a long saber appeared on the field (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Gaia, it's time to show this chick what you can do! Spiral Spear Strike!"

Her monster once again began its devastating attack, lance aimed directly at Amazoness Queen, when the queen blocked the attack with her sword (Kakoton: 300-100 LP).

"Hey, what gives?" asked Choryo, seeing how the opponent's monster was still standing.

"When Amazoness Queen is on the field, all Amazoness monsters cannot be destroyed by battle. Including her!"

Choryo ended her turn in frustration, as Kakoton drew one last card, before she grinned.

"And now, to finish you, I activate Megamorph!"

Her amazon grew to twice her original height, hefting her sword onto her shoulder and looking down on the smaller warriors (ATK 2400-4800).

"Ah, shit."

"Amazoness Queen, destroy her Hayabusa Knight with Femme Fatality!"

With a mighty swing of her sword, the ruler of the amazons destroyed the falcon knight and earned Kakoton a well-deserved victory (Choryo: 2700-0 LP)(Winner: Kakoton).

"Excellent work, Shunran," praised Soso, approaching the beaten general. "And as for you…"

"That was sick!"

Everyone stopped and turned to Choryo, who was looking at Kakoton with bright eyes and a wide smile.

"Holy crap, you guys are awesome! I've never had a duel like that before!"

Kakoton smirked. "Well, now you have. And Lord Karin is even better than I am."

"Whoa…I have to join you guys!"

Soso rose an eyebrow. "What?"

"Look, it's obvious that you guys are really good, and I'm always trying to improve, so I'd like to join you. That is, if it's cool with you guys."

To the surprise of her harem, Soso smirked. "Well then, you had better be a fantastic general."

"Awesome! Also, you guys can call me Shia if you want."

"Karin. Lord Karin to you."

"No prob, Lord Karin!"

While Kakoton, Kakoen, and Jun'iku attempted to lift their collective jaws from the passage floor, the members of the Kikai Faction ran up to them, only to see Soso shaking hands with her newest peerage member. Choryo then turned to see the new arrivals, and her eyes popped out of her head when she saw Kan'u.

"KAN'U UNCHO!"

She bolted up to her idol, in her "neko mode."

"Holy crap, it really is you! In the flesh! And I'm talking to you right now! This is the best day of my life!"

Anthony turned to Kan'u. "Do you know her?"

"I can't say that I do, it pains me to say."

"But I know who you are! I'm your number one fan! You guys can call me Shia! You changed my life when I saw how cool you were against those bandits!"

Kan'u chuckled. "Why, thank you, Shia."

"She kind of reminds me of you, when you saw my Red-Eyes," Shokatsuryo said to Anthony, who chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, I admit, I did kinda geek out back then."

Choryo turned to Anthony, and her original thoughts about him were confirmed: he was definitely cute, in a different way than Ryofu. Speaking of which…

"Ren, you're okay!"

"Shia…"

The two friends hugged each other, as Anthony turned to Soso.

"So, Skull Loli, I presume that Shia is General Choryo?"

"Correct, and now she's General Shia of Gi."

"Neat! We got Ren to join Kikai, so now we've both got new generals out of this!"

Choryo finished her hug, then stared at her former ally.

"Wait, you're with these guys now?"

She nodded. "Promised...to take care of my pets."

Anthony then realized something. "Hold on, you guys beat her in a duel, right?"

"Of course! My Amazoness monsters were more than a match for her knights!"

Anthony then held out his fist, and ticked off each of his fingers. "So you beat Shia, Aisha beat Ren, I beat Kayu, Rinrin beat Denki, and Non beat Ketsugo. That's all five generals. You know what this means, right?"

Soso nodded. "It's time to bring the fight to Totaku herself."

* * *

 **Since I know that I'm going to get a lot of questions about this, I'm going to use these author's notes to go over how this fanfic will handle a duelist's greatest foe, worse than bent corners, ban lists, and the existence of tiers: Shadow Games!**

 **A Shadow Game, put simply, is a very special kind of duel that is initiated by one duelist that possesses special powers. In a Shadow Game, while the specific rules vary, one thing is always present: the loser will have their soul sent to the Shadow Realm, a state of purgatory in which its victims are neither alive nor dead, and are forced to endure an eternity of agony and suffering. While only one player can turn a duel into a Shadow Game, both parties run the risk of losing their souls.**

 **There are ways to prevent this fate, however. First off, a Shadow Game can be terminated, turning back into a regular duel. However, the only one who has this power is the one who initiated the Shadow Game in the first place, and only on the beginning of their turn, in order to prevent them from ending the Shadow Game right before they lose. Also, the loser of a Shadow Game can be saved from their fate by an outside force, such as their opponent, but doing this is very dangerous, as the potential rescuer runs the risk of losing their own soul to the shadows.**

 **Finally, souls that have been sent to the Shadow Realm have the potential to be recovered. If someone is sent to the Shadow Realm by losing a Shadow Game that they did not initiate, then the only way that they can be recovered is to defeat the one who started the Shadow Game in the first place in a Shadow Game, though keep in mind that if the one who sent them there loses, but is rescued, they will still be freed nonetheless. If the one who began the Shadow Game loses, they may or may not be able to be rescued. If they gained the power to make Shadow Games from another person, they can be freed by defeating the one who gave them their powers. If they gained the ability another way, like a mystical artifact (think the Millennium Items), or a possessed card, then there is no way to bring them back. These people are lost to the shadows forever, a heavy price to pay. I hope that you all found this information to be helpful.**

 **Now then, time to go over decks. Due to her love of animals, I gave Ren a deck that I refer to as "Assorted Beast," filled with Beasts, Beast-Warriors, and Winged Beasts. Shia uses Warriors, specifically ones based on knights, because despite her rude and carefree manner of speaking and attitude, she has a very strict moral code and hates cheating. Finally, it should be pretty obvious why I gave Shunran the Amazoness cards, due to her aggressive and hot-blooded personality.**

 **Finally, I may have told a little lie when I said that "a" harem member would be revealed in this chapter, because guess what, there are two! That's right, both Ren and Shia will be joining the harem (eventually, the actual harem won't be formed until much later in the story). That leaves only one member left, so place your bets! Starpion out!**


	16. Answers & Questions

It was the same day that Ryofu and Choryo were defeated, that Anthony called everyone together for an emergency meeting. After everyone had arrived, and Ryofu and Choryo were introduced to everyone, Anthony decided to speak.

"All right, it's come to this. Today, we will restore peace to the country!"

Everyone stared at him, eagerly awaiting his plan.

"Okay, now that all four entries are clear, we'll be making a full frontal assault on the capital, and locate Totaku so that we may challenge her. Once she's defeated, we'll make her stand down as emperor, and the remaining power will be split among our factions, with no true emperor, in order to prevent a similar catastrophe. Sound good?"

"I think it's perfect," said Kosonsan.

"Ohohoho! As long as that Totaku is out of the picture, I'm satisfied!" laughed Ensho.

"I'll enjoy seeing her fall," said Soso.

"I trust that you know what you're doing," said Sonken.

"All right then! Since I have the most representatives, the Kikai Faction will go through Hulao Pass, leading to the heart of the city, and presumably the palace. Ensho, you and your advisors will take the passage that goes over the mountains with Pairen, since you have the least members. Renfa, you will take the tunnel, and that leaves Skull Loli with Sishui. We'll search the city from top to bottom. Now let's move!"

Everyone sprang into action, as Anthony got up to meet with the rest of his peerage. However, his newest general pulled him aside.

"What's up, Ren? Having trouble fighting your old boss?"

She shook her head. "Need help…"

"Hm? With what?"

"When we get there...need your help…"

Anthony stared into her eyes, and soon realized that he couldn't refuse her. How had she managed to perfect the art of the puppy dog eyes without even realizing it!?

"Okay, I'll help you out."

She smiled, and went to get her deck.

~KD~

Currently, the members of Kikai were walking through the city, having arrived ahead of everyone.

"Where did everybody go?" asked Bacho. "There should be at least one other person walking around."

"Or a guard to stop us from reaching Totaku," said Kan'u.

"This is getting us nowhere," said Shokatsuryo.

"Okay then, let's split up," said Anthony. "This way, we can cover more ground. Aisha, you go with Rinrin. Shuri and Sui, you two will go together. And that leaves me with Ren. Sound good?"

"Perfect, big bro! Let's move!" And with Chohi's command, everyone went their separate ways to search, while Anthony turned to Ryofu.

"Okay, now what do you need my help with?"

Ryofu simply went towards the palace, with Anthony following her, until they reached a building.

"Are your pets in here? Is this what you wanted me to help you with?"

She shook her head.

"Yue…my friend…she needs help…"

Anthony nodded, always ready to help somebody in need. He went into the building, only to see a door off to the side of it. He tried to open it, but to his dismay, it was locked.

"Dammit, we can't get in."

Without warning, Ryofu went up to the door and pulled it off its hinges in a tremendous display of strength, as Anthony could only gape. Ryofu then began to run down the stairs. As soon as Anthony collected the pieces of his blown mind, he ran after her, until the two of them came to what could only be described as a hidden dungeon.

The entire place was lined with cells inside of stone walls, with iron bars to lock in prisoners. Adding to the eerie atmosphere were the dim oil lamps that served as the lone source of light.

"This place looks like an absolute nightmare. You said your friend was down here?" A single nod was all the confirmation that Anthony needed, as he began to search the place. All of the cells appeared to be empty, until he saw one in the distance that did contain a prisoner.

She looked a lot younger than she actually was, with a childlike body, with shoulder-length blue hair and purple eyes that were puffy from crying. She wore a black headdress with gold trim and tassels, a red ribbon, and a thin veil, as well as a circlet with a red jewel. She wore a blue dress with a yellow collar, with a red bow and a black cloak with a puffy white opening. She looked absolutely out of place in a dreary dungeon, and looked miserable.

"Yue!"

Ryofu ran up to the girl, who looked up, in shock from seeing a friendly face.

"Ren…"

She then turned to Anthony, as her expression turned to fear, and she tried to make herself look scarce. Anthony reached a hand through the bars towards her, a warm smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. But I have to ask, who did this to you? Was it Totaku? I heard she was cruel, but kidnapping an innocent girl!? That's over the line!"

The girl looked bewildered. "But...I'm not cruel. I never wanted any of this." She then began to cry. "I just wanna go home…"

Anthony heard what she said, as his eyes became pinpricks.

"...what's your name?"

The girl looked up with a hint of fear.

"Totaku...Totaku Chuei."

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Anthony suddenly recoiled. "No way! You're the infamous dictator who monopolized the Imperial Court!? But you can't be! You're too innocent for that! And I've known you for less than a minute!"

Totaku whimpered. "I never did anything of the sort. I was kidnapped one week after I became emperor by a childish man. I've been here ever since...and only that man ever came to see me…"

Anthony turned to Ryofu. "But how did you know that she was here?"

"Saw the man leave. Couldn't do it alone."

"This man...is he the one who gave you the power to make Shadow Games?"

Ryofu shook her head. "Someone else…someone in white clothes…"

~KD~

 _Ryofu was sad. No, more than that. She was depressed. Her lord, her childhood friend, the one who gave her this position so that she could care for the many animals she had befriended, had simply vanished without a trace in the middle of the night. She was currently sitting with her fellow generals, who were all in various states of grief._

" _You don't think that she's...dead...do you?" said Ketsugo._

" _Keep that shit outta here. I'm trying hard enough not to break down," said Choryo, unusually on edge._

" _Shia…Suru…don't fight…"_

" _Ren is right, you know," said Kayu. "We shouldn't just be sitting here while the soldiers check the surroundings. We're generals! We should go and lead! Right, Rai!?"_

" _You got it, Miyabi! I'm all charged up!"_

" _But even if we find her, we might not have the skill to rescue her if we're forced to duel," said Ketsugo._

" _Oh yeah? Well I can take on anybody!" bragged Denki, grinning like a madman. "Anywhere, at anytime!"_

" _Even an entire army?"_

 _Denki jumped as he heard an unfamiliar voice. He turned to see a man wearing a white cloak and hood, with only the top of his face visible. On the hood of his outfit and his forehead were marks known as the Eye of Anubis, or the Millennium Symbol. Kayu and Denki sprung into action, whipping out their Duel Disks._

" _Who are you?" asked Kayu._

" _And how did you get in here?" asked Denki._

" _My name is not important. As for how I arrived, I simply invited myself."_

 _The mystery man pointed to an open window. The thing was, the room they were in was on the second story, and completely inaccessible through that window._

" _Well," said Ketsugo, "why are you here?"_

" _To warn you. In case you are unaware, there are rumors that the other factions intend to overthrow Emperor Totaku."_

 _Kayu rose an eyebrow. "But she's missing."_

" _And they don't know that. Not to mention, if they do manage to find her, what do you think will happen? And what do you think will happen to the capital without an emperor?"_

 _Choryo approached the man with caution. "And what do you need us for, mister mystery?"_

" _To offer you the power to destroy your enemies."_

 _Now this got everyone's attention. The power to destroy their enemies? He then held out his hand._

" _I can give you the power to create Shadow Games, games where penalties are dealt and the loser loses not just the game, but their soul. With this, you can stop anybody who dares attempt to harm your precious emperor."_

" _No deal."_

 _Everyone stared at Choryo, who had her arms crossed. "I don't play like that. That kind of foul play makes me sick."_

" _Then if you wish to end a Shadow Game that you created, you may end it on your turn before you draw. However, without this power, who knows what might happen to Totaku."_

 _Ryofu turned to Choryo with a look of desperation._

" _Shia...please…"_

 _She then walked over to the man clad in white and put her hand on top of his. Ketsugo followed, then Kayu, and after that, Denki. With hesitation, Choryo slowly put a shaky hand on top of his, and suddenly, a dark smoke coated their hands, then vanished. The man reached into his cloak and proceeded to distribute one new card to each general, then turned away. Ryofu looked at hers, a monster named Manticore of Darkness, before the man spoke up once more._

" _Oh, and one last thing. If you lose a Shadow Game, then your soul will be lost to the Shadow Realm instead."_

 _He then proceeded to jump out the window. Kayu and Ryofu raced to it and looked down, only to see that not a trace of him was left. He had simply vanished._

~KD~

"Interesting. So that guy must have been responsible for all of the rumors about Totaku here," said Anthony, as Ryofu nodded and Totaku shrunk back.

"But that just leaves one more question. Where's the guy that kidnapped Totaku?"

"Right here!"

The three of them suddenly turned to see Tanoshi, with a cheerful grin laced with malice.

"Out of your cell? Naughty naughty!"

~KD~

"Did you find anyone yet, Aisha?"

"Sorry, Shuri, but Rinrin and I checked everywhere but here!"

The four remaining members of Kikai were standing by the palace, having met up with each other, none of them having any luck.

"Ooh! Rinrin sees an open door! Maybe somebody went in!"

"Good eye, Rinrin!"

"Thanks, big sis!"

The four girls went in to see a door kicked off its hinges, and a doorway leading to a winding stone staircase.

"So," said Bacho, "who wants to bet that someone's down there?"

~KD~

Tanoshi giggled with elation as he walked towards the three, with Totaku hiding behind Ryofu, and the other two glaring at the new face.

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Tanoshi! It means fun, just like me! And I see you found my playmate!"

Totaku began to tremble. "Please, get away from me!"

"Aw, turn that frown upside down! You don't wanna end up like Debbie Downer, do ya?" He then pulled out his comic, and flipped to the page containing Kaku, which made Totaku gasp.

"EI!"

"Who?"

"Yue's...best friend...and strategist."

"She was really nosy! And she didn't want to play with me that much, so I had to force her to keep playing!" He then changed from playful to sinister. "And now, she's having much more fun in the Shadow Realm, in an endless cycle of torment. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Fuck no! Now let her and Totaku go!"

Tanoshi then pouted. "Aw come on, I can't just do that, can I? You're gonna have to play with me. But then again, the last time you played my favorite game, you weren't feeling too good after."

Anthony cringed. "You were watching my duel with Kayu!?"

"Yep! It was so cool! So, you wanna play again?"

"No way! I'm done with Shadow Games! Not after last time!"

"Lord Anthony!"

Anthony suddenly panicked as he saw his peerage come from behind, and Tanoshi turned around.

"More playmates? What fun! I can't wait to send you all to my favorite place to play!"

Shokatsuryo shrunk back, while Kan'u held Chohi behind her.

"Who is this?" asked Kan'u. "Another of Totaku's minions?"

Anthony decided to shed some light on the situation.

"Look, to make a long story short, the small woman behind Ren is Totaku, she's not a dictator like we thought, and this creepy dude kidnapped her, and spread vicious lies."

"Hey! That isn't nice! You don't tell other people's secrets!"

"Shut it, jackass!"

Kan'u shook her head rapidly. "Wait, what!? But, why would anybody do this?"

"Well, to play with all of the faction leaders, duh!"

Everyone turned to the psychopathic manchild.

"My master wants me to play with all of the factions, so that there's nobody left! Then once all of them are playing with the shadows, he'll be in charge, and I can play wherever I want!"

"Didn't you just call Anthony out for revealing secrets?" asked Shokatsuryo.

The man stuck out his tongue. "So what! He started it! Besides…"

He then had a wicked grin as he activated his Chaos Duel Disk, extending it to its full length.

"None of you are getting out of here."

Anthony clenched his hands into fists, then activated his own Duel Disk, getting Tanoshi's attention.

"You want to have fun? Then let's play!"

Kan'u flinched. "But Anthony, I thought you said-"

"That doesn't matter right now! I don't want to lose you, Aisha. Or any of you. If anybody is going to put their soul on the line to stop this freak show, it's me!"

Kan'u blushed furiously. 'He's so noble...only thinking about others. Just like me…' She wasn't the only one, as Bacho and Ryofu felt their cheeks turn rosy as well.

"Ooh, one of the faction leaders, and the guy who says he's the Messenger from Heaven, is gonna play with me! When I beat you, the boss will be so happy with me!"

"Then let's begin."

As the two duelists shuffled their cards, a black fog covered not only the cards, but the surrounding area, stopping just behind the members of Kikai. Bacho tried to run through it, but it simply knocked her backwards.

"Hey, what's going on? We can't get out!"

"Hawawa, this never happened before…"

"Ren, what's happening?" asked Totaku.

"...Shadow Game…"

(Tanoshi: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I wanna go first!" said Tanoshi, drawing a new card, before he played it.

"And now, the two of us are gonna have lots of fun in Toon World!"

The pop-up book opened with a playful fanfare (Tanoshi: 4000-3000 LP). Suddenly, out of the paper town came a large clam, which opened up to reveal a mermaid with a seashell bra, green hair, a blue fish tail, and a red longbow (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Is that...Red Archery Girl?" asked Shokatsuryo.

"Nope! This monster I just Special Summoned is named Toon Mermaid! And I should give her a friend! I summon my Toon Masked Sorcerer!"

The cartoon version of the Masked Sorcerer popped onto the field, snickering to itself (LV 4: ATK 900).

"And I set two cards to end my turn!"

"He got five cards on the field in one turn," said Bacho in shock. "Anthony had better be careful, or he's in for a ton of trouble."

"I believe in him," said Kan'u.

"Rinrin too!"

Ryofu nodded, as Totaku spoke up.

"Me too. If you all believe in him so much, than he must be a truly good person."

Anthony drew, and summoned his own monster.

"I summon Giga-Tech Wolf!"

The metallic wolf howled as it touched the ground (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"So he uses Beast-type monsters?" asked Totaku.

Kan'u shook her head. "He uses a unique type of monsters known as Machine-type. They're made from metal, and wield advanced weapons I've never seen before."

"And next, I equip my wolf with Machine Conversion Factory!"

The Machine-type let out another howl, as it became even stronger (ATK 1200-1500).

"Now to take care of that Toon Masked Sorcerer! Tear it to scraps!"

His monster pounced, as Tanoshi played both of his cards.

"I play my Toon Defense!"

The card showed a claw on a chain clamped to the storybook that contained Toon World, as Toon Masked Sorcerer quite literally bent out of the way of the attack, as though it were made of clay.

"What the heck? What happened?" asked Bacho, turning to the young strategist.

"Hawawa! I-I don't know! I've n-never seen that c-c-card!"

"My Toon Defense lets me make any attack to a level four or lower Toon Monster a direct attack! But I won't take any damage when I control monsters, as long as Spirit Barrier is on the field!"

Another Trap Card appeared, showing Invader of Darkness blasting Gagagigo with a yellow beam of energy. Giga-Tech Wolf bit down on Tanoshi, but did nothing, as a wicked look appeared in his eyes.

"Bad doggy."

He then kicked the mechanical wolf, sending it back to Anthony with a yelp, as the spectators looked on in horror.

"How horrible. He didn't have to do that." Totaku said, as Ryofu looked like she might cry. Chohi did begin to tear up, as she yelled at the wicked man.

"You big bully! Why did you hurt big bro's monster!"

He turned to her with a wicked smile which made the young general whimper in fear.

"Why? Because it's fun. Because I felt like it. What other reason is there?"

'Okay, that tears it,' thought Anthony as Kan'u comforted Chohi. 'I can't let this fucking lunatic get away with everything he's done.' "I end my turn."

"Goodie! Now I can go! And I play my Pot of Greed!"

Tanoshi, now back to his playful persona, drew two more cards, before playing a new one.

"And now, I play my Exchange!"

A Spell Card appeared, with an image of two players taking a card out of the opposing hand.

"This card I know," said Shokatsuryo. "It has both duelists show each other their hands, then select one card of their opponent's to add to their hands."

Tanoshi giddily skipped to the center of the field, as Anthony slowly walked up to meet him. They both revealed their hands, showing that Tanoshi had Red-Eyes Toon Dragon and Toon Summoned Skull, and Anthony had Machine King, Pendulum Machine, Slot Machine, and Card Destruction.

'If I can get a Toon Monster on the field, then he can't attack directly.' "I pick Toon Summoned Skull."

"And I want your Card Destruction!"

The players exchanged cards, and returned to their original positions.

"And since you were so nice, I play the card you gave me! Now we both discard our whole hands and draw new cards!"

As both duelists received new hands, a yellow glow appeared in their Graveyards, showing that their cards that they traded had returned to their owners.

"And now, I play my new card, Shadow Toon!"

Suddenly, a cartoony black ghost flew out of Toon World, which made Kan'u shriek in terror.

"Why does it always have to be ghosts!?"

"It's no ghost, it's my buddy Shadow Toon! And he deals damage equal to the attack of one of my opponent's monsters!"

The shadow flew through Anthony's chest and vanished (Anthony: 4000-2500 LP). Anthony suddenly shivered.

"Is he okay?" asked a concerned Totaku.

"So cold...I actually felt that?"

"Well, doy! It's a Shadow Game! All the damage that we take is real!"

"But you took damage!" said Kan'u. "When you played your Toon World!"

"Nope! I paid life points! Doesn't count! Speaking of which, I pay five hundred points so my Toon Mermaid can attack! And with Toon World on the field, my Toons can attack directly!" (Tanoshi: 3000-2500 LP).

The mermaid loaded an arrow with a suction cup on the tip into her bow, drew it back, and fired, hitting Anthony square in the forehead, and knocking him onto his back (Anthony: 2500-1100 LP). As he got up, Tanoshi began to giggle at his misfortune.

"Now my Sorcerer gets a turn!"

The monster went up to Anthony and slapped him across the face, knocking off his hat and glasses (Anthony: 1100-200 LP). Anthony went to get his fallen articles as Tanoshi snickered again.

"I can't watch this," said Totaku. "It's too cruel."

"Anthony…hurt…"

"Hawawa…"

"Big bro…"

"This really sucks…"

Kan'u remained silent, watching Anthony get up, putting his fedora back atop his head, but putting his shades over his eyes.

"And just like the boring old original Masked Sorcerer, my monster lets me draw a new card when I inflict damage with it!"

As he drew a new card, he immediately slipped it into his Duel Disk.

"Now I play my Toon Table of Contents, to add a Toon card from my deck to my hand!"

The new card showed a storybook's table of contents, with the words literally flying off the pages, as he pulled a new card from his deck, then smiled darkly.

"It's time that you met a good friend of mine! I tribute both of my monsters to summon my Toon Barrel Dragon!"

Kan'u, Shokatsuryo, and Bacho felt their eyes pop out of their skulls.

"Toon…"

"Barrel…"

"Dragon!?"

The monster that replaced the other Toons was a smaller, cuter version of Barrel Dragon, colored purple and aquamarine unlike the black and cyan of the original (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"That's quite the odd-looking dragon," said Totaku, "but it sounds dangerous. Have you seen it before?"

"Yes," said Kan'u, "in Anthony's deck!"

"What!? But that makes it…"

Anthony finished Totaku's sentence. "A Machine-type! I thought I was the only one who had those monsters here!"

"Nope! I have a couple, thanks to my master! And now, I use his special ability! My monster can spin his barrels and blast one of your cards! Say goodbye to your mutt!"

The monster spun all three barrels, then fired three green balls of energy, which caused Giga-Tech Wolf to explode, with a "bang" sound effect, as Tanoshi ended his turn.

Anthony drew his next card, and smiled when he saw what he drew.

'It's Zoa, the card that I got from Renfa. Hopefully, it can help me out in this duel.'

"Alright, if I know one thing about Toon Monsters, it's that they go boom when they lose their home! So I play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Toon World!"

The blue whirlwind hit the Continuous Spell, ripping out the pop-up town and several pages from the book's bindings before Toon World shattered into pixels. However, Toon Barrel Dragon stayed, blowing a raspberry at the duelist in sunglasses.

"Oopsie! Toon Barrel Dragon doesn't get destroyed with Toon World like my other monsters! Too bad!"

"Well, something came out of this," said Shokatsuryo, desperately looking for something positive to turn up. "Now Tanoshi can't attack directly with his Toons if Anthony controls a monster."

"Well, I'm gonna wrap up my turn by setting one monster and two cards."

Tanoshi drew, and gleefully summoned a new monster.

"I summon my other Machine-type, Toon Cannon Soldier!"

The new monster was a goofy version of Cannon Soldier, with a large goofy grin and cartoony eyes (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And I use his special ability, to tribute him and deal five hundred points of damage!"

The monster proceeded to stick a comically large cannonball into the thin barrel, before Anthony played a Trap Card.

"I don't think so! I activate Damage Polarizer!"

A Counter Trap revealed itself, depicting a knight blocking a lightning bolt with his shield. Toon Cannon Soldier then waved goodbye before it exploded, as the activation was negated, but the cost wasn't.

"This negates an activation and effect that would deal direct damage, and now we both draw one card." Anthony drew, and noticed that he had drawn Ancient Rules. 'Now I can Special Summon my Zoa, and use Metalmorph, but that won't do enough damage to win the duel, even ignoring his Spirit Barrier. I need to find a way to get rid of that Toon before I can attack!'

"Well, my Toon Barrel Dragon activates his effect! Go, Proton Blast!"

The monster spun its barrels, but only the right one didn't fizzle out, and the Toon Monster coughed out a puff of smoke.

"Yes!" cried Kan'u. "The effect didn't work!"

"But why not?" asked Totaku.

"Because just like the original, Toon Barrel Dragon has a luck-based effect, doesn't it!" said a triumphant Anthony, as Tanoshi became mad.

"So what! My monster will still attack that face-down!"

The monster shot the top barrel, revealing a flag with the word "BANG" on it. It then fired the flag like a harpoon, spearing the defending monster, which turned out to be the original Cannon Soldier (LV 4: DEF 1300).

"It looks like the classics are beating your improved Toons!" said Anthony, no longer afraid of the manchild.

"So what! I'm still better than you! I set one card!" Tanoshi was on the verge of a temper tantrum.

"Why don't you grow up!" shouted Bacho, which turned out to be a massive mistake, as Tanoshi began to flip out.

"I don't wanna grow up! I never wanna grow up, never ever! I HATE IT!"

He suddenly put his hands on his head, bending over, as the image of the Millennium Symbol briefly appeared on his forehead. "Growing up sucks! All I wanna do is play all the time, and growing up won't let me do that! So when my master rules China, I can play as much as I want, and to do that, I have to beat you!"

Anthony drew his card. "Well, by locking yourself in the past, you'll never be able to face the future! I play my Ancient Rules, letting me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster, like my Zoa!"

The new monster was a large blue Fiend. It had visible orange muscle on its arms and legs, with its arms being so long and powerful, it had to stand on all fours. It had sharp claws, and yellow spines on its body. Its head had two long orange ears similar to bat wings, a pointed chin, and sharp yellow teeth (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Wait a second!" shouted Shokatsuryo. "That monster is a Fiend-type, not a Machine-type! Where did you get that!"

"I got it from Renfa, and I know that it has the power to win this."

"Yeah right! Our monsters are the same strength! You can't beat me!"

"Oh yeah? Well, mister hedonist, did you ever think that maybe a duelist that uses Machine-types would know how to deal with their opponent's own Machines?"

This made Kan'u really confused. 'What is he talking about?'

Anthony adjusted his sunglasses before playing a Spell Card.

"I use my Acid Rain, which destroys every single Machine-type on the field!"

"WHAT!?"

A spell showing several monsters being caught in acid rain appeared, as a storm cloud coated the field. A dark brown liquid began to pour out of the clouds, which simply slid off of Zoa, but did much more to Toon Barrel Dragon. The monster began to run in circles in a panic as its body began to rust, until it fell apart in a heap of scrap.

"So, still think you can pull off a win?"

"Do you think your monster can attack with my Spellbinding Circle!?"

The furious Tanoshi played his trap, and underneath Zoa appeared a magic circle with a blue seal, trapping the monster in place, as the manchild began to laugh maniacally.

"Now your monster can't attack! It's helpless! Your plan to win failed! Hahahahaha!"

"Did it, now? I equip my Zoa with Metalmorph!"

The monster became coated in a silver liquid, becoming stronger (ATK 2600-2900).

"And now, by tributing a Zoa that's equipped with Metalmorph, I can Special Summon Metalzoa from my deck!"

The metal began to swirl around the Fiend, as a new monster broke free. It was gray, purple, and orange, with sharp claws, two long spikes on its head, and smaller spikes all over it (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"This means that…" began Totaku.

"Anthony can win." finished Kan'u with a triumphant smile.

Tanoshi backed up. "Oh no…"

"Everyone get behind me!" The peanut gallery did as they were told, and moved behind Anthony and out of harm's way.

"Metalzoa, attack with your Hardened Glimmer Strike!"

The monster crossed its arms, creating a green cross of energy, before firing it, tearing through the walls of the dungeon before it struck Tanoshi, knocking him back (Tanoshi: 2500-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

As the monster's faded, Anthony was blindsided by a tackle hug from Kan'u, knocking him onto the ground, with Chohi, Shokatsuryo, and Bacho following. Suddenly, Tanoshi's comic, knocked out of his hands, opened to the last page, and out came a weak, but barely conscious Kaku, who was hugged by Totaku and Ryofu. Then a shadowy hand came out of the comic and grabbed Tanoshi by the leg, and began to drag the man into it, while he desperately tried to grab onto the ground, clawing and reaching.

"This...isn't...fun anymore!" were his final words as he was pulled into the comic, and an oil lamp, already knocked loose from the final attack, fell onto the comic, lighting it ablaze.

Both hugs broke up, as Kaku suddenly noticed the others.

"Who are they!? Are they the ones sent to overthrow Yue!?"

"Not anymore, we're not," said Anthony, walking up to the green-haired strategist. "We know what really happened. And I want to make a deal with you two."

"After you saved my life? Anything for you," said Totaku.

"The two of you are going to join my faction, and go by your secret names in public, since nobody knows what you look like, but practically everyone wants you dead."

The two women looked at each other, and nodded.

"Wait, what about the capital?" said Kan'u.

"Let the others fight over it. I'm content with what I've got. And speaking of which, I think it's time that we went home, don't you guys think?" They couldn't agree more.

* * *

 **And with that, the Anti-Totaku arc is over! The next couple of chapters will be a bit of a breathing period, although there will still be plenty of duels, so I don't recommend skipping them. Also, Yue is twenty, and yes, she will be dueling. However, even though she's been freed, and Tanoshi is lost to the shadows forever with his comic destroyed, there are still many unanswered questions. Like who is this man in the white clothes? How did Tanoshi gain access to Machine-type monsters? And what will happen now that there's no longer an Imperial Court? Find out in Koihime Duel! Starpion out!**


	17. To Duel, or Not To Duel

Two months after the supposed defeat of Totaku, the Imperial Court was abolished, and now, rather than imperial generals and chief magistrates, there were only lords, eager to gain control of larger territories. While minor lords like Bato and Kosonsan were all over the place, there were four major factions. There was the En Faction, which had taken control of the former Imperial Capital: the Gi Faction, which annexed its surrounding territory to become much larger: the Go Faction, which was now the largest distributor of Duel Monsters cards: and the faction that was responsible for the overthrowing of the "wicked emperor," the Kikai Faction.

~KD~

With a yawn, Anthony managed to pull himself out of bed and get ready. Even after so much time being back, he still felt relieved to be in his palace again, even though he did miss some of his friends, like Kosonsan, Sonken, and Kakoen. But on the bright side, the Kikai-Go Alliance was still a thing, even though the Anti-Totaku Alliance was a thing of the past. And he had three new friends to have around! Ryofu had become a general, for the exchange of letting her bring her fifty or so pets with her (to be honest, when Anthony and Kan'u made the deal, they were thinking maybe three or four, not fifty). As for the others…

"Hey there, Yue. How goes things? Keeping the palace in tiptop shape?"

"Oh, yes!"

In the hallway was Totaku Chuei, former emperor, and believed to be dead. Rather than her ornate outfit, she was wearing a maid's outfit, which made sense, seeing how she was one of the two new maids that served him. Since Totaku and Kaku were infamous throughout the country, Anthony had them become workers for the castle, and only went by their secret names, Yue and Ei respectively. Totaku was delighted to be able to help him, and she took her new role in stride.

"Hey, can we go visit Ei?"

Anthony looked down at Totaku, and as he did, he suddenly realized where Ryofu obtained her mastery of the puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine. She's probably arguing with Shuri again."

Unlike her childhood friend, Kaku was not pleased with her new role, and desperately wanted to regain her status as a strategist. As such, she was constantly butting heads with the lone strategist of Kikai. As Anthony and Totaku made their way to the library, where Shokatsuryo spent the majority of her free time, they found an exhausted Kan'u standing outside, looking rather fed up with what was going on inside. When she saw the lord and maid, however, she immediately brightened up.

"Anthony, Yue! Thank goodness. It's a war zone in there."

"I dunno, Aisha, Ensho and Skull Loli were pretty cutthroat. I'm sure we can get them to stop. After all, nobody can refuse the innocent cuteness of Yue!"

With that said, the two went in, with Kaku, in a maid outfit of her own, yelling at a submissive Shokatsuryo.

"Who do you think you are, strutting around, rubbing the facts in my face?"

"Hawawa, I don't really know what you mean…"

"Well, how about you got to be a strategist, and I'm stuck cleaning this place!"

"B-But we talked about this, I don't have the authority…"

"And you still haven't talked to him about it!"

"About what?"

The irate maid turned to Anthony, not noticing the others in her rage.

"It has been far too long! I've spent the last sixty days as your servant, when I deserve to be in your peerage!"

Anthony shook his head. "Too risky. You know what will happen if people figure out that you're Kaku Bunwa? They won't rest until your head's on a stake."

She frowned. He had a point, but she wouldn't give up so easily.

"What if I prove that I have the skill to get a promotion? If I can win against your strategist-"

"Her name's Shokatsuryo Komei, AKA Shuri."

"Whatever. If I beat her in a duel, then may I become a strategist again?"

Anthony rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"

Totaku turned to him, with a pleading expression that Anthony found hard to refuse. "Fine, whatever. But Yue duels me after! I wanna see what sweet cards she has!"

"See, Ei, you get a chance!"

"Thanks, Yue."

The five of them went to the newly added duel arena, while Kan'u made a note to get Totaku to teach her that technique.

~KD~

After the return of Anthony, his palace had become fairly larger, including a private duel arena, although Anthony thought about making it public for the sake of a tournament every now and then. It was certainly spacious, with a large field and twenty rows of bleachers surrounding it to sit on. At the moment, Anthony, his peerage (minus Shokatsuryo, of course), and Totaku were sitting in the bleachers, not really wanting to get too close to the action, but close enough to see everything. On one side was Shokatsuryo, shuffling her cards, and on the other was Kaku, having already finished shuffling.

"My money's on Shuri," said Bacho. "Her Dragon-type monsters are really something else."

"Not to mention I've never seen her lose!" Anthony chimed in.

"Well, Kaku is rather good, when she isn't unlucky," said Totaku, as the duel began.

(Kaku: 4000 LP)(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)

"I will go first!" shouted Kaku, without giving her opponent a chance to speak, before looking over her cards. "I end my turn by setting one monster."

"That's it? Well, I draw, and summon my Spear Dragon."

The long-nosed dragon flew onto Shokatsuryo's side of the field, letting out a loud cry (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Sweet," said Anthony, "now she can inflict piercing damage!"

"Spear Dragon, attack with Cyclone Blast!"

The monster fired a green spiral of energy, as the monster flipped up to show a mummy in red bandages, which exhaled a red gas and made Shokatsuryo cough (LV 4: DEF 1800)(Shokatsuryo: 4000-3500 LP)(Kaku: 4000-3900 LP). As the monster, Poison Mummy, was destroyed, Shokatsuryo ended her turn with a single face-down, as Spear Dragon switched battle positions on account of its effect (DEF 0).

"Well, I draw! And I summon my Fire Sorcerer!"

Her new monster was a girl with long blonde hair in a witch outfit, who lifted her open palm and made a fireball in it (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Hey, does Ei use a burn deck?" Anthony asked Totaku. "Because I notice that her monsters are ones that deal damage."

"No, she uses Flip Monsters, not really having a set strategy."

"Then why did she Normal Summon it, rather than set it?" wondered Kan'u.

"To attack," said Ryofu.

"Fire Sorcerer, attack!"

The witch tossed a fireball at Spear Dragon, blasting it to pixels. But Kaku wasn't quite done yet.

"Now I play my Book of Moon, to change my Fire Sorcerer into face-down defense mode!"

A Spell Card with a picture of a blue book with a crescent moon on the cover appeared, as Fire Sorcerer set herself, and Kaku ended her turn.

"Hawawa, not bad. But your monsters aren't safe in defense mode when I play my Dragon's Rage!"

As Shokatsuryo played her own card, Anthony grinned as he saw a Trap Card depicting The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave smashing through a stone wall.

"Now all of Shuri's Dragon-type monsters can deal piercing damage, meaning that they can deal battle damage even if the opponent's monsters are in defense mode! This is perfect!"

"And now, I summon my Blizzard Dragon!"

A large blue dragon appeared before Shokatsuryo (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, it will attack!"

The arctic dragon spat out a powerful snowstorm, as Fire Sorcerer flipped back up (LV 4: DEF 1500).

"My monster's flip effect activates! Now by banishing two random cards from my hand, I can deal eight hundred points of damage! Go, Fire Blast!"

As Kaku slipped two cards, Swarm of Scarabs and Swarm of Crows, into her pocket, Fire Sorcerer created two balls of fire in her hands, and launched them directly at Shokatsuryo (Shokatsuryo: 3500-2700 LP). This didn't impede Blizzard Dragon, however, as the Spellcaster-type monster shattered into tiny pieces of light, and Dragon's Rage let out a roar that sent sound waves towards Kaku (Kaku: 3900-3600 LP).

"I end my turn."

"Then I go! I set one monster and one card, and that'll do!"

As Shokatsuryo drew, Anthony turned to his generals.

"Who do you think will win?"

"Ei seems rather skilled, but Shuri has proven her skill before," said Kan'u. "I don't know who has the advantage."

"...Ei…" put in Ryofu, while Chohi shook her head.

"No way! Rinrin thinks Shuri will win! Right?"

"Right, Rinrin!" said Bacho.

"I summon my Masked Dragon!"

Her new dragon was tan with a red underbelly, and a rather long neck (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"And now, I attack!"

As her dragons prepared for battle, Kaku smirked.

"Oh no…" said Kan'u.

"I play my Mirror Force!"

Kaku's Trap Card rose up, showing an orange blast being reflected by a clear force field. As Blizzard Dragon and Masked Dragon let loose their ice and fire breath respectively, a force field absorbed the attacks, and fired iridescent blasts of energy at the Dragon-types, destroying both of them.

"What just happened?" asked Chohi.

"Mirror Force happened," said Anthony. "It destroys all monsters that your opponent has in attack mode when your opponent declares an attack. It's stupidly powerful."

"Oh. Do you have that card?"

"Not with me right now. But it's rather well-known, like Pot of Greed and Monster Reborn."

"Hawawa…I end my turn."

Kaku smiled as she drew. 'It's time to show Lord Anthony that I deserve a better position!"

"I Flip Summon my Skelengel!"

Her monster turned out to be what appeared to be an invisible angel. There was a pair of feet in sandals, a belt, a pair of wings, a pair of hands holding a bow, and a crown (LV 2: ATK 900).

"When this monster is flipped, I can draw one more card!" As she did this, she then pointed to Shokatsuryo.

"Now I can attack directly!"

Her monster drew back its bow, and fired a heart-tipped arrow at the opposite side, dealing damage (Shokatsuryo: 2700-1800 LP).

"Now I tribute my monster to set another one and end my turn!"

Shokatsuryo took a slow breath, as she drew her next card. She looked at it, and a soft smile appeared on her face.

"I summon my Golem Dragon!"

Her newest monster was a large stone dragon with huge wall-like arms (LV 4: ATK 200).

"What is that going to do? It's not powerful enough," said Bacho.

"Maybe not, Sui, but it doesn't need to be! I play my Monster Gate!"

The monster then fell into a blue rune. Shokatsuryo drew the top card of her deck, smiled, and summoned her newly drawn monster.

"I summon my Different Dimension Dragon!"

The new monster looked less like a dragon, and more like a bird with a snake body. It had blue scales with a tan underbelly, four wings, a long legless body, and a toothless beak (LV 5: DEF 1500).

"And now I play my Metamorphosis, allowing me to tribute it to summon a Fusion Monster with the same level! And I pick my Fiend Skull Dragon!"

As a card showing a man transforming into a beast appeared, Different Dimension Dragon went into a vortex, and out came a large tan dragon with four arms, purple wings, and curved horns (LV 5: ATK 2000).

"And it will attack your monster with Fiend Conflagration!"

The monster spat out a large purple fireball that resembled a screaming skull, as the monster was revealed to be a massive yellow and brown insect with huge jaws and a single red eye (LV 5: DEF 1200).

"Sorry, but my Nobleman-Eater Bug destroys two monsters when it's flipped up! It's game over!" However, her monster simply remained still. "What the!? Why isn't its effect activating!?"

"A strategist should know better than to have such an obvious weakness! Fiend Skull Dragon negates the effects of your Flip Monsters! And don't forget, my Dragon's Rage is still in play!"

The Insect-type was swallowed by the flame, and a roar from the Continuous Trap indicated piercing damage (Kaku: 3600-2800 LP). Anthony, Kan'u, Chohi, and Bacho began to cheer for their friend wildly, having gotten herself back on track.

"All right, Shuri!"

"Keep it up, Shuri!"

"Go, Shuri! You can do it!"

"Take her down!"

She smiled, blushing furiously from embarrassment, but grateful nonetheless.

"I will, but not before I get some backup. I play my Super Rejuvenation, which lets me draw a card for every Dragon-type that I tributed or discarded this turn during the End Phase!"

A card appeared, showing Cave Dragon, and a severe leg injury it had being healed by a golden aura. As Shokatsuryo ended her turn, the same golden glow covered her deck, and she drew two more cards.

"Well, I set a monster and end my turn!" shouted Kaku.

"This duel...is over…"

Totaku, begrudgingly, had to agree with her former general. Kaku had been beaten.

"I draw. And I play my Star Blast!"

A card appeared, showing Luster Dragon, and its levels exploding.

"Now, I can select one monster in my hand, and pay life points, in multiples of five hundred, to reduce its level! I pay 1500 life points to make my monster go from level seven to level four!"

Seven stars appeared on the field, and three of them exploded, leaving only four left (Shokatsuryo: 1800-300 LP).

"And now, I can summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon without a tribute!"

Anthony smiled as her signature monster appeared on the field, while the other spectators could only gape at its immense power (LV 7-4: ATK 2400).

"And now my Fiend Skull Dragon will attack your face-down!"

The purple blaze burned the monster, which was a ball covered in sharp needles (LV 2: DEF 700).

"The sad thing is, Needle Ball has the ability to have her pay two thousand life points to deal one thousand points of damage, which would have beaten Shuri," said Anthony. Dragon's Rage let out a roar (Kaku: 2800-1500 LP).

"And now, to take you out! Red-Eyes, attack with your Inferno Fire Blast!"

The monster spat out a blast of flame, and Kaku was forced to shield her face as the attack struck her (Kaku: 1500-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo).

"I lost…"

As Kaku fell to her knees, her childhood friend and fellow maid went to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Ei, maybe you didn't win, but even so, Lord Anthony was nice enough to take us in. And as long as I can help people, I'm happy with whatever my task is. Could you do the same? For me?"

Kaku looked down, then nodded.

"Okay, Yue…"

Anthony came up to Totaku.

"Alright, are you ready to throw down with me, Yue?"

The petite maid turned to the Messenger from Heaven. "Of course."

~KD~

Kaku and Shokatsuryo had replaced Anthony and Totaku on the bleachers, as the lord and maid were facing each other. Anthony pushed a button on his Duel Disk, connecting the plates and shuffling his cards, while Totaku placed her deck into her blue-trimmed Duel Disk, which Anthony and company had salvaged from her palace.

"So Yue, do you want to go first? I want to see what you can do!"

"Alright then. Let's go!"

(Totaku: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I summon my Grass Phantom!"

The monster was a green bud-like creature with purple-tipped petals along its body (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"And now, I end my turn!"

"Plant-types, interesting…" said Shokatsuryo to herself.

"Well, I draw! And I summon my Gradius in attack mode!"

The jet hovered over the field, weapons primed (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Attack!"

The monster fired a payload of missiles, turning Grass Phantom into smoke (Totaku: 4000-3800 LP).

"And now, I set one card and end my turn!"

Totaku drew, and immediately set her new card, before she summoned a new beast.

"I summon my friend Lord Poison!"

The new beast was a brown specter-like creature with a body that looked like rotted wood, with many blue roots sticking out, as it emitted a groan (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"That thing is a plant!? It looks like it came out of my nightmares!" shouted Kan'u.

"It kinda does look like a ghost," said Bacho.

"Now my monster will attack your Gradius!"

The beast extended its tentacles and constricted the jet until it shattered (Anthony: 4000-3700 LP).

"I activate my Time Machine, in order to bring back my Gradius in the same battle position it was before!"

Anthony's card flipped up, as the time machine appeared on the field, and the door was blasted open by the fighter jet (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Well, I end my turn."

"Come on, Anthony! Show her the power of the Kikai Kingdom!" shouted Kan'u.

"Don't listen to her, Yue!" said Kaku. "You can crush him!"

Anthony drew his next card, and smiled.

"I tribute my Gradius so that I can summon my more powerful Blowback Dragon!"

The fighter jet was soon replaced by a new machine. It was similar to a dinosaur in body type, with a gray metal body, two legs, and a long tail, although the main attention getter was its head. The best way to describe it was a massive red laser blaster with a mouth under the barrel, with three gray bars that occasionally flashed yellow (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"It looks like a weaker version of Barrel Dragon," said Bacho.

"It is, kind of," said Anthony. "You see those bars? If at least two of them are yellow when my monster charges up a blast, I can blast any of your cards to bits!"

The yellow bars began charging energy, until two of them remained on, and the monster began charging a yellow energy ball.

"Perfect! Fire your Proton Spark, Blowback Dragon!"

The monster fired a yellow shot right through Lord Poison, obliterating the diseased Plant-type.

"Damn! If he destroyed that monster in battle," said Kaku, "then Yue could Special Summon a Plant-type from her Graveyard!"

"And now, to attack!"

The mechanical monster sent an energy blast directly at Totaku, taking out a huge portion of her life points (Totaku: 3800-1500 LP).

"I think I've dealt enough damage for now, so I'll send it back over to you!"

Totaku slowly drew her next card.

"I think that I'm going to summon my Rainbow Flower!"

Her new monster was a flower with seven different colored petals and a single eye between them (LV 2: ATK 400).

"And my flower has the special ability to attack directly!"

The monster fired a multicolored beam of light from its eye, which went straight through Blowback Dragon and struck Anthony (Anthony: 3700-3300 LP).

"And to finish my turn, I set one card!"

"This is pretty fun," said Anthony. "But now, it's my turn! And I summon my Ground Attacker Bugroth!"

The amphibious automaton appeared on the field, weapons aimed at Totaku (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now my Blowback Dragon will blast your new card!"

Aiming at the face-down, the Machine-type charged its laser, and eventually, all three bars were full, and the yellow beam blasted a hole right through the card, Sinister Seeds.

"Now to attack! Machines, ready, aim…"

"Hold on! I play my Wall of Thorns!"

Her face-down, the one she set as soon as she drew it, flipped up to show a wall of thorny vines, as the same wall sprouted in front of Anthony's cards.

"Ha! Yue got him! This card destroys all of his attack mode monsters when he attacks a Plant-type!"

"Like Mirror Force?" Chohi asked Kaku.

"Yep! Since she couldn't play it earlier, your lord didn't suspect a thing!"

"Come on, Lord Anthony," said Kan'u.

The thorns soon wrapped around both of Anthony's monsters, and squeezed them tightly, causing the machines to let out mechanical sounds of discomfort, before they exploded.

"Crap! Well, all I can do now is set one card and call it a turn."

Totaku drew her next card, and when she did, she smiled.

"Yes! I Tribute Summon my greatest monster, my Gigaplant!"

The Rainbow Flower vanished, and a giant plant with a large red bud burst from the ground. A bunch of vines came from its back and planted themselves in the ground, and from its leafy back popped three spiny leaves, which resembled the forelegs of a praying mantis. Out of its stem burst four insectoid legs, similar to the leaves, and the bud split in half, becoming the jaws of what looked like a Venus flytrap, with six blue eyes and three rows of teeth (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Woah, freaky!" said Anthony, getting a good look at the new monster.

"Now I will attack directly with Floral Feeding!"

The monster shot a bunch of vines from its mouth, which constricted Anthony (Anthony: 3300-900 LP). Totaku ended her turn, and Anthony's friends were concerned as Anthony hunched forward.

"Hawawa...I don't know if he can win this."

"Big bro looks sad…"

Ryofu nodded in agreement, as Kan'u took it upon herself to give him a pep talk.

"Come on, Anthony, we believe in you! I know you've come out on top in worse situations than this, so please, don't give up!"

Anthony then began to laugh, as he threw back his head, laughing like he was having the time of his life, startling his opponent and the audience.

"Why would I give up!? I'm having way too much fun to quit now! Man, this is exactly why I love this game!"

Totaku was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Duel Monsters shouldn't be about life or death, or settling scores, or any of that crap. It's all in good fun! And now, it's time to keep things going with Damage Condenser!"

As his Trap Card activated, he discarded his Metalzoa. "Now when I take damage in battle, I can discard one card and Special Summon a monster from my deck in attack mode, as long as its attack points are less than or equal to the damage I took. And I pick my Jinzo!"

The cyborg appeared on the field with a distorted cry, as Totaku widened her eyes (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Well, I end my turn. Let's see what your monster can do!"

"With pleasure, Yue. I draw, and summon my Blast Juggler!"

The living time bomb appeared next to the cyborg, juggling cherry bombs (LV 3: ATK 800).

"Jinzo, attack that Gigaplant with Cyber Energy Shock!"

"Hold on, big bro's monster is as strong as Yue's. Won't they both be destroyed?" asked Chohi, as Shokatsuryo could only nod.

"Floral Feeding!"

As Jinzo built up a powerful attack, Gigaplant wrapped it in its tentacles and swallowed it whole, when the monster's head exploded, taking both monsters with it.

"Now the field is clear for a direct attack!"

His Blast Juggler tossed a couple bombs Totaku's way, and they exploded, dealing a fair amount of battle damage (Totaku: 1500-700 LP).

"And that ends my turn!"

Totaku drew, and summoned another monster.

"I summon my Rigorous Reaver!"

Her new monster was a straw creature, similar to a scarecrow. It had spiked knuckles, a sideways mouth that split its face in two, six gray eyes, and a large scythe (LV 3: ATK 1600).

"Now attack!"

With an unholy screech, the monster cleaved Blast Juggler in two with its weapon (Anthony: 900-100 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

As Anthony drew, he flipped down his glasses.

"Alright, time to face the future."

"This means big bro is gonna do something awesome and win!" said Chohi, even more cheerful than before, if that was a possible feat.

"I summon the monster that will win me the duel, Drillago!"

The drill covered machine appeared on Anthony's side of the field, twitching and spinning its drills (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now attack with Spiral Thrust!"

The monster started up all 21 drills, and leapt towards Totaku's Plant-type.

"What is he doing!" shouted Bacho. "It's just gonna be another tie!"

However, as the reaper lifted its scythe, Drillago simply went over it.

"What is happening?" asked Totaku.

"What's happening is my monster's effect. Whenever my opponent only controls Monster Cards, all with at least 1600 attack points, then my Drillago has the power to attack directly!"

Totaku suddenly came face to face with the drill-covered robot, and was knocked back as it collided with her (Totaku: 700-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"That's game, set, and match," said Anthony, as he walked over to Totaku and grabbed her hand, lifting her up. "That was a blast."

"I had fun too," said Totaku, wearing a warm smile, as the audience began to cheer for both of them, none louder than Kaku and, surprisingly, Kan'u.

"Great job, Yue!"

"Anthony, that was astounding!"

The two duelists smiled. Life was truly good in the Kikai Kingdom.

* * *

 **Well, that's that! There's actually a pretty good reason why I gave the Plant-types to Yue, as they were both infamous for different reasons. Yue was infamous for being a dictator, until it was discovered that she was innocent. And Plants were infamous for being kind of weak, until Crossroads of Chaos and subsequent booster packs gave them the support that they so rightfully deserved! That's it for now. Starpion out!**


	18. A Date with Disaster

A few days after the duels with Kaku and Totaku, Anthony was simply walking through the town, waving at shops he passed and greeting everyone he saw, when he noticed Ryofu, stopped in the middle of the street, walking about ten or so dogs on leashes.

"Hi there, Ren! What are you looking at?"

Ryofu simply pointed at the ground, and Anthony saw a small green shape.

"What is it?"

Ryofu turned to her dogs. "Stay," she said, and they all say obediently, panting patiently. She then got down on all fours, and Anthony did the same, and Anthony gasped. The tiny green shape was a Chinese mantis, simply standing in its pose, looking for prey.

"Cool! I love insects! Nice find, Ren!" whispered Anthony, as Ryofu blushed a little and smiled, as the two of them continued to watch the insect. Little did either of them know that Anthony was being watched, by one Kan'u Uncho.

Kan'u had gone into town to find a new outfit for herself, wanting something more fancy for special events, when she had noticed her lord walking through the market, and decided to see what he was up to, without bothering him. She sighed, a love struck look on her eyes. She had to admit, she had developed a crush on the Messenger from Heaven. No, he wasn't that strong, or particularly good-looking, although she thought he looked simply alright. But his personality more than made up for his physical failings. He was kind, sweet, fun-loving, and most importantly, selfless. Like her, he always put others before himself, even at his own risk. While some, like Soso and Shuyu, might see that as his biggest weakness, Kan'u believed that it was his best quality.

However, despite her strong feelings, she couldn't get up the nerve to tell them to him. Ironically, the woman who was confident and brave enough to challenge an entire army by herself lacked the tenacity to confess her feelings. To be fair, she was rather inexperienced when it came to romance, knowing more about dueling than dating. With a sigh, she left the market with a new dress, as well as a heavy heart.

~KD~

Kan'u sighed as she flipped through her cards in the library, while thinking to herself how similar dating was to dueling. Both were unpredictable, and required a lot of knowledge on the subject, but were a blast to have. The only difference was that Kan'u knew nothing about the former. What she really needed was somebody to give her advice, a sage of sorts. Chohi was out of the question: she knew even less about romance than she did. Bacho was a little too rough around the edges, and didn't seem like the romantic type. Kaku shared the same problem, and both Ryofu and Totaku were a bit too shy. That only left…

'Shuri!' she thought as she noticed the petite planner at another table, reading a book that made the dragon tamer blush. She was perfect! She read romance novels all the time, so surely she knew enough about romance to help her out! Without hesitation, she put her cards away and walked over to Shokatsuryo, taking a seat across from the strategist, who was too entranced to notice the black-haired general.

"Shuri?"

Shokatsuryo yelped, and fumbled a bit, having been ripped from her concentration.

"Y-Yes?"

"You know a little about romance, right?"

"Well, I've never been on a date, but I've read a lot. Why?"

Kan'u suddenly blushed. This was much harder than she had initially believed.

"Well, I kind of have a...crush on someone."

"Hawawa! Who is it? You have to tell me!"

Kan'u nervously swallowed. "Um…uh…er…Anthony?" she murmured under her breath. Shokatsuryo leaned forward.

"What was that, Aisha? I didn't hear your response."

"Anthony."

"HAWAWA!"

Shokatsuryo suddenly fell backwards out of her chair in surprise. Kan'u got up and leaned over to see if she needed help, and the Dragon duelist hopped up, eyes wide and with a big smile.

"I KNEW IT! I knew that you had a thing for Lord Anthony ever since you stood up for him when you two tried to protect me from Mukade and his goons! Oh, this is so exciting! It's just like one of my books!"

"Keep it down! I don't want anybody else knowing just yet."

"Sorry. But if that's the case, why did you tell me?"

Kan'u sighed. "Because I need your help. How do I tell him?"

Shokatsuryo put her hand to her chin in thought. "Well, do you know if he's into you?" Kan'u shook her head, and she continued. "Well then, you can't just tell him right now. Why don't you ask him on a date? Get to know him a little better, and if he shows interest, tell him how you feel."

"That's perfect! I'll ask him right away! Thanks, Shuri!"

"Anytime."

~KD~

In his study, Anthony was busy with paperwork, filing the taxes paid and sending out a request to obtain more dyes from En, when he received a knock on his door. Slowly, he stood up and opened it to see Kan'u, who was unusually fidgety.

"Are you okay, Aisha? You look a little anxious."

"Hi! Um, I was wondering if the two of us could go out to eat tonight, around six?"

Anthony cocked an eyebrow. "Like a date?"

"No, no! More like a meeting between friends! We haven't had much time alone since the whole Totaku fiasco."

Anthony smiled. "Sure. Come get me from my quarters in a couple hours."

Kan'u nodded excitedly, and when Anthony closed the door, she almost squealed in joy. She had to get ready!

~KD~

Anthony was currently waiting in his room, patiently waiting for Kan'u to arrive. He still wore his same outfit, not really having anything else to wear. Naturally, he brought along his satchel, which contained all of his dueling gear. He then heard a knock on the door, and figuring that it was Kan'u, he went to open the door, and when he did, his eyes widened.

Kan'u was there, sure enough, although she had changed into her new outfit. It was a lovely white dress with blue trim and a blue ribbon. She also wore a bronze necklace, with a purple hairpin that looked like a flower. She also had her hair down, although she still had her Duel Disk on her.

"Well, what do you think, Anthony?"

"You…you look great, Aisha! Where did you get that?"

"I bought it today. Thought I might try it out."

"Well, you look amazing as always. Lead the way!"

Kan'u blushed, and led Anthony to their destination, with somebody following them unbeknownst to the pair.

~KD~

So far, the date had been a success. The two were currently at a local restaurant, simply trading stories, having already finished their meals. Kan'u excused herself to use the bathroom, and Anthony leaned back in his seat. This was nice. Kan'u was the first person that he met in China, and so far, his closer friend. He enjoyed being able to spend time with her, and was pleasantly surprised when she asked to spend time with him.

However, he soon felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see a new face, one that he didn't recognize. She was a woman, with long brown hair cascading down her body to her hips, red eyes, and a lustful smile. She was wearing a low cut red dress with detached sleeves and a V-shaped opening exposing a fair amount of cleavage from her large bust, as well as a red-trimmed Duel Disk, a golden necklace with an emerald, and long black stockings, and red high heels.

"Why, hello there," she purred, tapping her long fingernails on the table, as Anthony felt his eyes shrink.

"Hi."

"I've heard of you. Aren't you Anthony Calem, the one who defeated Totaku, and leader of this kingdom?"

"Um, yes?"

"Well, I was just wondering, why is someone like you sitting all alone?"

Anthony was suspicious. There were two empty plates on the table, so he doubted that she thought he was alone.

"I actually came with a good friend of mine. She's just doing something right now, but she's going to come back."

"Well, you wouldn't mind if I joined you until then, would you?"

Before he said anything, the new girl simply sat in Kan'u's spot, uninvited.

"By the way, you may call me Yokubo."

"Okay then." Anthony had begun to feel really uncomfortable being alone with this woman.

"So, what is it like to be the leader of all this land?"

"Rather overwhelming."

"Is it now? Well surely, someone like you must have many admirers. Am I wrong?"

'Well, I've been told I have a way with women,' he thought, as Yokubo leaned forward, a little too close for his liking.

"Well, I know at least one."

"What is going on here!?"

The two of them turned to see Kan'u, looking absolutely furious, and Anthony wasn't sure if the situation got better, or worse.

"And you are?"

"Kan'u Uncho, his general! And you're sitting in my seat!"

"Oh please, Lord Anthony here gave me permission to sit, and I happily obliged."

Kan'u turned to Anthony, who rapidly shook his head and mouthed, "Help me." She then went right up to Yokubo's face.

"Well, I think that you're lying."

"And what will you do, titless?" asked Yokubo, despite the fact that Kan'u was about the same size as her, if not a bit bigger.

"I'll duel you, that's what."

Anthony tried to intervene. "Hold on, Aisha, you don't have to do that. I can-"

Kan'u cut him off. "No. I'll handle this woman."

"But-"

"When we first met, you showed me that I don't need to protect you. Let me show you that I want to."

Anthony blushed at these words, and simply nodded his head, before he slapped some copper coins on the table, and the three prepared to take things outside.

~KD~

Outside of the town, the three duelists were ready to begin the confrontation. Anthony was sitting on the sidelines, while Yokubo and Kan'u were shuffling their decks.

'Why is this happening to me?' thought Anthony.

"DUEL!"

(Yokubo: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"The prettiest shall go first," declared Yokubo, as she drew her next card. "And I summon my Dunames Dark Witch!"

Her monster was a redhead angel with metal armor and wings (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And I equip her with my Malevolent Nuzzler!"

A black choker appeared on the neck of the witch, boosting her power (ATK 1800-2500).

"And that will end my turn."

Kan'u frowned, as she drew her own card.

"You think you're so great? Well, my monster will destroy yours with ease! I play my Black Luster Ritual, and bring forth my Black Luster Soldier!"

Her Gilford the Lightning appeared on the field, before it became a huge tower of light, as the mighty knight of chaos was summoned (8=8)(LV 8: ATK 3000).

"And now I summon my Queen's Knight!"

Her new monster was a woman with red armor, a heater shield, and a sword, all of which having a playing card motif, with the four different suits being present (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Black Luster Soldier, attack with Chaos Blade!"

The monster brought down its sword with a mighty cry, cleaving the Dark Witch in two (Yokubo: 4000-3500 LP).

"Alright, Aisha!" cheered Anthony, which made Kan'u smile and Yokubo frown.

"Now, my Queen's Knight will attack with Majestic Sword Swipe!"

Her monster swung its blade wide, dealing enough damage to knock Yokubo down to half of her life points (Yokubo: 3500-2000 LP).

"And I end my turn."

Yokubo drew her card, and smiled.

"You know, I'm a woman who admires power. And sometimes, it's just so tempting, that I have no other choice but to make it mine!"

'So she only wants me because of my status,' thought Anthony, with Kan'u growling at this statement. 'But what does that have to do with the duel?'

"And your Black Luster Soldier looks rather strong to me! I activate my Change of Heart, giving me control of one monster you control!"

"What!?"

A card appeared, showing a woman holding a heart, with one demonic wing, and one angelic wing. The eyes of Black Luster Soldier went white, as it slowly walked to the opposite side of the field, against its own will.

"Black Luster Soldier, please stop! Listen to me! I'm your friend!"

"It can't hear you, hag! And next, I play my Riryoku, then my Rush Recklessly!"

"Holy shit, she's making Black Luster Soldier into a super soldier with all of that extra power!" shouted Anthony, as the attack points of both monsters suddenly fluctuated (ATK 1500-750)(ATK 3000-4450).

"Now, my lovely man here will take care of that knight!"

The mind controlled Ritual Monster ran over to Queen's Knight and slashed right through her, reducing her to mere pixels (Kan'u: 4000-300 LP).

"Holy fucking shit! Aisha, are you okay?"

Kan'u slowly managed to look at Anthony.

"I am now."

"Well, if you two aren't busy, I tribute Black Luster Soldier to summon my Dark Witch!"

The mighty knight shattered, and a new monster took its place, a purple haired angel with blue wings, a yellow dress, and a long pike (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"And now I play the last card in my hand, Gravedigger Ghoul!"

An image of a ghoul with a large jade shovel appeared, and Yokubo began to laugh.

"Now I can banish two monsters in your Graveyard! Like your Soldier and Gilford!"

Kan'u pouted, and slowly removed both cards from her Graveyard, and gave them to Anthony to hold onto.

"I end my turn! And soon, Lord Anthony will be all mine!"

"Why the fuck would I ever be into you?"

Yokubo's jaw fell open, as she and Kan'u gaped at Anthony, who at this point was absolutely livid.

"For all the time I've known you, you've been disrespectful, dishonest, and arrogant. So I reiterate, why on Earth would I ever go out with an A-class bitch like yourself?"

"Are you blind!? Look at me! I'm smoking hot!"

"Yeah, you do have a nice body. It's too bad that that's your only positive trait."

Yokubo could do nothing but splutter in disgust at the insult. He then softened his expression slightly and turned to Kan'u.

"Aisha? Take care of her."

Kan'u returned to her place on the field and drew.

"With pleasure! I activate my Monster Reborn to revive my Queen's Knight, then I summon my King's Knight!"

Her red knight reappeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1500), and was soon joined by a bearded knight with golden armor, a round shield, and a sword (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And when I Normal Summon my King's Knight when I control Queen's Knight, I can summon my Jack's Knight from my deck!"

A new monster entered the battle, a man wearing blue and silver armor with a heater shield and sword (LV 5: ATK 1900).

"And now, all three of my monsters will attack! Go, my knights, with your Triple Majestic Slash!"

All three of her knights leapt forward, blades at the ready. Jack's Knight went first, as it slashed through Dark Witch, leaving only a blue trail. Queen's Knight soon followed suit, slashing through Yokubo with a red trail. Finally, King's Knight cut through her with a yellow trail, as her life points hit zero (Yokubo: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"I've won. Now it's time that you left," said Kan'u, as the other girl simply huffed and left, going further from town rather than towards it.

"Wonder if we'll see her again?" asked Anthony.

"I hope not," sighed Kan'u. "I'm sorry that things didn't go so well."

Anthony could only smile, however. "What do you mean? I had a great time! Plus, seeing you duel is always a treat."

Kan'u smiled. 'So the date was a success after all!'

"So it was a date?"

Kan'u slapped her hands over her mouth. She had said that out loud!

"Is there something you need to tell me? As a friend, I'm happy to hear you out."

She took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"Well, actually, I want to be more than friends."

'Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhh. You know, for someone who's usually pretty smart, I can be one dense motherfucker.'

"Look, for quite a while now, I've been interested in you, Anthony. The way you stick up for others, the way you bring out the best in people," she blushed even more, "the way that you helped me become more comfortable with my femininity. I-I-I-"

Anthony gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"You love me, I presume?"

Kan'u began to tear up. "Yes. I love you, Anthony."

"And I love you too, Aisha, though it took me a while to realize it myself."

For a while, they simply held each other's hands, before they walked back to the palace, hand in hand.

"Anthony?"

"Yes, Aisha?"

"Does this make us boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Anthony smiled. "I do believe it does. And I'm happy to be your boyfriend."

And the newly formed couple made their way home, not in any rush to do so.

* * *

 **Well, it finally happened, everybody! I was actually planning on having them get together near the end of the next arc, but since I plan on having the harem be formed after arc four, and the next arc is the third arc, I figured this would be better. Anyway, new character. Yokubo is nineteen, the same age as Miyabi, and her deck is a generic female deck. I did plan on having her use a different deck, but I'll have her use that one when she inevitably returns. Yes, she will come back, and she isn't the only one. Anyway, two more chapters of intermission, and then, the En Arc shall begin! Starpion out!**


	19. Mean with Envy

The following day, Chohi and Bacho were in the dining room, eating an early breakfast. Both of them were eating as if they hadn't eaten in weeks, digging in ravenously like a pack of wolves. Soon, Totaku opened the door, and in walked Kan'u, who was walking with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. She sat down next to Chohi, absentmindedly taking a bite of her sworn sister's food.

"Hey, that's mine, big sis!"

Kan'u then snapped to attention. "Oh, sorry Rinrin! I just had something else on my mind."

"Like what?"

Kan'u turned to Bacho, who had asked the question, and she smiled.

"Last night, I asked Anthony out, and he said yes!"

Bacho suddenly dropped her chopsticks and her jaw, while Chohi tilted her head in confusion.

"Out for what? Out to eat?"

"No, Rinrin, it means the two of us are a couple."

"Oh! Rinrin gets it!"

"Neat."

Kan'u turned to Bacho, who seemed a little less enthusiastic than she usually was.

"Hey Sui, are you okay? You seem out of it."

"I'm fine, really. Just not that hungry, that's all." She got up and headed to her room.

"Her? Not hungry?" Kan'u was dumbfounded.

~KD~

"Dammit, I missed my chance!"

At the moment, Bacho was on her bed, tossing a ball in the air and catching it, while thinking over Anthony's newfound relationship with his first general, while the third general could only sigh. The thing was, like Kan'u, Bacho had also fallen for the Messenger from Heaven.

When she first met him, she didn't really want anything to do with him. The man had run into her and knocked her over, then had the audacity to grope her, and worst of all, had ruined her lunch! And being a woman of honor, she couldn't let that go. But after he beat her and added her to his peerage, he began to grow on her. He was super nice, even wanting to meet her father just because of what she said about him. And he had a great relationship with the others, like Chohi. And to top things off, unlike most guys that she knew, he wasn't a pervert, the incident before notwithstanding. He was a really cool person, and she wanted to know him more. But now, she had been beaten to the punch by Kan'u. And although she hated to admit it, she was overwhelmed by jealousy.

In her frustration, she threw her arms to the sides of her bed, as the ball fell on her chest, balancing between her chin and breasts. She flipped onto her side, and the ball rolled off of her and onto the floor, before it hit something. She looked and saw that it had stopped against her Duel Disk. Suddenly, Bacho had an epiphany.

"Maybe there's still hope after all! It's time to settle things with Aisha."

She then grabbed her cards and stormed towards Kan'u's quarters, the envy swallowing her rational side.

~KD~

Kan'u was currently in her room, reading a book she had borrowed from the library. After telling Chohi and Bacho the wonderful news, she found out that Anthony had told the former To members, and Shokatsuryo had apparently figured it out when she saw them walking in holding hands. After she was given her congratulations, she decided to kill time in the library, having done all of her chores in record time, before she took some books with her back to her room. Unfortunately, Anthony had been busy today, so she hadn't seen him yet. Likely meeting with the other townsfolk, she presumed, as she made sure that he didn't slack off. She then heard a knock on the door, and wondered who it was.

'Could Anthony be coming to surprise me!?'

She eagerly opened her door, only to come face to face with Bacho, who had her Duel Disk on her left wrist and her hands on her hips.

"Oh! Hi, Sui. What brings you here?"

"I want to duel."

"Beg pardon?"

"Bring your cards to the duel arena. Come alone. Make it snappy. This is between you and me."

She then slammed the door in Kan'u's face, leaving her shocked. Why was Bacho acting rougher than usual? Kan'u didn't think she had done anything to offend or upset her. She decided that it was best to go along with it, grabbing her cards and making her way to the arena.

~KD~

When Kan'u arrived, she soon noticed that the only other person was Bacho, who was glaring at her from the opposite side, Duel Disk equipped. The bleachers were completely empty; not even Chohi was there to watch. Kan'u had begun to lose patience with the attitude.

"Alright, Sui, enough playing games. It's clear something is bothering you, so just get it over with."

"I want to duel you, Aisha! For the heart of Anthony!"

Kan'u tilted her head, confused by the accusation. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean!? I understand that you like Anthony, but so do I! That's why we're dueling! The winner gets to be with him!"

Kan'u resisted the urge to smash her head into the nearest blunt object. "First off, we're already dating, secondly, it's only just that Anthony deserves a say in this, and third, you're being ridiculous."

"You're being ridiculous!" she responded childishly.

"But if it will get you to stop, then I accept your challenge."

Bacho smirked. "Don't hold back, Aisha! If I'm going to win the heart of the man that I love, I want to earn it!"

Kan'u could only shake her head. 'There's no way I can let this happen. Sorry, Sui.'

(Bacho: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I'm first!" announced Bacho, as she placed a card face-down on the field, then played a Spell Card.

"I set one monster, then play my Book of Taiyou, letting me switch it into attack mode!"

'A Flip Monster!?'

As a card showing an Egyptian spellbook appeared on the field, her monster was revealed to be an anthropomorphic boar, adorned in iron armor and wielding a large stone hammer in its right hand (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Hm? That isn't a Flip Monster."

"No, but if I Normal Summon my Boar Soldier, it's destroyed, so I have to Flip Summon or Special Summon it. Now I've got a powerful monster on my field! I end my turn with one face-down."

As the vertical face-down appeared, Kan'u drew her next card, and slapped a monster onto the field.

"I summon my Rocket Warrior!"

Her rocket based swordsman blasted onto the field, letting out a battle cry (LV 4: ATK 1500). As it did, the Boar Soldier let out a squeal, as it suddenly became weaker (ATK 2000-1000).

"Oh yeah, whenever my opponent controls a monster, Boar Soldier loses a thousand attack points."

"Well now, my monster is stronger! Go, Rocket Warrior, cut that monster down to size!"

The warrior blasted towards Boar Soldier with its sword outstretched, when Bacho simply activated her face-down.

"Nice try, Aisha, but I activate my Skill Drain!"

The card flipped up to show Dark Ruler Ha Des having its power drained, as Bacho lost life points (Bacho: 4000-3000 LP).

"Now by paying one thousand life points, all monsters on the field have their effects negated, meaning that the attack points of my monster go back up!"

Yellow trails of energy began to seep out of Boar Soldier and Rocket Warrior, and with a triumphant squeal, the power of the Beast-Warrior returned to normal (ATK 1000-2000). It then raised its weapon, when Kan'u simply played a card of her own.

"Well, I play my Twister, letting me pay five hundred life points to destroy a face-up spell or trap, so Skill Drain is destroyed!"

As Kan'u took a small hit (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP), a gray whirlwind formed on the field, and tore a path towards the Continuous Trap, before it ripped it into pixels, and the yellow trails returned to the monsters, and their effects with them. Boar Soldier once again lost power, making it weaker than Rocket Warrior (ATK 2000-1000). The Warrior slashed through the Beast-Warrior, leaving Bacho with an empty field (Bacho: 3000-2500 LP).

"And now, I end my turn, so back to you, Sui!"

Basho grumbled to herself as she drew her card, then added it to her hand, before selecting a different card.

"Well, you may have handled my pig, but what about a tiger? I summon my Tiger Axe!"

The anthropomorphic tiger pounced onto the field, swinging its axe and letting out a feral roar (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"It is impressive, but it's still weaker than Rocket Warrior," pointed out the black-haired duelist.

"Not for much longer, though!" shouted the brunette. "I equip my monster with Mystical Moon, giving him a power boost of three hundred attack and defense!"

A full moon went over Tiger Axe, increasing the power of the feline warrior (ATK 1300-1600).

"Now I can take down your monster!"

Her Tiger Axe roared, and it chopped right through Rocket Warrior, much to its owner's dismay (Kan'u: 3500-3400 LP).

"Now I end my turn! Soon, Anthony and I can be together!"

Kan'u grunted in frustration as she drew. While she was too just and stubborn to give up, she didn't know how much more of this she could take. Bacho was acting crazy! She couldn't lose this duel, not just for her sake, but for her lord's.

"I play my Weapon Change, which lets me pay seven hundred life points during my Standby Phase in order to change the attack and defense points of one Warrior-type or Machine-type monster that I control until the end of your next turn!"

As the card appeared, Bacho suddenly twitched with jealousy.

"And how did you know it works for Machine-types!? Did he tell you that when you were spending time with him!?"

"No, he has this card, and he actually used it against me when we dueled." Kan'u then set one monster before ending her turn, while praying that she never became this jealous now that she was with Anthony. Bacho let out a "hmph," before she began her own turn.

"I tribute my Tiger Axe in order to summon my Garoozis!"

Her tiger was replaced by an even stronger monster, which looked like a humanoid dragon in plate armor, holding a powerful axe (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"Garoozis, crush that face-down with your Battle Blade Strike!"

The Beast-Warrior did as it was told, jumping towards the horizontal card and bringing down its axe with a powerful swing, only to be blocked by a large shield, courtesy of Big Shield Gardna (LV 4: DEF 2600). The monster bounced back the attacker with its shield, as Bacho took even more damage (Bacho: 2500-1700 LP).

"Now that my Big Shield Gardna has been attacked, it changes battle positions."

True to Kan'u's words, her monster got off of its knees and onto its feet, ready to attack (ATK 100).

"Well then, I end my turn by setting one card, Aisha!"

Kan'u drew, and the effect of Weapon Change kicked in, as the power of her Gardna was suddenly increased dramatically (Kan'u: 3400-2700 LP)(ATK 100-2600). She then smirked as she summoned her next monster.

"I summon a monster known as Freed the Brave Wanderer to the field!"

The new monster was a man clad in iron plate armor, leaving only his head uncovered, with the exception of a metal headband. He had long blonde hair, and a long green cape flapped behind him, as he unsheathed a long sword from his hip (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Big Shield Gardna, destroy her Garoozis!"

The monster then tackled the axe-wielding opponent shield-first, sending it flying backwards before it shattered (Bacho: 1700-900 LP).

"And now, Freed will attack directly and finish you off, Sui!"

As the blonde swordsman began to charge, Bacho played her face-down.

"Sorry, Aisha, but I can't go easy on you, not when there's so much at stake! I play my Scapegoat!"

Four Sheep Tokens soon found their way onto the field, floating around lazily until they came to rest in front of Bacho (LV 1: DEF 0). Freed cut through the blue one, then returned to his original position.

"Not a bad move, Sui. I end my turn."

"Don't patronize me! You're the enemy! And now, I bring out my Panther Warrior to help smite you!"

Bacho, clearly not in her right mind at the moment, brought out the feline warrior, who snarled at Kan'u's monsters (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Not a bad choice, but Big Shield Gardna is still more powerful," said Kan'u.

"Not if I destroy Weapon Change with my De-Spell!" said Bacho, as the Spell Card released a green smog that made the Continuous Spell shatter into pixels, with the stats of Big Shield Gardna returning to normal (ATK 2600-100).

"And I tribute one of my Sheep Tokens, so that Panther Warrior can declare his attack! Go, Panther Slash!"

The pink token shattered, and the Beast-Warrior pounced towards Big Shield Gardna, and cut the Warrior-type down to size too fast for the monster to raise its heavy shield (Kan'u: 2700-800 LP).

"I think you've suffered enough for now, so I'll end my turn."

'I can't let Sui beat me,' thought Kan'u, 'or I'll let down Anthony, and I can't do that after I just showed how much I care for him.' She looked over her cards, and none of them seemed like much help.

'Wait a minute…'

She then noticed the card she had just drawn, and with a smile, she placed it onto her Duel Disk.

"Get ready, Sui, because now you'll have to deal with the power of my Exiled Force!"

The new monster was actually a group, with multiple men in different kinds of armor and wielding various weapons, looking like a ragtag group of people who just raided an armory (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Those guys? What power do they have?"

"You're about to find out! Exiled Force, Freed, attack the two Sheep Tokens!"

The motley crew of warriors and the wandering knight took charge, as they swiftly destroyed both tokens, leaving only Panther Warrior on Bacho's side of the field.

"And now, I activate the effect of Exiled Force, which lets me tribute it to destroy a monster that you control!"

The Exiled Force then shattered into pixels, and so did Panther Warrior. Kan'u ended her turn, and Bacho gritted her teeth as she drew her next card.

"I won't let you take him from me!"

"Sui, calm down, you sound more crazy than that man who captured Yue!"

"Shut it!" Bacho screamed, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, which she wiped away before playing her new card.

"I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf to the field!"

The albino beast made its way onto the field, letting out a distorted howl as it bared its crimson claws (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"So, I hope you're ready, because I'm going to give Anthony what he deserves!"

"Don't you think he should have a say in this, rather than making decisions for him?"

"Why!? I bet you've already wrapped him around your little finger, haven't you! You'll just tell him lies, try to make me look bad!"

"Okay, that's enough! You should know that I would never do something so underhanded, Sui!"

While this argument was going on, both monsters simply stood around, patiently awaiting orders that had yet to come.

"Well, maybe not normally, but I've heard that people can do some crazy things when they're in love!"

Kan'u simply absorbed the absurdity and irony of that statement, and buried her face in her hands. Bacho was making a fool of herself, and had absolutely no idea. And she couldn't just quit either; she knew that Bacho hated quitters, so that would only make the situation worse, not to mention that she was no quitter herself. If she wanted to get through to her friend, she had to beat her, no other way around it.

"Enough talk! Let's get down to business! Warwolf!"

The monster eagerly obeyed, and it leapt towards Freed, disarming the wanderer and thrusting a claw into his chest, destroying the Warrior (Kan'u: 800-500 LP).

"I end my turn!"

Kan'u closed her eyes, placed her hand on top of her deck, taking a deep breath.

'This isn't just about my boyfriend. It's about me as well, and most importantly, it's about my friend, who I refuse to see eat away at herself like this.'

She then drew the top card, and cracked open her right eye, before she opened the other and let a confident smile spread across her face. It was showtime.

"First, I summon my Swordsman of Landstar!"

Her monster was rather puny compared to most of the cards that she owned, being a diminutive fairy in leather armor, wielding a small sword and a round leather shield with its face printed on it (LV 3: ATK 500).

"And I know what you're thinking, Sui. Yes, it doesn't look like much compared to your monster. But I intend to change that. Because I play my Shield & Sword, switching the original attack and defense points of every monster on the field!"

Bacho could feel her eyes pop out of her skull as her monster became drastically weaker, while Swordsman of Landstar became much more powerful in return (ATK 2000-100)(ATK 500-1200).

"Swordsman of Landstar, end this duel!"

Her monster leapt towards the mutant werewolf and cut it down to size, as Bacho collapsed to her knees in utter defeat (Bacho: 900-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"Sui? Are you feeling better now?"

Bacho began to cry, as she punched the ground with her right hand.

"No, I'm not! *hiccup* I lost my only chance! Now I'll never get to be with him! He was the first guy I ever cared for, and now…and now-"

"Sui. Look at me."

Bacho hiccuped again, and looked at Kan'u, her face a mess from all the tears.

"If Anthony saw you now, trying to take him from me with force and acting like a spoiled child, do you honestly think he would want to spend the rest of his life with you?"

Bacho hung her head in shame, and Kan'u bent down so that they were on an even level.

"Look, if you really care about him, then you'll be happy for him, and for me. You can't go about it like this, or nobody will win. Sui, please, don't do this."

Bacho wiped her eyes dry, then gave her friend a smile.

"You're right. I admit, I went a little crazy."

Kan'u cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, a lot crazy! Look, I was jealous, okay? I don't have the best experience with guys, except for my dad. Most of them are obnoxious, rude perverts. But he's different! He's sweet, and funny, and he's freaking adorable!"

Kan'u rolled her eyes. "I see. Well, are you okay with me being with him?"

Bacho nodded her head, and Kan'u extended her hand.

"Are we still friends?"

Bacho grabbed her hand and shook it hard.

"Friends!"

It was then that Chohi came in.

"Hey big sis? Big bro is looking for you."

Kan'u turned to Bacho, and the latter general smiled.

"I won't stop you. Just treat him right."

"If anything, I'll make sure he treats me right! Thanks, Rinrin!" said Kan'u, as she took off.

"Hey Rinrin, you wanna see if Ren will let us play with her animals?"

"Rinrin would love that!"

And so the two took off, smiling wide. Sure, Bacho had no intention of giving up on Anthony so easily, but she could wait. And besides, as long as he was happy with Kan'u, then she was happy.

* * *

 ** **I am so sorry about the late upload! Until I'm caught up, which may take a while since I'm always writing new chapters (right now, I'm working on number thirty), I do try to upload one chapter a day. However, between work, and having to go to a family friend's house (I don't have my license), I didn't have access to my computer. While I constantly write on whatever I have on standby, like my phone or my tablet, I prefer to upload chapters on a computer. Anyway, after the next chapter, I'll begin the next arc, which will introduce some new characters, some from the visual novel and some original, and bring back some old ones, while also including a Yu-Gi-Oh tradition that isn't present in the source material. Starpion out!****

 ** **Edit 11/11/2019: fixed the effect of Weapon Change.****


	20. Iron Dragon

A week passed, and everything seemed fine, as Anthony was sitting with Totaku and Kaku in the dining room enjoying his breakfast, with Ryofu nearby eating a serving that would make Chohi proud, while Shokatsuryo was eating by herself, not wanting to be bothered.

"So, how are things with Aisha?" asked Totaku.

"Oh, they're great! She is an absolute blast to be with. She's kind, selfless, kicks ass, and she's pretty smart!"

"And I assume she's good at Duel Monsters, seeing that you're obsessed with that game," said Kaku, with Ryofu nodding, before shoving more food into her mouth.

"Well, I wouldn't say obsessed, Ei, but yeah, she's great. Hell, she even managed to beat me!"

"What!?" shouted Totaku, as Kaku spat the tea she just took a sip of right into his face ("Aw, what the fuck!"). "I didn't think that you could be beaten!"

"Well, she found a way," said Anthony, as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the piping hot jasmine from his face.

"The others?" asked Ryofu.

"Well, I did manage to beat both Rinrin and Sui, although they both put up one hell of a fight. It was a lot of fun!"

Kaku then turned to Shokatsuryo. "What about you? Have you dueled Lord Anthony yet?"

She looked up from her book and shook her head.

"N-No. I haven't dueled him yet."

Anthony put his hand to his now dry chin in thought. "You know, I've never seen Shuri lose before, and we've both seen what the other can do. It might be kind of cool to face each other, don't you think, Shuri?"

She suddenly hid her face behind her book. "Hawawa! Duel you? No way!"

"Come on! Please?"

"Hawawa, hawawa!"

"Well, I didn't want to have to do this, but I feel like I'm left with no other choice. Yue, could you ask her if she would challenge me?"

Totaku then went up to Shokatsuryo, hands pressed together.

"Could you please duel each other? It would be amazing to see your Dragons against his Machines."

Shokatsuryo made the mistake of looking into her eyes, and could feel her heart skip a beat when she saw the sparkling eyes of the maid. She sighed in resignation, unable to resist the persuasive powers of Totaku Chuei, and turned to her lord.

"Hawawa, you win. I'll duel you."

Anthony's smile threatened to split his face in half. "This is going to be awesome!"

~KD~

An hour later, the two duelists were standing on opposite sides of the duel arena, with Anthony's peerage and maids sitting in the bleachers, watching as Shokatsuryo was shuffling her cards, and Anthony was simply waiting, his Duel Disk already having shuffled his cards for him.

"This is going to be an interesting match," said Kan'u, as she watched closely. "Both of them have seen how each other play, so they both should know how to counter each other's cards. However, they might have some surprises stored away for each other. I don't know who has the advantage, or even who to cheer for."

"Rinrin's just gonna cheer for both of them, big sis!" announced Chohi, eagerly waiting for the showdown to begin.

"I finished shuffling, Lord Anthony. Are you ready?"

"Yep! It's time to duel!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)

"So who wants to go first?" asked Anthony, as he waved his five cards.

"You can," said Shokatsuryo, looking over her own hand.

"Sweet!" Anthony drew his sixth card, and slapped a card onto his field.

"First off, I summon my KA-2 Des Scissors!"

The large crablike machine whirred to life and stood tall over Shokatsuryo, making her nervous (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"And now, I end my turn by setting two cards!"

As the cards materialized behind Des Scissors, Shokatsuryo drew her own card, and smiled before she placed it onto her Duel Disk.

"That's a nice monster, but I think I can beat it with my Spirit Ryu."

Her new monster was an Eastern dragon with a blue head that had a green gem in the center, blue and tan wings, and a long ethereal tail that had a blue set of legs in the middle (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Beat it how?" asked Totaku. "Both monsters have equal attack points."

"And if Shuri tries to destroy both of them in a double knockout," said Kan'u, "the effect of KA-2 Des Scissors will activate, and she'll take damage equal to five hundred times her monster's level."

"Now I play my Dragon's Gunfire, and with it, I'll be able to inflict eight hundred points of damage to you!" As she activated the Spell Card, her Spirit Ryu opened its mouth, shooting a fireball.

"Then it's a good thing that I have this!" shouted Anthony, as he activated one of his set cards. "I can use my Damage Polarizer to negate the effect, and let us both draw a new card!" A clear force field repelled the flames, and both duelists added a new card to their hands.

"Okay, Spirit Ryu, attack his monster!"

As the dragon flew towards the Machine-type, she proceeded to discard two cards, and apparitions of Kaiser Glider and Different Dimension Dragon joined the diminutive drake, and it suddenly grew in strength (ATK 1000-3000).

"What's happening to her monster!?" asked Bacho. "It just got three times as strong!"

"Whenever my Spirit Ryu declares an attack, I'm able to discard Dragon-type monsters in order to boost its power by a thousand points per monster! Now take

down that hunk of metal with Sonic Flash Attack!"

The dragon opened its mouth and fired a blast of light, which shattered the DARK monster and brought Anthony down to only half of his life points (Anthony: 4000-2000 LP). He remained unfazed, however, as he activated his second Trap Card.

"Whenever I take battle damage, I can use my Damage Condenser and Special Summon a monster with attack points equal to or less than the damage I took, and all I need to do so is discard one card!"

He then plucked a card from his hand, his newly drawn Anti-Fusion Device, and sent it to the Graveyard, before he pulled out his deck and began to look through it. After a couple seconds, he picked the card he wanted and pulled it out, returned his deck to his Duel Disk where it was automatically shuffled, and placed it vertically in a slot on the Monster Zone.

"It's time to test your luck on the slots, Shuri! I Special Summon my Slot Machine!"

The giant robot emerged from Damage Condenser, and it landed on the field, before looking down and staring at Shokatsuryo with its singular eye (LV 7: ATK 2000). Shokatsuryo shrunk back at the massive golden robot.

"Hawawa…"

"Rinrin recognizes that guy! He beat Rinrin when she dueled Anthony!"

"...it's big…"

Shokatsuryo ended her Battle Phase, and the draconic phantoms vanished, as did the additional power of Spirit Ryu, while Kan'u let out a breath she didn't know she was holding (ATK 3000-1000). She then played the card that she drew with Damage Polarizer, and her monster disappeared into a blue magic circle.

"With my Monster Gate, I tribute a monster that I control, then draw cards until I find a monster that I can Normal Summon, and Special Summon it, while discarding anything else that I draw."

She then began searching for a new dragon to take the field, while losing a large amount of valuable spells and traps in the process. A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon, Super Rejuvenation, The Dragon's Bead, Dragon's Rage, Stamping Destruction: all of them were sent to the Graveyard, and as Shokatsuryo nervously prepared to draw her sixth card, the tension became unbearable. She managed to pull the card off of her deck and get a good look at it, her worried frown curving into a grin.

"I have a feeling that she just drew exactly what she needed," said Kan'u.

"I summon my Seiyaryu to the field!"

A large pink dragon made its way out of the same circle that Spirit Ryu disappeared into. The monster had long wings extending from its arms, large legs with long silver talons, a bladed tail that looked almost like a vertical paper fan, spikes running down its back, and a head similar to a Pteranodon, with a long crest and a sharp toothless beak (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"Whoa, that beast is even bigger and badder than Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Bacho.

"And now I set one card to end my turn."

With Shokatsuryo having finally ended her turn, Anthony drew his next card, smiling as he did.

"I activate a handy little card called 7 Completed!"

An Equip Spell appeared on the field, with the picture showing three cards with a large seven on them, two red with "ATK" over them, and one blue with "DEF" written over it.

"This card can only be equipped to a Machine-type monster, and then, I can boost either its attack or defense by seven hundred points! And I think that in this case, extra attack is the way to go!"

The slot in the center of Slot Machine rolled and landed on a big red seven, as the power of the Machine-type surpassed that of Seiyaryu (ATK 2000-2700).

"Hawawa…"

"Slot Machine, blast her dragon back to the fairy tale it came from with your Plasma Laser Cannon!"

The huge laser blaster on the right side of the robot unleashed a blue beam that tore straight through the Dragon-type, inflicting the first bit of damage to the strategist's life points (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3800 LP).

"And since the rest of my hand isn't that great, I think I'll just have to Reload!"

The card had an image of what looked like an ancient rifle made of stone being reloaded, as Anthony placed his remaining two cards into his deck, which began to rapidly shuffle itself.

"By playing Reload, I return all the cards in my hand to my deck, then shuffle my cards and draw the same amount of cards that I sent back." As he finished explaining how his card worked, the deck settled, and he drew two new cards.

"And that ends my turn!"

Shokatsuryo drew her next card, then set the card she had left in her hand.

"I set one monster on the field."

She then set the card she just picked up and ended her turn.

"So who do you think will win at this stage?" asked Totaku. Ryofu pointed to Anthony, while Kaku shook her head.

"Sorry, but do you see those two face-downs? Shuri is clearly up to something, something that can completely change the tide of the duel."

Anthony drew his new card, and added it to his hand while he plucked a different card from his hand.

"Your face-down monster won't last much longer when I play my Shield Crush!"

A yellow beam appeared and shattered the monster that Shokatsuryo controlled. With a worried sigh, she sent her monster, Golem Dragon, to the Graveyard. Fortunately, she still had a surprise for Anthony.

"Now I summon my Robotic Knight!"

The mechanical soldier joined Slot Machine on the field, pointing its weapons at Shokatsuryo (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Get ready, Shuri, because it's time to bring this duel to an end!"

As his monsters aimed their lasers at her, Shokatsuryo played one of her cards.

"I play my Call of the Haunted, so that I can Special Summon my Seiyaryu from my Graveyard!"

As her card revealed itself, her massive dragon returned to the field in a blaze of glory (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"And now, I play my other Trap Card, Burst Breath!"

The card showed Fiend Skull Dragon spitting a golden stream of fire. Anthony could only gulp: this couldn't be good.

"With the power of this Trap Card, I can tribute one Dragon-type monster, then destroy every monster you control that has less defense points than its attack points. My monster has 2500 attack points, and your monsters?"

"Slot Machine has 2300 defense points, and Robotic Knight has 1800."

"...goodbye, monsters…" was all that Ryofu had to say at this revelation.

Seiyaryu suddenly spat out a golden stream of fire that completely vaporized both of Anthony's Machines, before the monster exploded, leaving no monsters left remaining.

"Well, that's a bit of a complication. I end my turn."

Shokatsuryo drew her card, and summoned her new monster.

"I summon my Twin-Headed Behemoth!"

The new card was humanoid in shape, and purple in color, with four wings and two legs ending in talons. However, it had a single horn in place of its head, and instead of arms, it had two massive necks ending in dragon heads. The right head had a blue horn and eyes, while the left had a red horn and eyes (LV 3: ATK 1500).

"And now, I'll attack directly with Thermal Vortex!"

The right head fired a blue beam of energy, and the left fired a red one, with the two becoming a single beam of swirling red and blue energy, which struck Anthony, who crossed his arms in front of him as he endured the onslaught (Anthony: 2000-500 LP).

"ANTHONY!" screamed Kan'u, standing up and staring at her boyfriend, who had begun to laugh as he uncovered his face.

"Thank you, ma'am, may I have another?"

Shokatsuryo took a step back as Anthony continued to laugh. "Rinrin, Choun, Sui, Shishun, Skull Loli, Shuran, Renfa, Yue…they were all great to go up against, but this is something else entirely! This might be one of the best duels I've had since I got here!"

"What about me!?" said Kan'u, feeling insulted.

"That was a fun duel, but it was over way too fast. I'm looking forward to our inevitable rematch, though!"

She smiled, satisfied with his answer.

"And now, Shuri, since you can't do anything else, I'm assuming that you're about to end your turn?"

"You assume right."

"Perfect! I draw! And now, I summon my Reflect Bounder!"

The next monster was a levitating robot in a red cape, covered in various mirrors of different sizes (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now, my monster will take out your Behemoth with Mysterious Mirror Ray!"

The monster held out its hands, and fired a clear beam of energy at the dragon, which destroyed it (Shokatsuryo: 3800-3600 LP). As Anthony began to end his turn, Shokatsuryo activated the effect of Twin-Headed Behemoth.

"I play the effect of my monster, allowing me it bring it back from the Graveyard!"

The monster returned to the field, albeit with less power than it had before (LV 3: ATK 1000). As Shokatsuryo began her next turn, she immediately tributed her revived monster to bring out something even stronger.

"I tribute my Twin-Headed Behemoth in order to summon my Curse of Dragon!"

A long legless yellow dragon with a large pair of wings and spikes on its head let out a roar as it entered the game (LV 5: ATK 2000).

"Now attack! Dragon Breath!"

The monster unleashed a massive blast of fire, which struck the mirror in the center of Reflect Bounder's torso.

"It looks like you've fallen into my trap! Whenever Reflect Bounder is attacked, you take damage equal to the attack of your monster!"

The Machine-type fired a blast from its center mirror that hit Shokatsuryo before it was destroyed (Shokatsuryo: 3600-1600 LP)(Anthony: 500-200 LP).

"Hawawa...I end my turn."

Anthony drew his next card, and played it straight away.

"I activate my Nightmare's Steelcage!"

The spiked steel cage surrounded Anthony, pushing back Curse of Dragon.

"Now neither of us can attack, until two of your turns have passed. That should give me enough time to pull off a miracle. Now I end my turn!"

Shokatsuryo drew her card.

"I summon my Spear Dragon!"

The monster appeared on the field, ready to attack (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"And now my turn is over!

Anthony drew another card, and passed his turn. As Shokatsuryo drew, Chohi had begun to bite her nails anxiously, before Kan'u pulled her hands away from her mouth.

"I summon my Masked Dragon!"

The tan and red dragon sat next to Curse of Dragon, letting out a low growl (LV 3: ATK 1400). Shokatsuryo ended her turn, and the Steelcage lifted, leaving Anthony open for, and to, attack. He grabbed his sunglasses and put them over his eyes, before drawing his next card. He grinned, then turned his attention to Shokatsuryo.

"It's time for me to face the future, and from what I can see, it's looking pretty bright. I play my Polymerization, fusing the two monsters in my hand to bring out the monster that will win this duel for me!"

"He has Fusion Monsters?" asked Ryofu. Chohi then snapped her fingers.

"Yeah! That big blue thing with the red spinny spikes!"

"Labyrinth Tank, he called it," said Kan'u. "It is powerful enough to destroy any one of her monsters."

However, rather than Giga-Tech Wolf and Cannon Soldier, two different monsters appeared on the field.

"Blowback Dragon," said Totaku, "and the original Barrel Dragon, I presume."

"Wait, those two can fuse!?" screamed Bacho, already having witnessed the incredible destruction they could cause separately. But together? A force to be feared, and Shokatsuryo was certainly afraid.

"Hawawawawawawawawawawawawawa!"

The two gun-toting mechanical dragons went into the blue vortex, and out came a much more dangerous machine. Red wheels with iron spikes rolled along the ground, attached to a large black metal torso. Two arms ending in laser Gatling guns sprouted from its body, and it had a head with the same type of gun, as well as a lower jaw that opened and released a horrifying mechanical roar (LV 8: ATK 2600).

"Ladies, meet Gatling Dragon. Gatling Dragon," he then pointed to Shokatsuryo's monsters, "meet your targets. You see, my monster can spin all three of its proton Gatling guns, and for each one that keeps spinning, one of your cards gets torn to shreds. So ask yourself, Shuri, 'Do I feel lucky?'"

The barrels slowly began to rotate, before they all began to spin at a high speed, with all three releasing a tonal noise that gradually increased in pitch, as all three laser guns charged up. Anthony smiled and adjusted his sunglasses.

"I guess not. Gatling Dragon, unleash your Proton Storm!"

The monster let out another roar as it fired three rapid fire salvos of energy at the Dragon-types, forcing everyone except for Anthony to cover their eyes as the monsters were swiftly dealt with. When Shokatsuryo opened her eyes, and was horrified to see nothing but wisps of smoke on her side of the field, and on the other side, a massive Fusion Monster with barrels that were slowly rotating, and Anthony, who adjusted his hat with a shit-eating grin, clearly having the time of his life.

"Ha...wa...wa…"

"Now here's another question you should probably ask yourself. And that's, 'How screwed am I right about now?' Gatling Dragon, all weapons fire!"

The monster obeyed, and unleashed a payload of proton blasts Shokatsuryo's way, although amazingly, the petite duelist managed to keep herself on her feet as her life points plummeted to zero (Shokatsuryo: 1600-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"That was an incredible duel, both of you!" said Kan'u, as she went up to Anthony and locked her boyfriend in a hug, spinning him around. Anthony was laughing with childlike glee, and Shokatsuryo could only smile. She may have lost, but at the very least, she had fun. It was nice to be away from wars, conspiracy, and games to the death, and simply enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, this wouldn't remain the case for much longer.

* * *

 **I really hope that this chapter is well-received, as out of all the duels that I've written so far, Anthony versus Shuri is my favorite, although Anthony versus Renfa is up there too. Next chapter, however, shall begin the next arc: the En Tournament Arc! Starpion out!**

 **Edit 1/19/2019: altered the description of Spirit Ryu, as it was way off.**

 **Edit 7/31/2019: replaced Stamping Destruction with Dragon's Gunfire.**


	21. A New Threat En-ters

While things were going fine over in the Kikai Kingdom, in a small kingdom adjacent to the En Kingdom, things were going smoothly as well, if not a little lonely, as the lord known as Kosonsan Hakukei was sitting on her throne. With the abolishment of the Imperial Court, she was no longer a general, but rather a lord, in charge of the same territory she had been assigned to protect by the emperor. She rather enjoyed her new title and responsibilities, feeling like now, she could really make a difference in the world. However, she had begun to miss all of her friends. Choun, Anthony, Kan'u, Chohi, Shokatsuryo, Bacho: without their support, a part of her felt missing. She was suddenly broken out of her thoughts when two of her guards came through the doors in a hurry.

"What's wrong? Is Lord Anthony here?"

"No, Lord Kosonsan! It's Ensho! And she's brought four generals who are destroying our defenses!"

"Four? I thought she only had two…"

The doors then burst open, with enough force for both of them to break loose from their hinges and crash onto the palace floor. The two responsible were Bunshu and Ganryo, as Ensho stepped forward, with two newcomers flanking her.

On her right was a tall, muscular man, easily over six feet by an inch or two. His head was shaved bald, with the only hair on his head being a soul patch on his chin, and he had tan skin, and red eyes that scanned the room. He was wearing a black top, with a pure white vest over it, as well as an iron band on his right wrist, and on his left, a Chaos Duel Disk, similar to Tanoshi. He also wore simple gray pants made from cloth, and heavy leather boots that were black in color. This man was one of Ensho's two new generals, who called himself Dokuro.

On the left was somebody who, rather than his tan and muscular partner, was pale and thin, even though he was roughly the same height, but he slouched over, making him look shorter than he actually was. The man had long hair that looked black from a distance, but was actually a very dark shade of purple, like a plum. He had tired eyes with bags under them, and although his eyes were brown, the irises and pupils were rather small, making it hard to tell, and giving him the appearance of a comic character, with wide white eyes and tiny black dots in them. He also wore a Chaos Duel Disk, as well as a cloth top that was a moss green in hue, looking rather tattered. His pants were also tattered, and he wore wooden sandals. But the main article of clothing was a white cloak that had a hood over his head, and trailed behind the man. On the back of the cloak were various tags with kanji on them, like the ones used to keep away spirits. However, the kanji read "koko ni kite," which meant "come here," suggesting that rather than repelling ghosts and demons, he intended to attract them. This was the other general that recently joined Ensho, Yokai.

"Ohohohohohoho! Why, hello there, Pairen! Fancy seeing you here! How does it feel to finally matter, being a lord and all?"

"Reiha…what are you doing here?"

Ensho simply looked at her surroundings in a mocking manner.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing? I'm invading your territory! And unless I'm mistaken, which I never am," she bragged, while her generals simply looked at each other, "you don't have any peerage members, so once we beat you in a duel, your territory will belong to me!"

Kosonsan sighed. It looked like she didn't really have much of a choice. She ordered one of her lieutenants to bring her cards to her, then turned back to Ensho.

"I assume that I'll be dueling you?"

"Ohohoho! Don't be so stupid! Why should I waste my time dueling someone as weak and boring as you? Dokuro, please take care of the garbage."

"Yes, sir," he said in a deep and smooth voice. He unfolded his Duel Disk, while Kosonsan put on her own, which had a red trim that was the same shade as her hair. As this happened, Dokuro smirked and covered his deck, as a dark energy covered the cards briefly, as a Shadow Game begun.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Kosonsan: 4000 LP)(Dokuro: 4000 LP)

Slowly, Kosonsan drew her hand, then Dokuro nodded to her, indicating that she would go first. She drew her next card, and summoned her monster to the field.

"I summon my Kagemusha of the Blue Flame in attack mode!"

Her first monster was a shirtless man with orange hair done in a ponytail, with baggy green pants, a staff, and a katana (LV 2: ATK 800). Dokuro scoffed at the weak monster, while Kosonsan continued her turn.

"And now I set a card, and that's it for me."

"Is that really all you can do? Do you expect me to believe that that monster is the strongest in your hand? Allow me to show that even the weakest monster in my hand is more powerful than your strongest. I summon my Goblin Zombie!"

The next monster looked like a skinless, decayed goblin, with black flesh and visible bone, with a sword in its left hand (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"Goblin Zombie, destroy her pitiful monster!"

The monster jumped forward and slashed through the opposing monster with a vicious slash from its sword (Kosonsan: 4000-3700 LP). Kosonsan winced in pain, and immediately realized something was wrong.

"But the fun doesn't stop there. Now you have to send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Kosonsan drew her top card, which was revealed to be Celtic Guardian, and sent it to the Graveyard with a heavy heart, before she played her Trap Card, which looked like a faucet being wrapped in bandages.

"I activate my Over Limit, which lets me Special Summon all Normal Monsters with a thousand or less attack points that were destroyed by battle this turn, at the cost of five hundred of my life points!"

Kosonsan once again winced, leading her to the conclusion that losing life points equaled pain in this duel (Kosonsan: 3700-3200 LP). Her swordsman returned to the field, ready to battle (LV 2: ATK 800).

"My turn is over. Try not to be so disappointing this round."

Kosonsan glared at her opponent, as she drew her card. Yokai turned to Ganryo, as he gave a sinister smile.

"It appears that Lord Kosonsan is doing poorly, as we were informed she would. How unfortunate, for everything she worked for to be taken away in an instant."

Ganryo backed away, then turned to Bunshu.

"I really don't like these new generals, Ishe. They seem like they're going to go on a killing spree at the blink of an eye."

"Me neither, but Lord Reiha likes them, plus the three of us got a sweet new card each from them," was her friend's reply.

"I activate my Swing of Memories, which lets me Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard, if only for one turn before it's sent back. And I pick the monster that your Goblin Zombie just sent there, my Celtic Guardian!"

A card showing a little girl approaching a swing appeared on the field, and out of it emerged a blonde elf with a brown bodysuit and green armor over it, wielding a longsword in his right hand (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now, I summon my Hero of the East!"

A green-clad samurai wielding a katana joined the other two Warriors, letting out a grunt as it pointed its blade at Dokuro, who remained unfazed (LV 3: ATK 1100).

"Now my Celtic Guardian will destroy your Goblin Zombie with his Silver Blade Slash!"

The elvish swordsman sprinted towards the Zombie-type and cut right through it, as Dokuro grunted, then smiled, as he suddenly pulled a card from his deck (Dokuro: 4000-3700 LP).

"By destroying my Goblin Zombie, you've let me add a Zombie-type monster with 1200 or less defense points from my deck to my hand!"

Kosonsan then held out her open hand. "Now my other monsters will attack directly!" Her Kagemusha and Hero slashed at the opposing duelist with their swords, as he began to chuckle (Dokuro: 3700-1800 LP).

"Yes…give me more…"

Kosonsan was rather disturbed by his actions as she ended her turn, sending Celtic Guardian back to the Graveyard. Dokuro smiled as he drew his next card, and with a grin, he played his new monster.

"Prepare for the power of my Armored Zombie!"

A new monster appeared, a green zombie with red samurai armor and a rusty black sword (LV 3: ATK 1500).

"And now I play a Spell Card called Tribute to the Doomed!"

A card appeared on the field, showing a mummy wrapping somebody else in bandages, as Dokuro sent a monster named Gernia from his hand to his Graveyard.

"Now by discarding one card, I can destroy any monster that you control! So it's time for the Hero of the East to take a nice long dirt nap!"

A disc of sand appeared under the feet of said monster, and white bandages came out and tied themselves around the samurai, before dragging him into a shallow grave. Kosonsan could only gasp in horror as Dokuro smiled, playing another card.

"Now it's time to bring out a much bigger monster! I activate Polymerization!"

Two monsters appeared on the field, a purple decaying dragon (LV 3: ATK 1600), and a green-skinned gorgon (LV 4: ATK 1500), as both of them were whisked into a blue vortex, fusing together to create a new monster, one with a bit more might.

"By fusing my Dragon Zombie with The Snake Hair, I can bring out my Great Mammoth of Goldfine!"

The new creature was a large mammoth skeleton, with bones shining with a golden luster (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Well, I still have a chance!" cried Kosonsan. And she was right; by her calculations, she would still have three hundred life points remaining, which meant that she could possibly pull off a miraculous comeback.

"Not quite. I still have one more card in my hand, and I intend to use it well. I activate my Violet Crystal, and equip it to my Mammoth!"

A purple crystal appeared on the field, before it went into the empty ribcage of the Fusion Monster. When it did, the monster's vacant eye socket glowed purple as it was infused with undead power (ATK 2200-2500).

"Oh no!"

Yokai smirked from the sidelines. "Oh yes."

"Armored Zombie, destroy her weak monster!"

The zombie groaned as it lifted its sword, and it swung its blade at the Warrior-type, who attempted to block the attack with its own sword, but it was a fruitless effort, as the monster was sent to the Graveyard (Kosonsan: 3200-2500 LP). As she grunted in pain, Kosonsan looked up to see the mammoth standing over her, as she fell backwards onto her ass, eyes wide in fear.

"Great Mammoth of Goldfine, attack with Bone Crushing Stomp!"

The monster let out a groan, not having the trunk to let out a trumpet, as a massive calcium hoof came down on Kosonsan, making her let out a blood curdling scream of agony (Kosonsan: 2500-0 LP)(Winner: Dokuro).

"Ahhhh, her screams of pain are like a choir of angels," said Yokai with a serene smile, as Dokuro smirked, when suddenly, a purple portal appeared beneath Kosonsan, and she was grabbed by skeletal hands, which began to pull her into the portal, as Bunshu and Ganryo averted their eyes, Dokuro and Yokai smirked, and Ensho remained neutral.

"No, please, you can't do this to me!"

"I just did. Besides, you should consider yourself lucky. I would absolutely love to be sent to a world where I feel nothing but agony." As the masochistic duelist smiled, Kosonsan, up to her neck in shadows, turned to Ensho in desperation.

"Please, Reiha, you can't do this! You know how dangerous these people are! Don't get mixed up with them!"

"Why should I listen to you? They've given me more power than ever before. And you are weak to the end! Ohohohoho!"

Kosonsan let out one last cry for aid before she was completely swallowed by darkness, and the portal closed.

"Another lord conquered, Lord Reiha," said Dokuro. "Should we make our way to Kikai next?"

"No, I have an idea. You know how he can't resist a duel, right? Let's find a way to bring the lords to us!"

"How will you manage that, Lord Reiha?" asked Ganryo.

"I have a way, Toshi. Men, come forward!"

A group of men followed the five into the throne room, each one wearing a white cloak and a Chaos Duel Disk, the Millennium Symbol on their hoods.

"Organize a tournament, and invite the other three big factions to come. And if we manage to beat all of them, then we'll have proven that we are the strongest faction, and the others will bow before us!"

It was a flawed plan, one that could easily backfire, but the men had their orders, as they left to spread the word. Ensho ordered her generals to search the town for strong duelists, while she made her way to the throne and sat on it, a triumphant smirk on her face. Once she had proven the power of her soldiers, she intended to use that to earn more followers, and soon, the whole country would know to respect the name Ensho Honsho. She then laughed once more, while nobody noticed a lone soldier fleeing the temple.

~KD~

A full day after Kosonsan's defeat, Anthony, who was unaware of this course of events, was in his own palace, simply going around and seeing what everybody was up to. Kan'u was making good use of her time by patrolling the streets, looking for any "criminal activity," as she called it, while having Chohi tag along. Ryofu was on lookout, although at the moment, she was simply birdwatching. Kaku was cleaning the kitchen, while Totaku was sweeping the courtyard. Bacho was taking a day off, and Shokatsuryo was studying maps, looking for vacant land nearby that could be used to expand the Kikai Kingdom. Anthony found his way back to Ryofu, before he let out a yawn and sat down next to her, pulling out his cards and looking through them.

"Bit of a slow day, huh, Ren?" She simply nodded, continuing to look through the spyglass. She then removed it, turning to her lord.

"Horse."

Anthony looked up, confused by what he assumed to be a non sequitur. "What was that?"

"A man, on a white horse, going through town. Gonna go check." She then raced to get to the palace doors, leaving a very confused Anthony to follow her. The two of them soon ran into Bacho, who decided to join them.

"So what's going on, Anthony?"

"Not entirely sure, but Ren thinks that something's up. Something about a guy on a white horse?"

Bacho grinned. "You had me at 'horse.'"

~KD~

When they arrived, they saw a man sprawled on the ground, a crowd forming around him, and a brilliant white stallion that belonged to Kosonsan. Bacho immediately went to take care of the horse, while Kan'u and Chohi, who were in the general area, were trying to get the man to speak, as all he could do was hyperventilate.

"Holy crap, what happened here!?" asked Anthony, looking over the odd scene.

"Nobody knows for certain," replied Kan'u, as Chohi began to wave her palm in front of the man's eyes. "He just rode into town, calling for you, before he collapsed. Something terrible must have happened!"

Anthony, wanting to get to the bottom of this mystery, walked up to the soldier, kneeling down and making eye contact. "So, what do you need to tell me?"

"Lord Pairen...she has been beaten…"

Anthony's eyes shot open. 'Oh no…'

~KD~

After the man was given some food and Bacho found a stable for the horse (which she began to call "Silver Flash" for some reason), the lone soldier found himself in the throne room, kneeling before Anthony, who had his generals on either side of him, and the other three by the door.

"So, Kosonsan's been defeated? By who?"

"It was...Lord Ensho," said the soldier, a name that made Anthony clench his fists.

"And you're telling me this why? Is Lord Ego planning on coming here?"

"No, not at all! The opposite, actually. Before I left, I overheard her speaking about holding a tournament, and inviting all other major lords. I also heard that she wants to show that by having her peerage win, her kingdom is the best."

'A tournament designed to boost her own ego...Maybe she should be the one to use the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, she certainly has enough in common with Kaiba.'

"I came to warn you because I know that you and Lord Pairen were on good terms, due to you coming to her aid in her time of need months ago. Please, avenge my fallen lord!" He was then escorted out of the throne room by Totaku and Kaku, as Anthony became lost in his thoughts, before he was found by Kan'u.

"What should we do? This could very well be a trap, and I don't think that you're in any state of mind to have another Shadow Game."

"I highly doubt that there would be Shadow Games in a public competition, considering how secretive Tanoshi was about the whole To business. Besides, as much as I hate Ensho, a tournament sounds like fun!"

He then leapt off from his throne just as Totaku and Kaku returned. "Pack your bags, girls, we're going to En!"

* * *

 **Yay, a tournament! And two new original characters to boot! So Dokuro is 25, and uses Zombie-types because of how well they fit him: strong, disturbing, and unrelenting. Yokai is 23. Pairen's deck is filled with Normal Monsters, because in the source material, her plainness was one of her most defining traits. And real quick, yes, the horse being named Silver Flash is a reference to Sui's yari in the original visual novel of the same name. See you next time, Starpion out!**


	22. Heaven's Fight

The day following the messenger's arrival, the eight duelists of Kikai made their journey to the capital of En on foot, much to the dismay of Bacho, as they only had one horse now. After making their way to the former Imperial capital through Hulao Pass, the eight members of the Kikai Kingdom were rather amazed by how busy the place was in comparison to the ghost town it was before. There were children playing, vendors selling goods, farmers carrying their newly cut harvests: a huge improvement. They soon made their way to one of the few new additions to the city, a large colosseum where the tournament was set to be held. They soon found a soldier who was keeping track of all those who wished to enter, and after explaining that they were here to compete, they each wrote down their names, with Totaku and Kaku simply going by "Yue" and "Ei" respectively, and soon, they were in the system.

"We'll see you in three days," said the soldier as he went to file the newest entries, which made Anthony gawk.

"Three whole days!? But where are we supposed to sleep!"

"There's a hotel that's giving admission at half price for those who wish to compete. Simply show the innkeeper these," he said, handing out sheets of paper with the En insignia, which Anthony took graciously, before they left.

"I can't believe we have to wait for three more days!" shouted Bacho, clearly upset with the turn of events. "And I was all excited, too! I was gonna show these people that I'm gonna be the best duelist in China!"

"So is everyone else who wants to enter," said Kan'u.

"Either that," said Anthony, "or just to face off strong opponents."

"And a grand prize of ten thousand copper will certainly attract more challengers."

The Kikai representatives stopped their conversation as a new voice chimed in, and everyone turned around to see an older woman. She had light purple hair of a decent length with a small strand held with green and red beads, a yellow feather earring, and a pair of deep blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a long lavender sleeveless dress, with white feather markings and a diamond-shaped hole in the chest, partially exposing the largest pair of breasts Anthony had ever seen, as he dug his fingernails into his palm to keep himself from being unfaithful. Her right hand had a green armored gauntlet, and her left, a detached green sleeve and a Duel Disk with a lavender trim. On her back was a long green cape with a picture of a phoenix on the back, and she also had a gold necklace around her neck and a ring on the middle finger of her right hand. Underneath her dress was a partially exposed lace top that was plum in color, and she had long purple stockings and pink high heels to complete her outfit. Her eyes were warm, and she had a kind, motherly smile, giving everyone a good vibe from her.

"So that's the grand prize, huh? I wonder how much begging her parents it took for Ensho to acquire that," snarked Anthony, making the mystery woman laugh.

"Oh, forgive me. I simply entered your conversation without introducing myself. My name is Kochu Kansho, and I intend to enter the tournament like yourselves."

"My name is Anthony Calem, the leader of the Kikai Kingdom, a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Kan'u Uncho, one of his generals, as well as his girlfriend. I hope that the two of us can get along with each other."

"Rinrin is named Chohi Yokutoku! Nice to meetcha!"

"Hawawa, my name is Shokatsuryo Komei."

"What's up? The name's Bacho Moki."

"...Ryofu Hosen…"

"Hello there, I'm Yue."

"You can call me Ei."

Kochu smiled warmly at the introductions. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you! And correct me if I am mistaken, but are you not the ones who overthrew Totaku?"

Anthony nodded. "Yep! I'm the one who beat her!" Technically, he was telling the truth, as he had defeated Totaku in a duel, just not in the manner that the world believed he had.

"Hmm, if I may, I would like to request something from you."

Anthony was confused. "Like what?"

"A duel. I would like to test your skills myself, if you could be so kind."

Anthony turned to his peerage, who didn't seem to have a problem with this, then turned back to Kochu. "Sure thing!" He then pulled his Duel Disk out of his satchel and put it on, cards shuffling, as Kochu shuffled her own cards, until soon, they were both ready to throw down.

(Kochu: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"If I may, I would like to go first," said Kochu, drawing her starting hand, as well as one additional card. "And I set one monster, then end my turn."

Kan'u looked closely at the face-down, wondering what cards that the older woman had lurking in her deck, while Shokatsuryo focused on Anthony, hoping that he was careful.

"Well then, I draw, and next, I'll play my Ancient Rules, a card that lets me Special Summon any level five or higher Normal Monster in my hand! And I pick my Launcher Spider!"

A tattered scroll soon released one of his most powerful monsters, which locked onto the monster that Kochu had on her side of the field with its missile launchers (LV 7: ATK 2200).

"Ah," mused Kochu, "how interesting."

"I'm glad you think so, because I'm about to blast your monster to bits with Shock Rocket Attack!"

The monster unleashed a massive payload of missiles that closed in on the face-down, which flipped up to reveal a rather unusual monster. It had a golden trapezoidal body with a single eye that resembled the Millenium Symbol, two golden arms with four pointed fingers, and behind it, a blue disk with six golden spikes (LV 4: DEF 1800).

"Hawawa!"

"What's wrong, Shuri?" asked Chohi.

"That card…" said Kaku in an ominous tone, as its eye flashed golden, and Launcher Spider was soon forced back to Anthony's hand, before the bizarre monster exploded into pixels.

"That was the effect of my monster, Kelbek," explained Kochu as she slid her monster into her Graveyard. "Any monster that attacks it is returned to the hand after damage calculation."

"All right," said Anthony, "so I guess I'll just set one card and end my turn."

"So now it's my turn!" said Kochu, drawing her next card with flair. "And now, I summon my Mudora in attack mode!"

Her next monster had the appearance of a muscular man in a golden mask and collar, as well as two gold braces on his arms and a loincloth, wielding a sharp-looking scimitar (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And his ability gives him an extra two hundred attack points for every Fairy-type monster that I have in my Graveyard!"

Her monster let out a fierce cry as it gained strength from its fallen comrades (ATK 1500-1700), as Kochu played another card.

"And to give him even more strength, I equip him with the card known as Silver Bow and Arrow!"

The monster then tossed its sword aside, replacing it with a red and purple bow with a gleaming silver arrow (ATK 1700-2000).

"Not good…" said Ryofu, as Kochu held out her open hand.

"Mudora, attack directly with Silver Sting!"

The Fairy-type drew back its bow, took aim, and fired the silver projectile at Anthony, cutting his life points in half (Anthony: 4000-2000 LP). Anthony was prepared for this, however, as he activated his Trap Card.

"Thanks for that! You've just let me activate my Damage Condenser, meaning that by discarding a card, like my Launcher Spider, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck with attack points less than or equal to the damage I just took. Now get ready, because here comes my Slot Machine!"

The massive golden combat robot appeared on the field with a mechanical groan as it looked at its new targets (LV 7: ATK 2000).

"An impressive move, but it won't last much longer. For now, I play my Dark Hole, in order to destroy all monsters on the field."

Soon, the black hole entered the field, and both monsters were pulled in before being crushed by the gravity.

"Now, I end my turn. Best of luck."

Anthony couldn't believe how somebody who just dealt two thousand points of damage and made him lose two powerful monsters was wishing him luck, but he simply shrugged and drew his next card, before immediately playing it.

"I summon my Bowganian!"

The eye-shaped robot appeared on the field, before aiming directly at Kochu with its bowgun (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"Now my monster will attack your life points directly!"

The monster in question fired an iron bolt at Kochu, who simply let the holographic projectile pass through her (Kochu: 4000-2700 LP).

"Yes!" screamed Chohi. "Big bro is gonna turn things around!" Ryofu nodded in agreement.

"And now I end my turn!"

Kochu drew her next card, and placed it into her hand, choosing a different card to play.

"I summon my Zolga!"

The next monster was blue, with a long purple cape flowing beneath it like a curtain. Its body was diamond shaped, with a head that had a semicircular headdress and a gold circlet with a red eye (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Zolga, destroy his Bowganian with Cape of Destruction, if you could be so kind."

The monster's circlet flashed red, and it fired a beam of energy from its cape that turned Bowganian into a pile of pixels, which made Kan'u wince (Anthony: 2000-1600 LP).

"This looks rough. The tournament hasn't even started, and he's getting blindsided out there," she said. "Whatever he plays, she has a counter for."

"Come on, Anthony!" screamed Bacho. "Show this chick why you're the best in Kikai!"

"Well, before he can," said Kochu, "I set one card, and end my turn."

Anthony sighed as he looked at his cards. Megasonic Eye and Barrel Dragon: neither of which were particularly helpful at this point in time. As he drew his next card, however, he soon found a way to change that.

"I play a Quick-Play Spell called Reload, which lets me shuffle my hand into my deck and draw cards equal to the amount I sent back."

He put the two cards on the top of his deck, which swiftly shuffled itself, as he drew two new cards, then smiled. This was a much better hand.

"Good cards…I think…" said Ryofu, watching his reaction.

"For his sake, I hope so," said Shokatsuryo, biting her nails.

"Come on, Lord Anthony, you can do this!" said Totaku, trying to support her friend.

"With cards like these, I know I can," said Anthony with confidence, as he threw a new card onto his Duel Disk. "I summon a personal favorite, Mechanicalchaser!"

The six-armed robot soon appeared on the field, visor flashing as it set its sights on Zolga (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"And now, it's time to show this woman the true power of Machines! Mechanicalchaser, attack with Arsenal Medley!"

The monster locked onto its target and sped towards it, weapons ready to maim. Closer…closer…

"Sorry, but I want to keep my monster around for a little longer. I activate my Trap Card, known as Waboku!"

The card flipped up to show a group of women in blue cloaks, as a soothing harmony came from the card, and Mechanicalchaser's vicious attack was simply absorbed by the unaffected Zolga, as the Machine-type returned to its owner.

"This Trap Card makes it so that until the End Phase of the turn it was activated, I take no battle damage, and my monsters can't be destroyed in battle. A rather useful card, isn't it?"

"Dammit! No matter what cards Anthony plays, Kochu somehow finds a way to get around it!" shouted Kan'u in frustration. "He gets out a powerful monster, it's returned to the hand. He tries to bring out another strong monster, and she destroys it. He finally deals damage, and he loses his monster the next turn. He tries to destroy her monster, and she counters the attack. It's ridiculous!"

"Well, she is older than all of us," said Bacho, "and with age comes experience, my dad always says."

Kochu then closed her eyes and turned to Bacho, still smiling, although her mouth was twitching, and a vein was visible on her right temple. "What did you say, dear?" she asked in a venomous tone that made the normally fearless Bacho nearly wet herself in horror. How did the most affable person she'd ever met become so angry as soon as her age was mentioned?

"I meant that in a good way, I swear! I mean, my dad is like, forty, and he's easily the coolest person that I know!"

This seemed to calm down the more mature duelist, as she soon had her strained smile return to its natural sweetness. "Well, in that case, thank you." She then turned to Anthony, who was clearly a little bit unnerved, eyes having shrunk to the point where his eyes were almost pure white. "Have you finished your turn?"

The question seemed to snap Anthony back to reality. "Uh, yeah, I am. Go ahead."

She then drew her next card, smiling when she did. "I now tribute my Zolga to summon a much greater monster, known as Majestic Mech - Ohka! And when I Tribute Summon a monster using my Zolga, I gain two thousand life points!"

The fairy then vanished, as a new monster appeared in a dazzling display of light, forcing Anthony to put on his shades. It was made of white and red metal, and looked like some kind of winged lion, which let out a fierce roar (LV 6: ATK 2400)(Kochu: 2700-4700 LP).

"Impressive, isn't it? It's time that I demonstrated the true power of my Fairy-type monsters! Ohka, attack his Mechanicalchaser with your Celestial Roar!"

Her monster then flapped its wings once, taking into the air and hovering above the field, before it let out a roar, sending a red blast of energy at the Machine-type, blasting it to ruin (Anthony: 1600-1050 LP).

"And now, my turn ends."

"Hawawa...she's really something," said Shokatsuryo, who at this point was nervously wringing the hem of her skirt.

"At this point, Anthony might as well give up," said a resigned Kaku.

"Don't act like that!" said Kan'u. "Anthony needs our support!" Anthony smiled at her words, as he drew his next card, before placing it on his field, face-down.

"I set one monster and end my turn, Kochu. Hit me with your best shot!"

Kochu smirked as she drew her next card, before placing it into her Duel Disk.

"I activate a Spell Card known as Book of Taiyou, which allows me to switch any face-down monster on the field into attack mode!"

Anthony's monster then flipped up, showing what appeared to be a large metal dome with yellow lights around it. Soon, five holes opened up on the dome, and out came four moss green legs and a head of the same color, revealing the monster to be some type of odd tortoise (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"What the heck, Kochu? You woke my poor UFO Turtle from his nap! Now he's gonna be all cranky!"

"My apologies. Allow me to bring out a friend who can make things better, at least for me. I summon my Majestic Mech - Senku!"

Her new monster looked like an angel, made out of the same white metal as her Ohka, except rather than red trim, it had blue, with detached fingers and long metallic wings (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Now Ohka shall destroy your monster with its Celestial Roar!"

The monster fired another red blast of energy, which annihilated UFO Turtle, bringing Anthony down to a critical level of life points (Anthony: 1050-50 LP).

"Can't watch…" said Ryofu, covering her eyes, not wanting to see the man she loved - er, served, get trounced so thoroughly. His opponent even had more life points than she started with! However, Anthony remained calm, simply removing his deck from his Duel Disk and sifting through it.

"Thanks for that. By destroying my UFO Turtle, you've activated his special ability, letting me Special Summon a FIRE monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points. And I pick my Giga-Tech Wolf!"

Soon, a red portal appeared, and his turtle was replaced by the robotic wolf, which snarled at the Fairy-types (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Yes! Now she can't attack directly!" shouted Kan'u, pumping her fists as Kochu ended her turn, and her Senku faded away.

"During the End Phase of the turn that I summoned it," she explained, "my Senku is sent to the Graveyard."

Anthony then drew his next card, before he activated his new card.

"I play a Quick-Play Spell known as Enemy Controller!"

As he played his card, a gray video game controller with blue trim appeared on the field, with a directional pad and three buttons.

"This card gives me two choices. One, I can change the battle position of one of your monsters."

Kochu became a little worried. "And the other?"

"You're about to find out the hard way! I tribute my Giga-Tech Wolf in order to take control of your Majestic Mech - Ohka for the rest of my turn!"

Kan'u grinned as Anthony's monster disappeared, and the cord of the controller plugged into Ohka, much to the shock of Kochu, and the Majestic Mech soon joined Anthony's side, as the controller fell into his hands.

"Ah, just like home! Okay, Ohka, blast your master with Celestial Roar!"

He then pushed up on the directional pad, and the monster took into the air. He pushed the A button, and the monster fired a heavenly blast for the third time, as Kochu threw up her cape to shield herself (Kochu: 4700-2300 LP).

"And now, for a move I saw not that long ago. I tribute Ohka to summon my favorite monster, Machine King!"

The lion disappeared, making way for the monarch of the machines to make its grand entrance (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"And with that, my turn is over!"

"Man, when Anthony bounces back, he bounces BACK!" said Bacho, clearly impressed by the turnaround. Ryofu nodded with a blush, Totaku began to clap, and Chohi bounced in place excitedly. Kochu drew her next card, and placed it onto her field, face-down.

"I set a single monster and end my turn. Good luck."

As Anthony drew his card, Kochu smiled. Her monster was Agido, a monster that, when destroyed by battle, let her roll a die, and Special Summon a monster from her Graveyard that had a level equal to the roll of the die. If she was lucky, she could roll a four, to bring back her Mudora, who would gain a thousand attack points with five Fairy-types in her Graveyard, or a six, to bring back her Ohka. And both of those monsters had enough power to destroy Machine King and win her the duel.

"Thanks for the duel, Kochu. I had a lot of fun, but it's time to bring things to an end! I activate my Shield Crush, which lets me destroy any monster in defense mode! Say goodbye to your last line of defense!"

A yellow blast of energy destroyed the card, and since it was destroyed by a card effect, rather than battle, its effect couldn't activate. And now, the game was about to come to a close.

"It's time to face the future! Machine King, blast her life points to zero with Jet Punch!"

The monster fired its fist at the Fairy-type user, and the duel was drawn to a close (Kochu: 2300-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"Alright! That's how we do it!" said Anthony, jumping into the air with his right fist in the air as Machine King faded away. His peerage began to applaud, and so did Kochu, slowly clapping as she walked up to him.

"That was quite impressive, Lord Anthony. I'm sure that you'll do well in the tournament."

Anthony smiled and removed his sunglasses. "Thanks, Kochu. I'm sure that you will as well, considering how well you did against me. I can't wait to kick things off with a bang!"

At his enthusiasm, Kochu couldn't help but chuckle, unaware of the rosy tint that coated her cheeks. "Well, I should probably get going. It was a great pleasure to meet you all!"

As the others left to go to the inn after saying their goodbyes, Kochu made her way into an alley, only to be met with Bunshu and Ganryo, both of which were without their armor.

"Hey Shion, where have you been? Lord Reiha has had us looking everywhere for you!"

"I apologize, but I met up with the leader of Kikai, and I wished to duel him."

Ganryo winced. "Don't let Reiha hear about that. You know what she thinks of him."

Kochu winced herself, knowing full well what the consequences of disappointing, let alone angering, her lord were. And there was no way she would be able to handle them.

"Look, we're only looking out for you, Shion. You're with us now, and besides, compared to Dokuro and Yokai, you're much better company. Now come on."

With a heavy heart, the general of En followed the two En advisers.

* * *

 **Dun dun DUN! That's what TV Tropes refers to as a wham line! Anyway, Shion is here! She's 28, not as young as the others, but still in her prime, and has a deck filled with Fairy-types, befitting of her kind and motherly nature, as well as an in-universe reason. I'll get to that when we get to that. Also, she is the eighth, and subsequently final member of the harem! Yay! With the harem complete, we still have a few more characters to introduce before the tournament can begin proper. Starpion out!**


	23. Lotus Princess

The following day, the dawn entered the room of the inn where Anthony and Kan'u were staying in. Since each room had two beds, Anthony made the decision to have everybody pair up so that there was enough room for everyone who planned on competing, with him and Kan'u sharing a room, Chohi bunking with Bacho, Shokatsuryo and Ryofu sharing, and finally, Totaku and Kaku pairing up. Anthony turned to see the adjacent bed was empty, and then turned to see a foldable divider, before remembering that the innkeeper had provided it for the two of them, claiming he used them for all coed rooms. Anthony also remembered how the innkeeper threatened that if the two of them did "the act" in his rooms, he would force them to clean the room from top to bottom, and all four rooms rented by the Kikai Kingdom would cost double. Something about "bothering the other guests," even though neither of them were ready to take that step in their relationship.

Kan'u then came out from behind the divider, fully clothed. "Okay, you can use the divider now."

"No need," said Anthony. The truth was, he simply slept in his clothes, only removing his sunglasses, fedora, jacket, and shoes. He quickly put on the rest of his outfit, slung his satchel over his shoulder, and walked over the door before he opened it, and turned to Kan'u, gesturing to the open door.

"After you."

Kan'u smiled, before giving Anthony a peck on the cheek and heading into the hall, the Messenger from Heaven following.

~KD~

The two made their way down a flight of stairs and found themselves in the inn dining room, and soon found the table where the rest of their faction members were eating. Chohi, Bacho, and Ryofu were stuffing their faces with the copious amounts of food they had accumulated, Totaku and Kaku were holding onto two full plates while eating from their own, and Shokatsuryo was halfway done, currently picking at what was left. As the couple sat down, the Kikai maids proceeded to give them their plates of food.

"We kept them safe for you," said Totaku, with Anthony giving them a thumbs-up before he began to eat his breakfast.

"So, what's the plan for today?" asked Bacho. "We've still got two more days until the tournament kicks off."

"I was thinking that we could explore the place, see if we can find any familiar faces," said Anthony. "Who knows? Maybe Skull Loli or Renfa decided to show up."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Chohi. "Rinrin is ready to go!"

~KD~

After they finished eating, the eight duelists made their way into the city. However, five of them didn't know their way around the city very well, so the former members of To had to guide them around the city. To their disappointment, however, nobody that they saw looked familiar. After two hours of searching the city, Anthony let out a frustrated sigh.

"Well, it looks like my plan was a total bust. Maybe we should just head back to the inn."

"Anthony? Is that you?"

Anthony's ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice, as he turned to see a face he hadn't seen in a while, but was certainly glad to see again.

"Renfa!"

He ran up to the leader of Go, who was accompanied by Kannei and Rikuson, with his peerage following him at a slower pace.

"Man, it's so nice to see you again! How have things been?"

"As good as they could be. I assume that you're here for the tournament as well?"

"Why else would I be in En territory?"

Anthony then turned to the other two. "Shishun, Non, it's great to see you guys again."

Kannei averted her eyes and blushed. "It's nice to see you as well, Lord Anthony."

"Hey there, Anthony! You look like you've been doing good!" said Rikuson.

Anthony then looked around. "Hold on a second, you appear to be short a strategist. Where's Meirin?"

"She's in Go. She doesn't duel, remember?"

"Oh. So it's just you three?"

Sonken opened her mouth to answer the question, but she was beaten to the punch.

"Renfa, who are these weaklings?"

Anthony then turned to see a younger girl approaching. Her skin was lightly tanned, with purple eyes and light purple hair tied into two long loops with white ribbons. She had a white top with long sleeves with wide openings, and her midriff was exposed, like most Go officers. She had a magenta ribbon by her collar, and a long magenta ribbon that trailed behind her, and on her left wrist was a pink-trimmed Duel Disk, similar to Sonken. Her outfit was completed by a short light pink skirt, long white stockings, and fuchsia shoes.

"Shaoren, be nice! These eight are friends of the Go Kingdom, and they should be treated as such!" She then turned to Anthony. "I apologize. This is my little sister Sonshoko, and she can be a little egotistical at times."

"And why shouldn't I be? I'm the best duelist in Go!"

"She doesn't seem as bad as Ensho," said Anthony. Kan'u, however, wasn't as kind to the lotus princess.

"You know, Lord Anthony is the leader of the esteemed Kikai Kingdom, not a commoner, so he should be treated with respect!"

Sonshoko stuck out her tongue. "He doesn't look like a lord to me! He looks like some guy who just came off of the street!"

"That's not true!" said Totaku, stepping in to defend her lord. "Anthony is one of the kindest, most selfless people I've ever met, even risking his own soul to save me!"

"Plus big bro helped me and big sis take down a bunch of bandits that attacked the place where we live now!" said Chohi.

"How did he do that? Did he try to make friends with them?" the young princess said sarcastically.

"No, he dueled! And big bro is great at Duel Monsters! Right, big sis?"

"Of course, Rinrin. After all, he's the one who beat Totaku."

Sonshoko didn't buy this claim. "Well, did anyone see him?"

Anthony simply turned to his peerage and gestured to all of them. "I've got seven eyewitnesses right here. Hell, I even beat her with the card that your sister gave me." And for emphasis, he pulled out his deck and searched through it, before he found Zoa and showed it to Sonshoko.

"I don't believe you!"

"Shaoren, he's telling the truth. Please drop the subject. I hope to see you in the tournament, Anthony."

But as Sonken tried to pull her sister away, Sonshoko opened her mouth one last time.

"Fine. I was sick of that guy in the stupid clothes, and that annoying weakling with the black hair."

"EXCUSE YOU!?"

Sonken felt like she could cry, as Sonshoko turned around to face an irate Anthony, stomping towards her as Kan'u glared from a distance.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!?"

"Language, Anthony!" said Sonken. "She's just a kid!"

"Sorry, WHOM the fuck."

Sonken simply shook her head as Anthony continued to chew out her little sister.

"Kan'u Uncho is many things. My girlfriend, my first general, and the best duelist that I know. She is NOT weak, you spoiled bitch!"

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to!? I'm the princess of Go, and the best duelist that there is! I can easily declare war on you, right where you stand!"

"Can she do that!?" Shokatsuryo asked Kannei, who shook her head.

"Enough, Shaoren!"

"Look, you need to learn to respect others, or else you're going to get in a lot of trouble," said Kan'u sternly. "Even more than you're in now."

"And I think I have the perfect solution!"

Everyone turned to Anthony, who had pulled out his Duel Disk.

"If I can beat you in a duel, you have to apologize to both me and Aisha. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine. I'm going to enjoy proving that you're nowhere near as good as people think you are!"

As both of them drew their starting hands, Sonken went over to Kan'u. "I'm so sorry for how she's acting."

Kan'u sighed. "It's fine, really. She doesn't seem like a bad person, she just needs to be knocked down a peg. And Anthony is the perfect person for the job."

(Sonshoko: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"As obviously the better player, I will go first," said Sonshoko, drawing her sixth card. "And I activate my Guarded Treasure!"

A Spell Card appeared, with a picture of a female spellcaster giving some sort of blessing to a weary man, as she proceeded to discard her entire hand, and draw two.

"This card forces me to discard five cards, but lets me draw two, and as long as it's on my field, I can draw two cards during my Draw Phase! And now I set one monster and end my turn!"

"Why would she do that!? She's seriously limiting her options!" shouted Kaku incredulously.

"Or," suggested Rikuson, "she's planning on playing the long game, and is planning on having more resources as the duel goes on."

"Well, I draw!" said Anthony. "And now I summon my trusty Cannon Soldier!" Sonshoko tilted her head as the purple robot appeared on the field and aimed its weapons (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"What the heck is that thing!?"

"My Machine-types, the same one that beat both your sister and her bodyguard. And now, my Cannon Soldier will attack!"

The monster fired laser blasts at the monster, which was revealed to be a mermaid with long green hair, a yellow top, and a long blue tail, wielding a blue staff (LV 4: DEF 1800). She blocked the blast with her staff, sending it right back to Anthony (Anthony: 4000-3600 LP).

"Looks like that machine of yours isn't strong enough to beat my Guardian Kay'est!"

Anthony wasn't fazed by this. "Well, I set two cards and end my turn, I guess."

"About time!" said Sonshoko as she drew her two cards. "I activate my Shooting Star Bow - Ceal, and equip it to your Cannon Soldier, decreasing its attack points by a thousand! And since I'm equipping it to your monster, the other effect stating that it can attack the opponent directly doesn't apply!"

Anthony suddenly widened his eyes as Cannon Soldier was given an odd red and silver bow that resembled an arc of flame (ATK 1400-400).

"Next, I'll switch my Guardian Kay'est into attack mode!"

The mermaid then held her staff outward, ready to battle (ATK 1000).

"And now I summon another Guardian monster, my Guardian Ceal!"

The new monster was a gray lizardman with red plate armor, wielding the same bow that Cannon Soldier had (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now I equip my monster with my Gravity Axe - Grarl!"

Guardian Ceal soon found itself holding an ancient looking battle axe (ATK 1700-2200).

"Well, I activate a card of my own!" announced Anthony, activating his Trap Card. "My Secret Barrel! This lets me deal two hundred points of damage for every card on your field and in your hand! And since you have five on the field and none in your hand, that means one thousand points of damage!"

The multicolored turrets soon emerged from the ground, and fired round after round at Sonshoko (Sonshoko: 4000-3000 LP).

"Well, now, it's time for me to prove that I'm far superior to you, 'Messenger from Heaven!' Guardian Ceal, attack!"

Her monster then hefted its axe over its shoulders and brought it down on Cannon Soldier, turning the Machine-type into pixels (Anthony: 3600-1800 LP).

"Well, I play Time Machine," said Anthony, "bringing back my Cannon Soldier!"

The time machine appeared in a flash of light, and the door swung open, releasing Cannon Soldier, back at full power (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now, my turn is over!"

"She's pretty good," said Bacho, "but not nearly as good as Anthony, or Aisha."

"Shut your mouth! I'm the best duelist that ever lived!"

"Take your own advice," said Anthony, drawing his card. "I summon my Cyber Raider to the field!"

His monster did a somersault onto the field, and struck a heroic pose (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now I activate its effect, and equip your Gravity Axe to my monster!"

Cyber Raider then fired an electromagnetic beam at Ceal's weapon, pulling it from the hands of the Pyro-type and taking it over to the Machine-type (ATK 2200-1700)(ATK 1400-1900).

"Now, my Cyber Raider will attack!"

The monster leapt towards Guardian Ceal, before cutting it in half horizontally, before it shattered (Sonshoko: 3000-2800 LP).

"And now, Cannon Soldier will attack your Kay'est again, and this time, your monster will go up in smoke!"

Cannon Soldier once again fired its blasts, only for them to completely bypass the Sea Serpent-type and hit Sonshoko directly (Sonshoko: 2800-1400 LP).

"What was that?" asked Anthony.

"When she's face-up, Guardian Kay'est can't be declared as an attack target, so your attack became a direct attack!"

"Okay then, I think that I end my turn."

"You know, for somebody who claims to be the best duelist in Go, she doesn't seem to be particularly better than Shishun or Non," said Shokatsuryo.

"I am the best! I have to be the best!"

"You know, Shaoren didn't always act like this," said Kannei, watching as Sonshoko drew her next cards angrily. "It wasn't until after the disappearance of Sheren that she became so obsessed with being the strongest."

"Why?" asked Ryofu.

"Shishun and I have a theory, and Renfa is almost positive that it's the reason," said Rikuson. "We think…she's scared of loss."

"Hm? Like losing the game?" asked Chohi.

"I don't think so, Rinrin," said Kan'u. "I think she's afraid of losing much more than that. She's afraid of losing her only family."

"But doesn't the ninja lady protect her?"

"I may be Renfa's bodyguard, but that doesn't mean that Shaoren won't try to protect her sister herself. If anything, she feels like it's her duty."

"But why is she acting so rude?" asked Bacho.

"Because she sees Ensho and Soso as the two strongest people that she knows," said Sonken. "She thinks that to be strong, she needs to act like them."

"Well, how does she stop acting like them?" asked Kan'u.

"She has to lose. Only then can I get through to her, although she might not take it well."

"Are you guys done talking?"

Everyone turned to Sonshoko, who was impatiently tapping her foot.

"Finally! Now I can get back to proving how much better I am than this uncouth jerk! I play my Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!"

As she added two more cards to her hand, she then smiled.

"And now, I can do this! I tribute my Guardian Kay'est to summon Guardian Grarl!"

Her mermaid was soon replaced by an anthropomorphic Allosaurus, with a snakeskin pelt, green pants, and a familiar looking battle axe that matched the one in Cyber Raider's hands (LV 5: ATK 2500).

"And now, I discard my Reaper Scythe - Dreadscythe in order to equip my monster with Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce!"

With a ferocious war cry, her monster sheathed its axe, before it was equipped with two rapiers that crackled with electricity (ATK 2500-2000).

"Why would you make your own monster weaker?" asked Anthony.

"Because now, my Grarl can attack twice per turn!"

As if on cue, her monster lunged at Cyber Raider with the right sword, which Cyber Raider was able to block with its axe, before the left blade struck it in the head, destroying it (Anthony: 1800-1700 LP). Guardian Grarl then brought both of its blades together, and created a bright blue ball of lightning, which it threw at Cannon Soldier, destroying the other Machine-type (Anthony: 1700-1100 LP).

"And now, I'm done! Draw your last pathetic card, if you can!"

"My cards aren't pathetic," said Anthony as he drew. "And now, I'll prove it! I activate my Cost Down! With this card, I can send one card from my hand to the Graveyard, and just like that, every monster in my hand has its level reduced by two!" He then sent his Zoa to the Graveyard, and picked a different card from his hand to play.

"And now, I don't need to tribute a monster to bring out my buddy Jinzo! So come on out and play!"

The mighty mechanical menace appeared on the field, letting out a horrific groan as both Rikuson and Sonshoko, not having seen it before, suddenly pulled back (LV 6-4: ATK 2400).

"Ugh! That thing is absolutely disgusting! How can anybody stand to have that card, much less put it in their deck!?" said Sonshoko.

"I had no idea that Lord Anthony had anything so creepy in his deck!" said Rikuson.

"I've seen it before," said Kannei. "It's the card that he used to beat me. It has the ability to negate every Trap Card on the field, and with it, he completely shut down my best cards." She then saw Anthony flash a confident grin as he put on his sunglasses, and she felt her cheeks become warmer.

"Damn straight, Shishun! But I don't need its effect right now, but rather its strength! It's time to face the future! Jinzo, attack with Cyber Energy Shock!"

His monster gathered black energy in its hands, before it launched a black orb at Guardian Grarl, blasting it to pixels (Sonshoko: 1400-1000 LP).

"That's it for me! Now show me what you've got!" (LV 4-6)

"No problem! I'm the best duelist in Go! I can't be beaten! And it's time to end this!" But when Sonshoko drew her next two cards, she could've sworn her heart stopped for half a second. The cards that she had drawn were Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou and Butterfly Dagger - Elma, neither of which she could use. She didn't have any monsters on the field to equip them to, and if she tried to equip them to her opponent's monster, it would only get stronger. And she couldn't set them as a bluff, since as Kannei said, that monster could negate Traps. Sonshoko had never felt so powerless…and she couldn't bear it, as she fell to her knees.

"Is everything okay over there?" asked Anthony. True, his opponent was arrogant and rude, but he could still be concerned for her.

"I…I can't do it…"

"Excuse me?"

"I quit…you win." (Winner: Anthony)

"What!?" cried Bacho. "You can't just quit after all that crap about being the strongest! What the actual hell!?"

"I really can't win," said Sonshoko, showing everybody the cards in her hand. "I'm…just not strong enough…" She then burst into tears, leading Sonken to come up to her and comfort her, as Sonshoko hugged her sister.

"I wasn't strong enough!" she bawled. "What did I do wrong!?"

"How in the world can looking down on others be considered strength!?" demanded Kan'u, and Sonshoko was unable to answer, which made her cry harder.

"Shaoren, it's okay," said Sonken, rubbing her sister's head gently. "You don't have to be the strongest."

"Yes I do! Or you'll be taken away, just like Mom and Sheren! I have to protect you!"

Anthony's jaw hung open. "Wait, what about her mom!?"

"Their mother, Sonken Bundai, died before I joined Go, and was the ruler of Go before Sheren," explained Kannei. Anthony was shocked. These two didn't just lose their big sister, but their mother as well. All of his dislike for the young princess was soon replaced with pity.

"Hey, Shaoren, look this way."

The young teen looked up to see the eyes of her sister.

"You don't need to flaunt your power to be strong, and you don't need to be the very best to be able to protect me. Do you understand?"

Sonshoko wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I *sniff* guess so."

"Good. Now, isn't there something you would like to say to Lord Anthony and his general?"

The young princess nodded, and turned to Anthony and Kan'u. "I'm sorry I was mean to you. I just wanted to be strong, so I could protect my sister. I didn't mean any of that stuff I said, really." She then bowed her head in shame, when Kan'u kneeled down and put her hand on Sonshoko's head.

"It's okay, we forgive you, Sonshoko. Just be nice, okay?"

She then looked up with a bright smile on her face. "Okay, I will! I'll be the best I can be, for Renfa! And you can call me Shaoren!"

She then went up to her sister. "Was that good?"

Sonken nodded with a smile. "Very much so. Now come on, Shaoren. We should probably register for the tournament."

"Hey, afterwards, there's an inn that gives discounts to entries."

"Thank you, Anthony. Well, it's time we said farewell for the moment."

And with that, the two allied kingdoms parted ways, with Anthony having made a new friend.

* * *

 **So, Shaoren shows up way earlier than she does in canon! Surprised? Anyway, she's fourteen years old, and her deck is filled with Guardian cards, for reasons given in the chapter. Also, my viewers, I have a question for you: do you want me to include Chosen in this story? I'm a little on the fence about whether or not I should include him, as he is in canon, but I'm not sure if I can write his character that well. Plus, I don't really have a place for him at the moment. Please give me your thoughts on the matter, if you can, as I need to know before I finish writing the fourth arc (although seeing as I'm still working on the current arc, it may take a while). Thank you, and of course, Starpion out!**

 **Edit 11/20/2018: fixed an error with Guardian Kay'est's effect.**


	24. Beautiful Butterfly Mask

It was late at night the next day, with tomorrow being the first day of the tournament. The city was relatively quiet, which is why Anthony thought would be a good idea to take Kan'u out for a walk. With nothing but the night sky lighting the way, the two of them were walking through the city, simply enjoying each other's company.

"You know, with how peaceful this place is, it's hard to imagine that this was where a conspiracy to destroy all of the factions took place," said Anthony. "Give Her Arrogance some credit, she's really cleaned up the place."

"You're right," said Kan'u, who was dressed in her white dress and hairpin, and had left her Duel Disk at the inn, while Anthony had brought his cards in his satchel, "just in case." "While the last visit here had a rather eerie silence, this time, it's much more tranquil."

She then grabbed his left hand with her right, and their fingers became intertwined. The two of them went down an alley, while unaware of a shadowy figure trailing them, eyes locked on Anthony's bag.

~KD~

As the two of them made their way into an alleyway, Anthony took the time to look up, smiling as he did.

'Without any electric lights, the stars are so clear. I can make out all of the constellations. Ursa Major, Draco…'

"Hey Anthony?"

Anthony was broken out of his concentration by Kan'u, who was looking rather nervous, which was odd for her.

"Yeah? Is something up?"

She grabbed a lock of her hair and began to twirl it. She really wasn't used to this romance stuff.

"You know, we've never really kissed before, have we?"

Anthony thought about it, and she was right. They had given each other pecks on the cheek or forehead, but never a kiss on the lips. The two of them had been taking things relatively slow when it came to the physical part of their relationship.

"I don't believe we have. You wanna do it now or something?"

Her blush told him everything he needed to know. To be honest, seeing her so nervous about this kind of stuff was kind of adorable, in an awkward sort of way. Slowly, they grabbed each other's hands, and just stared at each other, not really knowing what to do, before they closed their eyes and began to bring their lips closer.

Closer…

Closer…

"Gotcha!"

Suddenly, Anthony, an inch away from Kan'u, felt a massive tug on his right shoulder, as he felt the satchel's strap get pulled down his sleeve. He suddenly turned away, and saw somebody take off with his satchel, as well as his cards. Kan'u was also snapped out of the moment as Anthony broke away from her in panic.

"Anthony, what's wrong?"

"That asshole just stole my cards!"

"WHAT!?"

As if a switch had been flipped, the awkward Kan'u had been replaced with the usual confident Kan'u, as she broke into a sprint and began to chase after the thief. Anthony ran as fast as he could to follow her, as she had her mind set on stopping the would-be criminal. They made their way through the city until eventually, they trapped the thief in a dead end.

The thief in question had short brown hair, and brown eyes with a scar over his right eye. He was wearing a gray sleeveless top with a black vest over it, a red sash tied around his waist, a pair of tan pants, and a simple pair of gray shoes, while he held the satchel in his hands.

"It's the end of the line, you scum! You can't run, and you can't hide! Now return my lord's cards at once!"

"Your lord's cards?" The thief then had a closer look at Anthony, and a wicked grin spread across his face. "Yeah, you're that Messenger from Heaven guy, right? I heard that your cards are one of a kind."

"They are, so give them back to me!"

The thief just laughed as he spun the satchel by its strap. "Now why would I do that? I bet that there are plenty of people out there who would pay a fortune for these cards! Who knows, maybe I could keep them for myself! I've always wanted my own deck."

Kan'u went past Anthony and clenched her fists. "If you won't give them back, then I'll just have to take them."

The thief then reached into his vest and pulled out a dagger. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Cease, in the name of justice!"

At the sound of a new voice, the three in the alley looked up to see a silhouette, shrouded by the night sky, although the voice was feminine, and yet familiar. The figure jumped off of the rooftop she stood upon, landing gracefully on the ground between them, revealed to be…

"CHOUN!?"

To the shock of Anthony, the figure was the one who had teamed up with him to stop the bandits that made their base on Sishui Pass. The blue hair, the sleeves resembling butterfly wings, the blue-trimmed Duel Disk: it had to be her. The only notable difference in her appearance was an orange butterfly mask she wore over her eyes, though as her eyes were still visible, it did little to conceal her identity.

"There's no need to worry, citizens, for you are now about to be saved by the Defender of Justice, Butterfly Mask!"

"Is that really Choun?" asked Kan'u.

"It has to be, unless she has an identical twin we've never heard of before. But what's she doing in En?"

"Probably competing in the tournament like us."

"But why is she acting like a superhero?"

"I…have no idea. But then again, this is the same woman who eats menma from the jar."

The thief was growing rather impatient. "What the hell do you want, you masked freak?"

Choun (no, not even the narration is fooled) then struck a heroic pose, glaring at the card thief. "I saw you rob this man of his cards, and threaten his friend-"

"Girlfriend," interrupted Anthony.

"His girlfriend with a wicked blade. Your crimes shall not go unpunished, and so, I would like to issue a challenge! If I can beat you in a duel, then you must return what you have taken from him, post haste!"

"Fine," said the thief, as he pulled out the Duel Disk, and tapped on it experimentally before it activated, and Choun activated her own card.

"Make him pay for his crimes!" shouted Kan'u, as both players began.

(Thief: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"Alright, I'll go first!" said the thief, as he drew his next card. "And I think I'll summon this card, Cyber Raider!"

The blue robot landed on the field as Kan'u bit her lip (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"This isn't good. That wicked man is using your cards, which managed to beat Choun's deck before."

"True, but I was the one using them, and I've used them for quite a while, while he just got them. So actually, Choun has the advantage here."

"Anyway, I end my turn by setting a card!"

"Excellent! I draw!" shouted Choun, striking a pose as she drew her next card. "Now prepare to face a swift defeat! Take to the skies, Flying Kamakiri #1!"

The dragonfly monster hovered above the field, emitting a loud buzzing noise from its wings (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Yeah, there's no doubt that it's Choun, Aisha," said Anthony. "I recognize those cards."

"Prepare for combat! Flying Kamakiri #1, Sonic Slashes!"

The Insect-type took off towards the Machine-type with its claws outstretched, as Cyber Raider retaliated with a punch. Both monsters struck each other and exploded, leaving no monsters on the field, for the moment.

"And when one insect falls, another shall rise to avenge it! I activate the special ability of my Flying Kamakiri #1, to bring forth a WIND monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, like its brother, Flying Kamakiri #2!"

The massive brown mantis soon appeared on the field through a green portal, shrieking as it took to the skies (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, for a direct attack! Wind Sickles!"

The mantis then crossed its huge forelegs, and shot an "X" shaped blade of wind directly at the thief (Thief: 4000-2500 LP).

"Now, I shall end my turn by setting one card!"

"Well, I draw! And I summon this bad boy, Mechanicalchaser!"

The multi-armed monster of metal made a grand entrance, spinning its weapons in its claws (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"And now, I think I'll play this card, Flint!"

The metal snare materialized onto the field and latched onto Flying Kamakiri #2, binding its forelegs and wings, therefore forcing it to land (ATK 1500-1200).

"You may chain its body, but you cannot bind its spirit!" declared Choun, striking a pose, as the thief noticed a card in his hand, and a wicked smile spread across his face.

"Oh dear," said Anthony, as Kan'u frowned.

"Maybe I can't, but I'll make your monster a spirit when I play this! I activate Limiter Removal, which doubles the attack points of all my Machine-types!"

The power of Mechanicalchaser suddenly skyrocketed, as it let out a mechanical cry (ATK 1850-3700).

"And now, my monster is gonna squash your bug!"

As the powered-up hunter sped towards the bound mantis, Choun played her face-down, showing the leader of a tribe calling his subjects.

"I activate The Regulation of Tribe, a card that allows me to declare a single type of monster, and as long as this Trap Card remains active, that type cannot declare an attack! And I shall select Machine-type!"

The thief smirked as he activated his own card. "Oh yeah? Well I play Seven Tools of the Bandit, negating your Trap Card and destroying it!" And as he said, The Regulation of Tribe shattered into pixels (Thief: 2500-1500 LP). Mechanicalchaser then ripped through the Insect-type as though it were paper (Choun: 4000-1500 LP).

"Now I end my turn!" And as the thief declared his turn to be over, his monster began to spark, as it then exploded.

"Looks like the effect of Limiter Removal just kicked in!" said Anthony. "Now you're wide open for a direct attack!"

"And I shall deliver! I draw!" Choun then studied her hand. "It appears that fortune smiles upon you, thief. For I am unable to finish you off this turn. However, I can still attack! For another of my loyal insects shall take flight! Go, Insect Soldiers of the Sky!"

The new monster looked like some odd type of beetle, with a mostly orange body, excluding six long, green legs, and a pair of red compound eyes (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Attack from above, and rain justice on those who wish to cause harm and sorrow!"

The aerial insect zoomed towards the thief, and slashed at him with its forelegs (Thief: 1500-500 LP).

"And to end my turn, I shall set a single card! And now, you may go."

The thief drew his next card and immediately played it.

"I activate my Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster, like Launcher Spider!"

The humongous arachnid automaton made its way onto the field, its huge legs crashing down and its rockets ready to go (LV 7: ATK 2200).

"Before you do anything else," said Choun, "I play my Trap Card, known as DNA Surgery!"

"Wait, what!" said Anthony. "When did she get that card!?"

"Didn't she use it in your Tag Team Duel you told us about?" asked Kan'u.

"No, I used that card. She must have gotten it after, because of how well it works with her cards!"

"With this Trap Card," said Choun, striking yet another pose, "I can select one type of monster, and then every monster on the field becomes that type as long as the card is active! And the type I select? Insect-type!"

Launcher Spider let out a screech as it began to change. Its legs became coated in chitin, as fine hairs began to sprout on them. The chitin spread to its back, and even its launchers. The visor shattered, and eight brown eyes opened. By the time the transformation was complete, Launcher Spider resembled an actual spider.

"Well, it can still attack! Ground that bug!"

The newly made Insect-type fired white globs of webbing from the launchers on its back, gumming up the monster's wings, and sending Insect Soldiers of the Sky tumbling towards the ground, where it shattered into bits of light on impact (Choun: 1500-300 LP).

"I end my turn."

"This doesn't look good," said Kan'u. "If Choun doesn't win this duel, then we'll never be able to get back your cards."

"Well, in that case, we need to give her all of our support! Come on, bring the sting to that crook! Leave his ears buzzing!"

Kan'u began to join in. "Don't let this injustice go unpunished! We believe in you!"

Choun smiled. "Thank you, kind citizens. You have given me the resolve that I need to be victorious! And now, to draw!" She then looked over her hand, and smiled. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"Hah! After all that heroic shit, that's it? I draw! And I'm not even gonna bother with another monster! Launcher Spider, attack!"

The huge spider blasted the set monster, which was revealed to be a massive green grasshopper that was shuffling its legs to make a soft chirping song (LV 4: DEF 1200).

"Perfect, Pinch Hopper!" said Anthony. "Now she's about to bring out something big!"

"When Pinch Hopper is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon any Insect-type monster from my hand! And I think it's time to introduce you to my best monster! Behold, the ruler of the insect kingdom, a ruthless creature who wipes out anything in her path! Reveal yourself, and rise to your full power, Insect Queen!"

Soon, a new insect appeared. Its abdomen was absolutely enormous, a mixture of red and blue, with two huge red outer wings, which briefly rose to expose its flying wings. It had a red thorax with spikes on the back, a pair of yellow globes, similar to breasts, underneath it, and on either side, three long blue and yellow legs that ended in sharp claws. Finally, its head, which was surprisingly human-like, was black and yellow, with a pair of yellow antennae, blue compound eyes, and a fanged mouth that opened so that the creature could unleash an unholy screech, like that of a banshee (LV 7: ATK 2200).

"Cool…" said Anthony, taking in the massive monster, as Kan'u could only look in surprise.

"What the hell is that!?" asked the thief, taking a step back.

"My Insect Queen, and she has a very powerful special ability. Every Insect-type on the field, including her, grants her a boost of two hundred attack points."

Sure enough, the power of her Insect Queen slowly began to increase, until she became the strongest monster on the field (ATK 2200-2600).

"The only downside is that she must tribute a monster to declare an attack, but even so, she will still have enough power to pull off a victory!"

"Whatever. I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I summon my Cockroach Knight to the field!"

A cockroach in green armor appeared, wielding a sword and a shield that had an image of a crossed-out aerosol can (LV 3: ATK 800)(ATK 2600-2800).

"And next, I play my Multiplication of Ants, tributing my Cockroach Knight to Special Summon two Army Ant Tokens!"

A Spell Card appeared, showing a bunch of green ants, when Cockroach Knight then split apart, revealing two of those green ants (LV 4: ATK 500). Choun smirked as her Insect Queen gained even more power (ATK 2800-3000).

"Now I tribute one of my Army Ant Tokens so that Insect Queen May declare her powerful attack!"

One of the Army Ant Tokens then hopped in front of Insect Queen, who bit down on it with a sickening crunch, shattering the token (ATK 3000-2800).

"Okay, I didn't really need to see that," said Anthony, wincing as Insect Queen devoured its subject.

"And now, for the final attack! Queen's Toxic Breath!"

The monster then spat out a purple blast of energy that destroyed Launcher Spider, and sent the thief flying as he hit a wall, and fell to the ground, out cold. Anthony ad Kan'u quickly went to the unconscious thief, as they retrieved his cards, and Anthony checked them.

"Okay, all of my cards are here."

As soon as Anthony put his cards and Duel Disk back, the three conscious duelists heard approaching footsteps, and turned to see Bunshu and Ganryo coming towards them.

"We saw the explosions, and made our way here," explained Ganryo. "You guys okay?"

"Do not fear! Thanks to the effort of me, Butterfly Mask, this thief has been captured!" said Choun, pointing to the thief, who was slowly coming to.

"Whoa, a superhero!" said Bunshu, clearly excited. "Awesome!" The two of them then slung the thief over their shoulders, and began to carry him to the city jail.

"By the way, I'm guessing that you guys are in the tournament," said Ganryo.

"Correct," said Kan'u. "It's the only reason why we're here, actually."

"Well, the two of us are the ones to beat!" boasted Bunshu. "So you guys better be prepared!" And with that, the two En generals took off, and the two Kikai members turned to the masked woman.

"It's great to see you again, Choun," said Kan'u, which made Choun tilt her head.

"Who's Choun? My name is Butterfly Mask! I am the defender of the weak, the protector of justice, the light in the darkness!"

Anthony rolled his eyes, then walked up to her. "Yeah, I guess so. Nobody is as good as Choun. After all, dueling side by side with her? That was incredible. It's too bad that all we've got is Butterfly Mask."

"What?"

"Yeah, she was awesome! Man, I even remember when we took down that Gate Guardian! 'It's time to face the future! Go-'"

"PERFECT STEEL HURRICANE!"

Choun then put her hands over her mouth, her "cover" having been blown, as Anthony plucked off her mask with one fluid motion.

"How could you figure it out!? My disguise was perfect!"

Anthony cocked an eyebrow. "Really now?"

Choun let out a sigh. "Okay, it's me. It's nice to see you again. I heard that Pairen had been defeated, and so I came to En to enter the tournament, in order to avenge her. I certainly didn't expect to run into you guys again."

"Pairen was our friend as well, Choun. We came as well, for the same reasons as you," said Kan'u.

"Plus, it sounds like fun," said Anthony.

Choun smiled, then blushed. "So, Anthony, you look as good as ever."

Kan'u grabbed Anthony's hand. "And he's taken, remember?"

"Yeah, sorry. Aisha and I started going out not that long ago."

Choun pouted. "Damn. Well, all the good ones are. I suppose I shall see you in the tournament, correct?"

Anthony then put his free hand to his chin. "Actually, I have an idea. Do you remember the offer that I extended to you before you left, the first time we met?"

Choun nodded. "You asked me if I would like to join you as a general, correct?"

Anthony nodded. "Well, that offer is still on the table. Do you want to join the Kikai Kingdom?"

Choun smiled. "Well, I've had plenty of times to look at the other options, and I must say, this one looks like the best. I'll join your peerage."

"Alright! Welcome to the crew, Choun."

"Oh, and one last thing. You may call me by my secret name, Sei."

Anthony smiled. "That's fine by me, Sei." As Choun headed back to the inn, Anthony turned to Kan'u. "So, about that kiss?"

Kan'u smiled. "After all of that excitement? That's the best idea I've heard."

The two of them slowly approached each other, and once their lips touched, it felt like fireworks. It wasn't a particularly long kiss, or an intimate one, but it was their first. And that, to them, made it truly special. After about twenty seconds, they split apart.

"Man, that was great!" said Anthony, smiling.

"Thanks," said Kan'u. "You weren't too bad yourself."

"Ah, how romantic."

The both of them flinched, and turned to see Choun, who had apparently been watching them.

"What are you doing, Sei!? I thought you were going to the inn!"

"I know, Lord Anthony, but I heard the word 'kiss,' and I had to investigate." 'So, he's a good kisser, hm? I'll have to remember this."

Anthony groaned. "Let's just go back." And with that said and done, the couple, along with the newest general of Kikai, went back to the inn, in order to get a good night's sleep, and prepare for tomorrow, which was sure to be filled with excitement.

* * *

 **Yes, the title of the chapter is a reference to Spectacular Spider-Man. I just thought that I'd point it out, as it's a little harder to figure out than, say, my title for chapter thirteen, which was an obvious reference to The Wizard of Oz. So a lot happened in this chapter. Sei returned, debuting her "alter ego" and her new signature monster, Anthony and Kan'u kissed (yeah, unlike some other self-insert ship fics, I'm taking the romance slow, putting more focus on the action), and most importantly, Sei has officially joined Kikai! Also, I didn't bother to give the thief a name, for a reason. I'm sure most of you will figure that reason out in under an hour. Anyway, tomorrow begins the preliminaries, and after that, the first round shall begin! Starpion out!**

 **Edit 9/20/2018: Fixed the error with Pinch Hopper and Multiplication of Ants. Sorry for that, it won't happen again.**


	25. Preliminary Panic

"So, you say that you know this chick in the sailor outfit?"

Bacho was looking across from the newest member of the Kikai Kingdom, Choun Shiryu, who had run into Anthony and Kan'u for a second time the night before, although in the form of her alias, "Butterfly Mask." Currently, the nine duelists were eating breakfast at a nearby vendor so that they could go straight to the arena when they finished, with Choun having coated her rice in menma, which the cook found strange, but allowed it when she paid extra.

"Of course, or at least, four of them do. We met when Pairen required our aid with a group of bandits. And I must say, it was quite the experience to team up with Lord Anthony." She then scooted over to the man in question, who nervously swallowed his bite of chicken before he shuffled towards Kan'u, trying to avoid the flirty girl.

"Hm? Team up?"

"The two of us had a Tag Team Duel, Ren. It was pretty cool, my Machines teaming up with her Insects."

"Insects?" Kaku suddenly perked up, her favorite type having been mentioned.

"Of course," said Choun, pulling her deck out of her Duel Disk, and flipping through it, with Kaku and Ryofu looking at her monsters.

"Cool!" said Chohi, who also joined in, which made Choun smile in pride.

"Why, thank you very much, Rinrin."

"Hey, don't we have a tournament to compete in or something?"

Bacho's words made Anthony's eyes go wide. "Shit! We have to get going, ASAP!" He then slapped down a pile of copper coins. "Keep the change!" And with that, the nine made their way to the arena, as the qualifier was about to begin.

~KD~

"Welcome, one and all, to the En Kingdom's first ever Duel Monsters tournament!"

At the moment, the nine members of Kikai, as well as 23 other duelists who had entered the tournament, were standing in the middle of the massive arena, surrounded by cheering fans eager to watch some card games. Ensho was in her own private booth at the top of the arena, and a bespectacled girl with black hair, Chinrin Kosho, was speaking into a wooden spoon as though it were a microphone.

"Alright, here's how things are gonna go! We may have 32 duelists ready to throw down, but we need to trim that number down to sixteen by the end of the day! So to speed things up, we'll be having four duels at once, and once we've found our contenders, we'll reveal our first eight matchups, and the remaining duelists will bite and scratch their way to victory, until only one will be left standing! So without further delay, let's get down to business!"

~KD~

(Anthony: 100 LP)(Opponent: 800 LP)

At the moment, Anthony was in the middle of his first match against somebody who had a deck filled with cards based on natural disasters. He was in Block A, along with Bacho, Kannei, and Kochu. After this, there would be Block B, which had Sonken, Ryofu, Kan'u, and Totaku. Next was Block C, with Ganryo, Kaku, Rikuson, and Chohi. And last, but not least, there was Block D, which had Sonshoko, Bunshu, Choun (in her Butterfly Mask persona), and Shokatsuryo. The blocks had nothing to do with skill, but rather a random selection. And from what he could gather, the same applied to the regular matchups.

Currently, Anthony had just finished his turn. He had two set cards, and two monsters: Sword Slasher (LV 5: ATK 1450) and Pendulum Machine (LV 6: ATK 1750). His opponent had no cards on the field or in his hand, but judging by his face when he drew, that was about to change.

"I activate my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two new cards!"

As he added two new cards to his hand, the man suddenly smirked as he slapped a card onto the field, and three monsters appeared: a man in blue armor with two swords, one green and one purple (LV 3: ATK 1400), a weasel in a red scarf with the lower half of its body inside a tornado (LV 3: ATK 500), and a red and purple bird with eyes along its neck and wings (LV 4: ATK 1100). The three cards soon swirled together, as a dust devil began to form in the field.

"I banish my Seismic Crasher, Whirlwind Weasel, and Tornado Bird from my Graveyard to Special Summon my Desert Twister!"

From the sandstorm, a new beast emerged. Its lower half was hidden by the storm, unless the storm was its lower body, while the upper body was a mixture of brown, red, and yellow. It had muscular arms, a hood similar to a cobra, and a fanged mouth curved into a wicked smile (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"And now I activate its effect, discarding one card to destroy a Spell Card or Trap Card that you control!"

He then discarded the other card he drew with Pot of Greed, Gravelstorm, and his monster tossed a dust devil in the direction of Anthony's card on the right, which was revealed to be Widespread Ruin right before it shattered.

"And now, Desert Twister will destroy your Sword Slasher!"

The monster then whirled towards the duel-wielding robot, as Anthony smirked, before he pulled down his sunglasses.

"Time to face the future! I activate my Covering Fire, giving Sword Slasher the power of my Pendulum Machine!"

The two robots soon stood next to each other, blades at the ready (ATK 1450-3200). They then cut right through the Fiend-type, reducing his opponent's life points to zero (Opponent: 800-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"And with that, the first block has finished!" announced Chinrin. "Anthony Calem, Kochu Kansho, Bacho Moki, and Kannei Koha will be advancing to the first true round of the tournament! But don't go anywhere, folks, because in a few minutes, the second block shall begin!"

Anthony then left the main part of the arena and went into an area reserved for those who had won their duels, and was greeted by the other three who had won their matches.

"Alright, it looks like we'll be watching the action from here!" said Bacho, eagerly awaiting the next block.

"Congratulations on making it into the tournament, Lord Anthony," said Kochu, walking up to the Kikai lord.

"Hey, thanks! You too!"

Kochu smiled, and Kannei then pulled on Anthony's collar.

"Would you like to watch the other matches with me?" she asked in her usual deadpan tone.

"Why don't we watch them all together?" he responded. "All four of us."

Bacho and Kochu smiled at the extended invitation.

"Sweet! I'm in!"

"I would be honored to."

Anthony smiled, which made all three girls feel their cheeks become pink, as Anthony eagerly looked as the matches were about to start.

~KD~

"So, you're going to be my opponent?" asked Totaku, looking up at the taller man, who sneered at her before he activated his Duel Disk, which lacked any trim to make it stand out.

"Yes. I hope you don't disappoint me," said Dokuro, who looked down at the short girl who stood before him, upset that she was the first one to face. He was hoping for more of a challenge, someone to really get his blood pumping.

(Totaku: 4000 LP)(Dokuro: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" announced Totaku, drawing her sixth card. "I activate my Seed Cannon!"

An orange flower appeared on the field, with a rather thorny stem.

"Now whenever I summon a Plant-type monster, this card gains one Seed Counter! And now, I summon my Mystic Tomato!"

As a tomato with a malicious face appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1400), an orange bud grew from the flower, and Totaku ended her turn, as Dokuro drew his next card.

"That's it? Just one monster and one spell? I expected a bit more. My Dragon Zombie will wilt that tomato!"

Dokuro tossed the card onto his Duel Disk, the massive purple reanimated dragon appearing on the field with a loud roar (LV 3: ATK 1600).

"Now destroy that monster with your Deadly Zombie Breath!"

The decaying dragon exhaled a purple cloud that ate away at Totaku's monster, destroying it (Totaku: 4000-3800 LP).

"Thank you. By destroying my Mystic Tomato in battle, you've just let me Special Summon a DARK monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points! And I summon my Regenerating Rose!"

A dark purple portal appeared, and out of it came a rose with three roots for legs, a beak, four arms, and a long cape (LV 7: ATK 0). Another bud sprouted on Seed Cannon, bringing the total to two.

"A weak monster is all you have to show me? Pathetic. I end my turn."

Totaku then drew her next card.

"Perfect! I tribute my Regenerating Rose to summon my Gigaplant!"

The rose disappeared, replaced by the beastly blossom, as a third bud sprouted on the Seed Cannon (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" shouted Dokuro. "Come on, give me all you've got!"

"Okay then, since you asked so nicely!" Totaku replied earnestly. "Gigaplant, destroy his Dragon Zombie with your Floral Feeding!"

The monster shot out its tongue-like vines, and pulled the Zombie-type into its maw, crunching down on it (Dokuro: 4000-3200 LP). Totaku then ended her turn with that, prompting Dokuro to draw his next card.

"I set a monster, and one other card, and that's all for now!"

Totaku nodded, then drew her next card.

"You know, there's something I should tell you about my Gigaplant. You see, it's a unique kind of monster known as a Gemini Monster. When it's on the field, or in the Graveyard, it counts as a Normal Monster, but if it's on the field, I can Normal Summon it again as an Effect Monster! And I think I'll do that right now!"

The giant Plant-type let out a roar, as a fourth bud appeared on Seed Cannon.

"And now, I can use its effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Plant-type or Insect-type monster from my hand or Graveyard! And I pick another Gigaplant!"

Soon, yet another of the colossal flytraps made its grand debut (LV 6: ATK 2400). As this happened, yet another Seed Counter appeared, and Totaku smiled.

"Now I can destroy my Seed Cannon to deal five hundred points of damage for every Seed Counter it had on it!"

The main bud on the flower opened up, and a rapid fire blast of seeds shot out, blasting Dokuro directly (Dokuro: 3200-700 LP). However, the man began to chuckle.

"Ahhh, it feels so good."

Totaku was unnerved by his behavior, but continued the duel nonetheless.

"Um, anyway, my Gigaplant will attack your face-down monster!"

The monster went to bite down on the opposing card, when it was revealed to be a skeletal reaper in a purple cloak, which blocked the attack with its scythe (LV 3: DEF 200).

"Nice try, but my Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed by battle!"

Totaku sighed. "I end my turn."

"And I begin mine, starting with my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted!"

Suddenly, his Dragon Zombie returned to the field, drooling corrosive saliva (LV 3: ATK 1600).

"And now, I tribute both of my monsters to summon my greatest monster, Despair from the Dark!"

Both Dragon Zombie and Spirit Reaper were soon replaced by a shadowy black and red horned being with orange eyes, an orange mouth with pointy teeth, and clawed purple arms and legs (LV 8: ATK 2800). Totaku backed up slightly as she saw the huge Zombie-type looming over her, a sinister cackle coming from its mouth.

"Now, I'll destroy the Gigaplant that you made an Effect Monster! Despair from the Dark, attack with Shadow Catastrophe!"

The monster dug its right hand into the ground, as a clawed shadow made its way to one of Totaku's Gigaplants, then it emerged as a giant shadowy arm that crushed the Plant-type in its grip (Totaku: 3800-3400 LP).

"I now end my turn!"

Totaku frowned, but her expression brightened when she drew her next card. 'Wall of Thorns, perfect!' "I Normal Summon my Gigaplant, then use its special ability to summon Rainbow Flower from my hand!"

Soon, her Gigaplant was joined by the small multicolored flower (LV 2: ATK 400).

"What can that thing do against my Despair?" asked Dokuro incredulously.

"Nothing, but it can attack directly!"

And with that being said, Rainbow Flower fired the iridescent beam of light from its lone eye, which made Dokuro smile (Dokuro: 700-300 LP).

"And now, I set one card and end my turn!"

As Dokuro drew his next card, he began to cackle. "Perfect! I play my Heavy Storm, which destroys all Spell and Trap Cards in play! So your face-down is about to be blown away!"

A card showing the inside of a massive hurricane and various items and people it had picked up appeared, and a large windstorm destroyed both cards, much to Totaku's horror.

"And now, I play my Ectoplasmer!"

A Continuous Spell appeared, with an image of a red fiend having its soul removed.

"Now, during each of our End Phases, we have to tribute one monster, in order to deal damage equal to half of its attack points! Now, Despair from the Dark, destroy her Rainbow Flower!"

Totaku could only flinch in fear as the dark claw came down on her monster (Totaku: 3400-1000 LP).

"And now, I end my turn, which means that my Ectoplasmer activates!"

The Despair from the Dark suddenly became a white ethereal spirit, which flew towards the former emperor and phased through her, ending the game and her chances of competing (Totaku: 1000-0 LP)(Winner: Dokuro).

"Game over. Now move." Dokuro then pushed past her, as Totaku looked down before leaving the arena.

~KD~

"What the fuck!?"

Anthony was in shock. Totaku was already out!? He had expected all of them to be in the tournament together, but it looked like there had been a change in plans.

"Sweet," said Bacho, "it looks like Aisha and Ren are gonna be in the next round!"

"As well as Lord Renfa," said Kannei, a rare smile on her face.

"Yeah, but Yue lost to that guy, with the Zombies. Who is he?"

"I've seen him around here before," said Kochu, being careful not to reveal too much about herself. "His name is Dokuro, and he's one of Lord Reiha's new generals."

Anthony cocked an eyebrow at "Lord Reiha," while the others were greeting their friends as they entered the reserved area, with the exception of Dokuro, who simply sat down by himself, with Anthony's eyes trailing him until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He jerked around, only to see Kan'u, who had recoiled due to his sudden movement.

"Anthony? Are you okay?"

Anthony took a deep breath. "Yeah, it's just, that guy who beat Yue, he seems…dangerous."

"Well, his Duel Disk is different than that of you-know-who," said his girlfriend, who was trying to avoid letting anyone out of Anthony's personal circle find out about Tanoshi. "So he's not allied with him. He's probably just an unpleasant person, nothing more, nothing less."

Anthony sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Now let's watch the third block."

Kan'u smiled and wrapped her arm around Anthony's waist, with him returning the favor, while Dokuro, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation from afar, simply smirked.

'They have no idea what they're up against. Our lord will be pleased.' He then turned his attention to the duel between Kaku and his partner on this mission, Yokai.

~KD~

(Kaku: 4000 LP)(Yokai: 4000 LP)

"So, you're my opponent, huh? Interesting. I've heard that you're quite the brilliant mind," said Yokai, as Kaku drew.

"Save the flattery for after the duel!" she snapped, as she tossed a card onto her Duel Disk. "I set one monster, then I play my Book of Taiyou to change it into attack mode!"

Her monster then rose up, revealing itself to be an odd humanoid figure with detached limbs made of blue and orange stone, as it suddenly became stronger (LV 4: ATK 1900-2400).

"And whenever my Slate Warrior is flipped face-up, it gains five hundred attack and defense points! I end my turn with that!"

Yokai smirked as he drew a new card. "Well, you certainly started off strong. But how does it feel to have it undone with a single card? I activate my Soul Taker, which destroys your monster, with the cost of you gaining one thousand life points!"

The new card depicted a wizard stealing the soul of a goblin, as a yellow orb, presumably a soul, left Slate Warrior, who collapsed in a heap and exploded (Kaku: 4000-5000 LP).

"And now, for my Gold Sarcophagus, which lets me banish a card from my deck and add it to my hand on my second Standby Phase after I activated it!"

A golden sarcophagus, with the Millennium Symbol on it, appeared on the field, as the door slowly slid open. A card then went into it, and the sarcophagus closed.

"And now that that's done, I summon my Asura Priest!"

The new monster was a gray-skinned asura, a creature from Hinduism that had four faces and six arms. It had long blue hair, a red robe, and various golden bands along its body (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now, attack directly with Daggers of Demise!"

The Spirit Monster then materialized a throwing knife in each of its hands, and threw the six small blades at Kaku (Kaku: 5000-3300 LP).

"I end my turn by setting a single card. And since my Asura Priest is a Spirit Monster, it returns to my hand." And like clockwork, his monster faded away, as though it was never there.

Kaku drew her next card in frustration, and smirked when she saw her new card.

"I summon my 4-Starred Ladybug of Doom to the field!"

The next monster that she had brought out was a ladybug with purple wings, with two green stars on each of them (LV 3: ATK 800).

"Now attack directly!"

The ladybug flew at Yokai and bit him, causing him to shake it off in annoyance (Yokai: 4000-3200 LP).

"And now I play Book of Moon, to switch my Ladybug of Doom into face-down defense mode!"

As the monster set itself, Kaku ended her turn, as Yokai drew.

"I summon my Susa Soldier to the field!"

The new monster was an ethereal warrior with white hair and a double-edged sword crackling with red lightning (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Now, cut down that Ladybug of Doom!"

As the monster swung its blade, an arc of lightning racing towards it, Kaku smiled.

"Ha! Once my Ladybug is flipped, all level four monsters are destroyed! So I hope that you didn't need that monster!"

Yokai smirked with a wicked glee. "Are you sure? I activate Royal Command, which negates the effects of all Flip Monsters!"

Kaku could only look on in horror as she saw a card depicting a king ordering an army of knights, and saw her monster be destroyed without its effect activating (LV 3: DEF 1200).

"Your pain, it feels fantastic. And I'm sure that as the duel progresses, it shall only increase, which has me euphoric," said Yokai as he set a card, not breaking eye contact with his opponent as his monster returned to his hand, and he ended his turn. Kaku shrunk back in fear of the sadist's words, as she drew her next card, and to her rotten luck, all of her cards were Monster Cards. However, she could still fight back.

"I summon my Rigorous Reaver in attack mode!"

As the monster appeared with a twirl of its scythe (LV 3: ATK 1600), Yokai played his Trap Card, which showed the monster Yata-Garasu pecking off parts of a gemstone.

"I activate my Legacy of Yata-Garasu, letting me draw one new card!"

He drew his next card, smiling as he saw what it was, as Kaku continued her turn.

"Now, attack!"

The monster swung its blade straight through Yokai, who remained unperturbed (Yokai: 3200-1600 LP).

"With that, my turn is done," she said.

"I draw! And now, the card that I selected with Gold Sarcophagus is added to my hand!" The sarcophagus opened up and gave him the card before disappearing, and he smiled as he played his new card.

"I activate my Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, which prevents me from having to send Spirit Monsters back to my hand, as long as I discard a card during each of my End Phases. Now, I summon my Susa Soldier!"

As a card depicting some sort of machine that appeared to be trapping a ghost appeared, his Thunder-type returned to the field (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And while it may only deal half of the amount of damage that would be dealt in battle, it can still damage you! Attack!"

The monster cut right through the demonic scarecrow without fail (Kaku: 3300-3100 LP).

"And to keep my card active, I discard my Fushi No Tori!"

As he discarded his Spirit Monster, Kaku drew her next card and, of course, all she had were monsters.

"Damn rotten luck. I set one monster and end my turn."

"Then I begin mine! I summon Asura Priest!"

The six-armed war god reappeared, ready to strike (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Susa Soldier, destroy that monster! Asura Priest, attack directly!"

The Thunder-type slashed through the monster, which turned out to be Man-Eater Bug (LV 2: DEF 600). Kaku then shielded herself from the daggers thrown by the Fairy-type (Kaku: 3100-1400 LP).

"I end my turn, and discard my Tsukuyomi to keep Spiritual Energy Settle Machine on the field."

Kaku drew, then set her newly drawn monster. "I end my turn."

Yokai snickered. "Excellent! I've won! My monsters will both attack!"

Susa Soldier plowed through her monster, Fire Sorcerer (LV 4: DEF 1500), and one last attack from Asura Priest ended the game, as Anthony and Kan'u could only watch in horror from afar (Kaku: 1400-0 LP)(Winner: Yokai).

~KD~

"Well, there you have it folks!" announced Chinrin, as the sixteen remaining duelists stood in the arena. "These sixteen are the true competitors, ready to face each other for the gold, the glory, and some great games! And now, for our matchups for the first true round tomorrow!"

"Anthony Calem versus Dokuro!"

Anthony felt his eyes pop out of his skull as he turned to Dokuro, as the masochist smiled. 'I have to face that guy right out of the gate!? This is gonna be tougher than I thought!'

"Chohi Yokutoku versus Bacho Moki!"

Chohi and Bacho turned to each other, smiling, eagerly awaiting their duel.

"Sonshoko versus Sonken Chubo!"

"What!?" Sonshoko then turned to her big sister, surprised that they would have to duel so soon.

"Kan'u Uncho versus Yokai!"

Kan'u shuddered at the thought of having to face someone who used Spirit Monsters, especially someone so needlessly cruel.

"Kannei Koha versus Butterfly Mask!"

"Aha! It appears that you shall be the one who is fortunate enough to be graced by the Scaled Savior, Butterfly Mask!" said Choun, pointing to an uninterested Kannei.

"Bunshu versus Rikuson Hakugen!"

The two duelists turned to each other, and nodded in each other's direction, both wearing wide smiles.

"Ganryo versus Ryofu Hosen!"

Ganryo looked over to Ryofu, who simply stared at Chinrin.

"And finally, Kochu Kansho versus Shokatsuryo Komei!"

"Well, it seems like the two of us shall be facing each other. I wish you best of luck," said the busty purple-haired woman to the petite blonde girl.

"Alright, everybody, better get up bright and early tomorrow, because tomorrow, things are gonna get crazy!"

* * *

 **And just like that, the tournament begins! I'm not gonna go over Chinrin's age, as it really isn't that important. Also, just in case you don't know, I didn't make her up, she's a Koihime Musou character, who only appeared in the anime. Before I go, Yokai's deck. It's pretty obvious why he uses Spirit Monsters, given his name is literally the word for a Japanese spirit, and his getup. Starpion out!**


	26. First Round Showdown

Later that night, Anthony was on his bed, trying to organize his cards, while Kan'u, already having built her deck, was simply lying awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Okay, so my opponent uses Zombie-types. Seeing that he uses Despair from the Dark, I should probably leave out my Card Destruction, unless I want him to Special Summon a level eight monster. Hm, he's probably going to rely on having strong monsters, so I should use defensive cards like Battle Footballer and Nightmare's Steelcage, as well as cards that can turn his strength against him, like Blast Sphere and Reflect Bounder. Hey, Aisha, what do you think?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Lord Anthony, I wasn't paying attention. I guess I'm a little worried about my own opponent. His deck is filled with spirits, which is the one thing that I hate more than anything. To face him so soon must be a curse of some sort!"

Anthony sighed. "Well, I guess I'm done." He then slipped his deck and his extra cards into his respective deck holders, and was about to go into his bed, when Kan'u piped up.

"Hold on. Since we're both so nervous about our opponents tomorrow, maybe we should comfort each other."

"What do you mean, Aisha? Like, cuddle?"

Kan'u patted her right hand on her bed. "Why don't we sleep in the same bed, at least for tonight? I promise, on my honor, that I won't try anything."

Anthony gave her a soft smile. "Anything for you." He then hopped into her bed, and the two simply cuddled for a bit before they fell asleep in each other's arms, sweet dreams repelling their paranoia.

~KD~

"Man, this is gonna be so cool, Rinrin! My Beast-Warriors against your Beasts! It's like a match made in heaven!"

"Rinrin knows, Sui! I'm so excited, I might just explode!"

While the couple in the adjacent room was feeling nervous about who they would be facing in the first true round of the tournament, Chohi and Bacho were actually pretty excited to duel each other. They both got along extremely well, having rather similar personalities. And while they didn't expect to take each other on so soon, they were still eager.

"Sui, don't you dare go easy on Rinrin, or you'll make me mad!" said Chohi, cheeks puffed up.

"No problem, Rinrin, I wasn't counting on it! I'll give it a hundred and ten percent!"

Chohi smiled, and the two of them went to bed, looking forward to the next day.

~KD~

"Alright, everybody! It's time to get the first official En Kingdom Tournament off to its official start with our first duel! In our first match, we've got the Soldier of Skulls, the Overlord of the Undead, General Dokuro of En!"

Upon Chinrin's announcement, Dokuro stepped onto the field, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. Anthony looked at him nervously, before he turned to the stands, where he saw his peerage, as well as Sonken and her peerage, who were smiling at him, giving him their support. He took a deep breath, and when he heard Chinrin begin her advertisement of his skills, he strode forward.

"And next up, it's the Monarch of Metal, the famous Messenger from Heaven, who took down Totaku and was nice enough to let Lord Ensho take this land where we stand today, it's the lord of the Kikai Kingdom, Anthony Calem!"

Anthony walked in, arms folded behind his head, as Dokuro chuckled.

"The Messenger from Heaven, hm? I'll just have to send you to hell!"

"Don't count on it!" Anthony replied, activating his Duel Disk.

"Are both opponents ready? Good! Now, to determine the turn order, both players will play a game of rock-paper-scissors, and the winner gets to decide whether they go first or second!"

Both duelists walked up to each other, shook their fists three times, and shot. Anthony smiled, his scissors beating Dokuro's paper, as both players returned to their original positions.

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Dokuro: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" said Anthony, drawing his card. "I set one monster, then two more cards before I send things over to you!"

"Excellent!" cried Dokuro as he drew. "I summon my Gernia to the field!"

His new monster was quite the disturbing creature, and a few children in the audience actually began to cry. It was a rather warped zombie with white and purple flesh, as well as hideous features like clawed hands and feet, a tail, and a warped mouthless head with white horns, which on closer examination might have actually been teeth, and six violet eyes, four on its head, two on its chest (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Oh my, what a creepy card! Just looking at it is giving me goosebumps!" commented Chinrin. "Who knows what kind of power it has?"

"Now, I'll equip my monster with Violet Crystal, making it even stronger!"

The jagged purple rock appeared behind the Zombie-type and began to glow, as the monster's eyes started glowing as well (ATK 1300-1600).

"Now attack, my monster!"

The decaying demon leapt towards the defending monster and swung its claw, only for the monster, Blast Sphere, to latch onto it (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"What's this!? It seems like Lord Anthony's monster has somehow grabbed hold of Gernia, and doesn't look like it's gonna let go!" commented Chinrin.

"Rinrin knows that monster! Big bro used it to beat the lady with the spinny hair!" said Chohi.

"You mean Lord Soso, Rinrin," said Kan'u, making Sonshoko gasp. He had beaten Soso in a duel!? But she was one of the best duelists that she knew, aside from Sonsaku and Shuyu! Just who was Anthony Calem?

"That's my Blast Sphere, which will detonate on your next Standby Phase and deal damage equal to your monster's attack points! So thanks for making it even stronger!"

"Well, not if I play my Ectoplasmer, it won't!" But as soon as Dokuro activated the Continuous Spell, Anthony activated his own card.

"No can do, because my Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy that card before you get a chance to activate its effect!"

As the blue whirlwind ripped the card into pixels, Dokuro activated another Continuous Spell.

"Well, now I play my Everliving Underworld Cannon, which will deal eight hundred points of damage once per turn when a Zombie-type monster is Special Summoned!"

A new card appeared, looking like a green pod made from various skulls, attached to the ground by chains and having a cannon barrel.

"Now I set one card and end my turn!"

Anthony drew his next card, and smiled. "Sweet! I summon my Bowganian to the field!" His eyelike robot entered the field, ready to go (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"And now I end my turn!"

"Amazing!" said Chinrin. "His monsters truly are one of a kind! And now, Dokuro's monster is about to meet its maker!"

Blast Sphere then exploded, taking poor Gernia and Violet Crystal with it (Dokuro: 4000-2400 LP).

"Ah, the pain, it feels amazing! So much so, that I want to share it! I summon my Fear from the Dark!"

Dokuro's new monster looked like a smaller version of his best monster, what with the shadowy body, the purple arms, and the simple yet frightening face (LV 4: ATK 1700). However, it wouldn't be out for much longer.

"I activate my Compulsory Evacuation Device, sending your monster back to the hand!"

Anthony's trap showed the monster Giga Gagagigo being ejected from the top of some high-tech building, as suddenly, Fear from the Dark went right back to its owner's hand.

"Hmph! Well, I activate my Book of Life, in order to bring back my Gernia and banish your Blast Sphere from your Graveyard! And since I'm Special Summoning a Zombie-type, you take damage!"

Sure enough, a card showing a green Egyptian spellbook appeared, as did the Zombie-type that had been destroyed that turn (LV 4: ATK 1300), as Anthony took his Blast Sphere out of his Graveyard and put it in the pocket on his satchel.

"What a turnaround! Anthony's monster may have taken Dokuro's with it," said Chinrin, yelling into the spoon, "but Gernia managed to crawl back out, while Blast Sphere was dragged further down!"

After she finished, Everliving Underworld Cannon suddenly began to glow white, as the barrel shot a white ethereal projectile shaped like a skull, which phased through Anthony as it hit him (Anthony: 4000-3200 LP).

"AHHH! GHOST!" screamed Kan'u, jumping back in her seat.

"Wait," said Sonshoko, "that scared you, but not that horrifying monster?"

"Ghosts and zombies are not the same thing! Zombies can't possess you, or turn invisible, and they can be touched!" replied Kan'u, defending her biggest fear.

"And now, I end my turn."

"Sweet! I draw! And on my Standby Phase, Bowganian deals six hundred points of damage! Go, Crossbow of Calamity!"

The Machine-type aimed its crossbow and let loose a metal bolt that struck Dokuro, who grinned as the holographic arrow hit its mark (Dokuro: 2400-1800 LP).

"Come on, Anthony, you've got him! Keep it up!" cheered Totaku, partially because she was simply a nice and supportive person, and partially because his opponent was the one who had beaten her so mercilessly.

"Not a problem!" said Anthony, hearing his maid's request. "I summon my Overdrive to the field!"

The green army vehicle drove onto the field before it screeched to a halt right next to Bowganian (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, I'll have it attack your Gernia! Blast it, Overdrive!"

The monster fired up its Gatling gun and unleashed a rain of bullets that shattered Gernia into pixels (Dokuro: 1800-1500 LP).

"Now I'll attack directly with my Bowganian!"

But just as the DARK monster had Dokuro in its sight once again, the Zombie duelist played his face-down card.

"I activate my Call of the Haunted, in order to bring back my Gernia!"

Once again, the Zombie-type returned to the field (LV 4: ATK 1300), and the Underworld Cannon fired another skull blast at Anthony (Anthony: 3200-2400 LP).

"Bowganian, stop your attack!" This order made Bacho raise an eyebrow, as the Machine-type ceased its attack.

"Why didn't he attack? He could have taken down that thing!"

"And his Bowganian, which means he couldn't deal damage during his Standby Phases anymore," explained Shokatsuryo.

"Pretty smart…" said Kannei, with Ryofu nodding.

"But he needs to keep it on the field for another turn for that to happen," said Choun, as Anthony ended his turn, and Dokuro drew his next card.

"I think you'll find my next monster to be pretty familiar! Come on out, Fear from the Dark!"

Sure enough, the shadowy Zombie-type appeared on the field, letting out an evil laugh (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now, my Fear will attack your Overdrive with Shadow Claw, and my Gernia will take out Bowganian!"

His Fear from the Dark plunged its hand into the ground, as a shadowy claw glided across the field and under Overdrive, where it came out, tearing through the monster from under it and shattering it (Anthony: 2400-2300 LP). Then, Gernia went up to Bowganian and grabbed it from either side, attempting to crush it. Bowganian managed to shakily lift its bowgun and fire a single shot in the gut of the Zombie-type, and both monsters were destroyed.

"What a play, folks! While he lost one of his own monsters in the process, General Dokuro just completely cleared his opponent's field!"

Dokuro smirked as he ended his turn while Chinrin provided the recap, and Anthony drew his next card.

'This should keep me in the game a little longer.' "I set one monster and one other card, and that's it for me."

"Uh oh, it looks like Lord Anthony's having some trouble," said Rikuson.

"Don't worry, he can handle it," said Choun.

"For his sake," said Sonken as Dokuro drew his next card, "I hope you're right about that."

"Alright, I summon my Zombie Master!"

His newest monster looked like a pale man with a ghastly grin wearing a baggy beige shirt, faded red pants, and a black tattered cloak (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, I play its effect! Once per turn, I can discard a monster to Special Summon a level four or lower Zombie-type monster from either Graveyard! So I discard my Goblin Zombie to bring back my Gernia with Forbidden Necromancy!"

The Zombie Master let out a wicked laugh as it fired a purple blast of magic at the ground, and out popped a hand, as well as the head of Gernia, who slowly crawled out of its resting place (LV 4: ATK 1300). As soon as it returned, Everliving Underworld Cannon fired a spectral blast at Anthony (Anthony: 2300-1500 LP).

"Wow," said Chinrin, "you cannot keep that monster down, can you? This card has been summoned four times now!"

"Zombie Master, destroy his monster!"

The wicked bokor soon fired a purple bolt of lightning between its hands, and a skull formed inside of it. The monster then fired the skull at Anthony's monster, which turned out to be Giga-Tech Wolf (LV 4: DEF 1400). But as soon as the Machine-type left the field, Anthony activated his face-down.

"I activate Time Machine, which will revive my monster exactly how it was on the field!"

The time machine emerged, and with a blast of steam, the doors opened, and the Machine-type pounced out before crouching down (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"Grr...attack, my monsters!"

Fear from the Dark slashed the mechanical wolf into pixels with an umbral claw, and a swipe from Gernia brought Anthony's life points dangerously low (Anthony: 1500-200 LP).

"Now, I end my turn."

Anthony slowly drew his next card, and after getting a good look at it, he brought down his sunglasses, and placed it onto his Duel Disk.

"I summon my Reflect Bounder!"

The mirror-coated machine appeared on the field, hands outstretched (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Hawawa, that card might be able to win Anthony the duel," said Shokatsuryo.

"Now attack that Gernia with Mysterious Mirror Ray!"

His monster blasted the Zombie-type into oblivion with a beam of light (Dokuro: 1500-1100 LP).

"And that ends my turn!"

"Now I draw!" Dokuro looked at the card he had drawn, Tutan Mask, before he pointed at Reflect Bounder.

"Zombie Master, take care of that eyesore!"

This caused Anthony to laugh.

"Hm? What's so funny?"

"I just won! By attacking my Reflect Bounder, you now take damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

Dokuro began to panic as the mirror on the Machine-type's chest began to glow, and it suddenly fired a blinding ray of light.

"It's time to face the future!" Anthony shouted as the laser struck Dokuro, who was knocked backwards (Dokuro: 1100-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"And that's a wrap, everybody! Anthony Calem will be moving on to the quarterfinals tomorrow!" said Chinrin over the cheering crowd. Anthony lifted his sunglasses as he went over to Dokuro.

'Heavenly…' thought the masochist as Anthony stretched out his hand.

"That was a great duel," said the Messenger from Heaven.

"Yeah, it was," said Dokuro, who got up on his own, ignoring his opponent's attempt to help, and walked away.

~KD~

After about half an hour had passed, it was time for the next match, as Anthony took his seat in the bleachers next to Kan'u, while Chohi and Bacho were in the arena, waiting for Chinrin to announce their names.

"Alright folks, after the last exciting match, here's a duel that will surely get your blood pumping! First up, although she's small, she's got the ferocity of a tiger and the strength of a bear! Her Beasts will leave you breathless! It's General Chohi Yokutoku from Kikai!"

Chohi walked into the arena with her signature smile, waving to and greeting the cheering fans.

"Hi, hi!"

"And her opponent, the oldest of three born to the lord of Ryoshu, she's a fierce fighter who wants to make it to the top, and her mighty Beast-Warriors will help her get there!"

"Huh," said Anthony from the sidelines, "I didn't know Sui had siblings. I'll have to ask her about it later."

"Please welcome, General Bacho Moki from Kikai!"

Bacho entered the arena, smiling as she did. She then walked up to Chohi with her right arm extended.

"May the best duelist win."

"Okay, Sui!"

They then shook each other's hand, then played a quick game of rock-paper-scissors to decide the order, which Chohi won, her rock beating Bacho's scissors.

"Hmm…Rinrin will go second!"

(Bacho: 4000 LP)(Chohi: 4000 LP)

"You'll regret that!" declared Bacho, drawing her next card. "I summon my Tiger Axe!"

The anthropomorphic tiger appeared with a roar (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And now, I set one card and end my turn!"

"Okay! Rinrin draws! And I summon Inaba White Rabbit!"

The fountain and the white rabbit spirit appeared on the field (LV 2: ATK 700), as Kan'u, in the crowd, suddenly grabbed Anthony's hand for comfort.

"Ooh, Chohi has just summoned a Spirit Monster, folks!" said Chinrin. "These unique monsters are sent back to the hand on the turn that they're summoned, but make up for it with amazing effects!"

"Rinrin now plays her Wild Nature's Release, boosting her bunny by its defense points!"

The Spirit Monster began to glow red, as it gained an extra bit of power (ATK 700-1200). Anthony winced as his girlfriend tightened her grip, knowing full well that she was significantly stronger than he was.

"And my bunny can attack directly too! Go, attack!"

As the bunny hopped towards Bacho, she activated her face-down.

"I activate my Trap Card, Skill Drain! Now I can pay a thousand life points to negate the effects of all monsters on the field! So now, you can't attack directly!"

Her card flipped up, and suddenly, Inaba White Rabbit became solid (Bacho: 4000-3000 LP). Anthony cradled his hand as Kan'u released her iron grip. She then turned to him as he exhaled in pain.

"Oh my god, are you okay? I didn't know that I would hurt you, I'm so sorry!"

Anthony smiled. "Don't worry, babe. Let's just watch Rinrin and Sui for now, I'll be fine."

"Ah, Skill Drain! This card will certainly make things interesting! Now all monsters on both sides can't use their effects on the field! This might make things harder for Chohi, but since it's in her deck, Bacho must have a workaround!"

"Rinrin ends her turn by setting a card." And as she did, the effect of Wild Nature's Release destroyed Inaba White Rabbit.

"Okay, I draw! And I summon my Panther Warrior!"

The anthropomorphic panther landed on the field, letting out a roar and brandishing its sword (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And while normally I would need to tribute a monster to have it attack, thanks to Skill Drain, I don't need to! Attack directly with Panther Slash!"

As the monster swung its cutlass at Chohi, she played her face-down.

"I activate my Scapegoat, summoning four fluffy Sheep Tokens to the field in defense mode!"

The four tiny sheep floated onto the field, protecting their owner (LV 1: DEF 0). Panther Warrior swiftly cut down the orange token, and Bacho had her Tiger Axe cut down the pink one.

"Well, you managed to save yourself for now, Rinrin. I end my turn."

"Okay! Rinrin draws, then plays Polymerization to Fusion Summon Chimera!"

Her Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and Berfomet briefly appeared before getting sucked into a vortex, and Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast popped out (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"Now Rinrin attacks Panther Warrior! Go, Pulverizing Pounce!"

The winged Fusion Monster pounced the Beast-Warrior, knocking it to the ground and shattering it (Bacho: 3000-2900 LP).

"Now Rinrin plays De-Fusion, to send Chimera back and Special Summon her other monsters!"

Her monster then disappeared, and her other monsters joined her Sheep Tokens (LV 5: ATK 1400)(LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now attack!"

Her Gazelle roared and ripped right through Tiger Axe, shattering it into pixels (Bacho: 2900-2700 LP). Then her Berfomet swiped at Bacho, dealing massive damage to her (Bacho: 2700-1300 LP).

"That ends Rinrin's turn!"

"Okay! I draw! And I play my Sogen!"

Bacho opened her Field Spell Zone, and slipped a card into it. As this happened, the field suddenly became a massive grassland, with everything up to Chinrin's booth becoming covered in grass.

"Whoa! With that Field Spell, the whole arena has changed!"

"She's telling us," said Sonken.

"Now all of my Beast-Warriors gain two hundred attack and defense points! And next, I summon my Beast King Barbaros!"

Her mighty ace monster appeared with a mighty roar (LV 8: ATK 3000-3200).

"And the best part? It doesn't lose any power, because of my Skill Drain!"

Anthony let out a low whistle from the bleachers. "Man, is she using that card effectively or what?" Ryofu nodded, clearly impressed herself.

"Alright, Beast King Barbaros! Attack her Berfomet with your Crag Spear!"

The monster roared and plunged its lance into the ground, releasing various sediments. It then pulled out its weapon and raised it, as the sediments swarmed to the lance and soon, it was coated in rock. The monster then charged at Berfomet, the stone-covered lance impaling and destroying the multi-armed Fiend-type (Chohi: 4000-2200 LP).

Anthony's jaw hung open. "Holy shit! That was awesome!"

Bacho saw his reaction, and attempted to hide her slight blush. 'Thanks, Anthony.' "I end my turn!"

Chohi drew, then turned her Gazelle so that the card was horizontal, as her monster crouched down (DEF 1200).

"Rinrin ends her turn."

"Alright! I draw! And I summon my Battle Ox!"

The minotaur let out a loud bellow as it joined Beast King Barbaros (LV 4: ATK 1700-1900).

"Now take out those tokens with Crag Spear and Axe Slam Attack!"

With both of their respective attacks, the Beast-Warriors made short work of the Sheep Tokens.

"And now, I end my turn!"

Chohi drew, and when she saw what she got, her smile grew as wide as it possibly could.

"It looks like she's drawn something good," said Choun, noticing her reaction.

"Rinrin tributes Gazelle to summon Behemoth!"

Her monster was soon replaced by something much bigger and much more ferocious. It was a massive pink beast with a huge mane of purple hair down its back, with sharp teeth and claws, spiked elbows, and curved horns. This was her strongest card, Behemoth the King of All Animals (LV 7: ATK 2700).

"And just like your monster, Rinrin can summon him for one less tribute with less power, but Skill Drain keeps him strong!"

Bacho wasn't really paying attention to that, however. "Holy crap, that thing is huge!"

Similarly, Anthony was shocked by the massive Behemoth. "When did she get that card!?"

"Rinrin's always had it," said Kan'u.

"Seriously!?"

"Rinrin equips her monster with Beast Fangs!"

The Beast-type had its fangs grow and turn golden (ATK 2700-3000).

"Whoa, for someone so sweet, she's really pulling out all the stops!" announced Chinrin.

"Now attack!"

Her monster obeyed, running up to Battle Ox and grabbing it in its teeth, before shaking it like a rag doll and shattering it between its jaws (Bacho: 1300-200 LP).

"Rinrin's done!"

Bacho looked at her deck. If she wanted to win this round, she needed a monster with at least 1800 attack points. She slowly lifted the top card from her deck and looked at it.

"Oh yeah. This'll do. It was a good effort, Rinrin, but it's all over now! I summon my Exarion Universe!"

Soon, her Barbaros was joined by a powerful centaur. Its horse body had brown fur, while the human half had green skin, and its torso, the back of the horse body, and its head were all adorned in metallic blue armor and a helmet with a long purple plume that resembled a horse's mane. Its left hand held a shield with a sharp tip at the bottom, and in its right was a spear with a red tip (LV 4: ATK 1800-2000).

"Oh my!" cried Chinrin. "With that monster, it looks like Bacho's gonna take this match by storm!"

"Beast King Barbaros, destroy that Behemoth! Exarion Universe, attack directly!"

Her huge Beast-Warrior summoned a stone covering for its lance and charged the Beast with a powerful charge, with the Behemoth attempting to match its power, but in the end, it proved fruitless as the mighty creature of myth was destroyed (Chohi: 2200-2000 LP). Chohi soon found herself face-to-face with the smaller monster, which slashed at her with its spear (Chohi: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Bacho).

"And that's it!" said Chinrin as the holograms faded away. "Bacho Moki will be advancing to the quarterfinals!"

Bacho walked up to Chohi with a smile on her face.

"Sorry that you got beaten so soon, Rinrin."

Chohi simply beamed, not disappointed that she lost. "But Rinrin came really close! And at least I lost to a friend!"

"I like you, Rinrin. Not a whole lot gets you down."

"Nope!"

"I'm a little disappointed that Rinrin was beaten so soon, but even so, she put up a great fight," Kan'u said from the sidelines.

"She sure did!" said Anthony, before he turned to the Son sisters. "And the next duel's gonna be even better!"

* * *

 **Not a whole lot of author's notes, just some shameless self-advertisement. Recently, I've uploaded a new omake, so feel free to check it out if you want to see Elemental HEROes and Destiny HEROes duke it out! Or, you know, watch Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 10/1/2018: fixed error of Beast King Barbaros's effect.**


	27. Fighting Spirit

"Alright everybody! Are you all doing good! Great! Then without further ado, it's time for our next match!"

The crowd began to cheer at Chinrin's words, as everybody was at the edge of their seat, eagerly awaiting the next duel.

"First up, it's the middle daughter of the great Sonken Bundai, and the leader of the mighty Go Kingdom! Give a round of applause for the Lotus Queen, Lord Sonken Chubo!"

Sonken strode into the arena with pride, a soft smile on her face as the crowd began to cheer for her.

'So this must be what it was like for Sheren.'

"Go Lord Renfa!" cheered Rikuson, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"You know, with the kingdom being named 'Go,' that must get really confusing," Anthony joked to Kannei, which made her blush a little and smile.

"And facing her, is actually her younger sister! The youngest of the Son Family, she wowed the audience during the preliminary round with her mighty Guardian monsters! Please welcome the Lotus Princess, Sonshoko!"

Sonshoko skipped onto the field, ready to duel.

"I still can't believe that the two sisters have to duel each other so soon," said Totaku. "It doesn't seem right."

"Ah, it's just for fun!" said Bacho. "I've dueled my dad, my cousin, and my sisters plenty of times with no hard feelings."

"That reminds me," said Anthony, "you never told me you had sisters."

"You never asked! I have two little sisters, Ruo and So. They're in Ryoshu with my dad."

"Huh. Well, it looks like those two sisters are starting." And true to his word, the Son sisters were having a match of rock-paper-scissors to decide who went first. After a tie where they both did paper, Sonshoko's scissors managed to beat Sonken, who did paper again, and made up her mind to go first.

(Sonshoko: 4000 LP)(Sonken: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And now I end my turn by setting one monster."

"Then it's my turn now," announced Sonken, drawing her next card, which turned out to be Blue-Eyes. She tucked it into her hand for now, selecting a different card. "I summon my Vorse Raider!"

Her new monster was a tall, muscular beastman, with sharp teeth and tanned skin. It wore black leather armor with purple orbs and green trim, with a red fang-like jewel hanging from its neck and a leather headdress with four long spikes. In its hands was a polearm that resembled a naginata or a glaive, but it had a handle right behind the bottom of the blade, making it function more like an axe (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Huh, I didn't know that she used Beast-Warrior-type monsters like me!" exclaimed Bacho.

"Not exclusively," said Anthony, having seen her deck firsthand and knowing much better.

"Her deck is far more versatile," explained Kannei cryptically.

"Vorse Raider, attack that monster with Marauder Chop!"

Her monster did as it was told, and swung its axe at the monster, which was revealed to be a man in a blue cloak (LV 4: DEF 1600). Before he was destroyed, he was shown to summon a bow in his hand.

"Thanks, Renfa! When Arsenal Summoner is flipped, I can add a Guardian monster from my deck to my hand! And I pick my Guardian Ceal!"

As Sonshoko added the card to her deck, Sonken ended her turn, and her little sister drew.

"I equip my Shooting Star Bow - Ceal to your Vorse Raider!"

The Beast-Warrior soon held the bow, as its attack fell (ATK 1900-900).

"What a move! Sonshoko has equipped her opponent's monster with one of her Equip Spells, and in doing so, has actually made it weaker!"

Sonshoko smiled at the recap. "It's about to get even better! I summon Guardian Ceal!"

Her guardian appeared on the field with a mighty roar (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I equip my monster with Butterfly Dagger - Elma, and discard one card to equip it with Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou!"

The monster soon found itself holding a green dagger with a butterfly model on the hilt and a large flamberge with a purple hilt (ATK 1700-2500).

"Now I activate Ceal's effect, sending my Butterfly Dagger to the Graveyard to destroy one of your monsters!"

Guardian Ceal then heated up its hands, making them glow orange, and crushed the dagger in them (ATK 2500-2200). When it was done, it had reforged the dagger into an arrow, which it notched on its bow, and fired at Vorse Raider, destroying it.

"Now attack directly, Ceal!"

The Pyro-type swung its blade, sending a wave of fire towards Sonken (Sonken: 4000-1800 LP).

"Wow, things are heating up in here!" announced Chinrin. "It's only turn three, and Lord Sonken is more than halfway out of life points!"

"And I'm not done yet!" said Sonshoko, playing another Spell Card, which showed a picture of a ghostly fairy holding what appeared to be two copies of Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou, only one was silver, and the other bronze. "I play my Fairy of the Spring, which lets me add one Equip Spell from my Graveyard to my hand, though I can't play it until next turn. And I pick my Butterfly Dagger - Elma!"

The same fairy on the card appeared, making Kan'u flinch.

"Does this happen that often?" Rikuson asked Shokatsuryo.

"Hawawa...not this much, but her next opponent uses Spirit Monsters...that can't end well."

The fairy then glided over to Sonshoko, and gave her the dagger, which she eagerly took, it turning back into a card.

"Now, I end my turn!"

Sonken drew, and to her surprise, she had drawn another Blue-Eyes White Dragon! And she had drawn one in her opening hand! If she drew the right card…

'That can wait. Right now, I have to deal with my present predicament, and this card should help out immensely.'

"I activate my Enemy Controller, in order to change the battle position of one face-up monster that you control!"

The game controller appeared on the field, and a combination of buttons forced Guardian Ceal into defense mode (DEF 1400).

"Now I summon my Spear Dragon!"

The sharp-beaked dragon flew onto the field and perched itself on the ground (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Hawawa! Now she's using Dragon-types!?" said Shokatsuryo.

"It's sort of a power-based deck," explained Anthony, knowing that none of these girls knew who Seto Kaiba was.

"My monster will now attack with Cyclone Blast!"

Her dragon opened its mouth, and shot a gray whirlwind that destroyed Guardian Ceal (Sonshoko: 4000-3500 LP). After this, it folded up its wings, going into defense mode (DEF 0).

"I now end my turn."

"And what a turn it was! Lord Sonken may have destroyed that monster, but now it's stuck in defense mode! How will Sonshoko retaliate?"

The girl in question smirked as she drew. "Like this! I equip my Butterfly Dagger - Elma to Spear Dragon!"

The Dragon-type soon found itself holding the small weapon in its hand (ATK 1900-2200), as Sonshoko played another of her cards.

"Now I summon my Guardian Elma to the field!"

The new monster was an ethereal woman with short red hair, wearing a mahogany skirt, a dark green top, and white fabric on her arms, while wielding a familiar dagger (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"And for my next move, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy the Butterfly Dagger!"

The dagger was ripped apart by the powerful hurricane, only for Sonshoko to put the card back into her hand, rather than her Graveyard.

"And whenever my Equip Spell is destroyed when it's equipped to a monster, I can return it to my hand! And then I'll equip it to Elma!"

The dagger that Elma was holding flashed white for a second (ATK 1300-1600).

"Now attack with Thunder of Passion!"

The monster then fired a bolt of lightning from its weapon at Spear Dragon, which destroyed it. With that, Sonshoko ended her turn, prompting Sonken to begin hers.

"I summon my La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!"

In a puff of smoke, a muscular genie with green skin and a trail of smoke in place of its legs appeared (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now my monster will attack! Djinn Fire!"

The Fiend-type puffed up its cheeks and blew out a blast of fire, which incinerated Guardian Elma (Sonshoko: 3500-3300 LP).

"I now end my turn."

Sonshoko drew, and smiled wide when she saw her card.

"Uh oh," said Rikuson.

"This can't be good for Renfa," added Kannei.

"First up, I play my Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!"

"Oh, it seems like Pot of Greed has shown its ghastly grin!" said Chinrin from the sidelines. "This card is a real game changer!"

"I activate my Monster Reborn, and resurrect the monster that I discarded to play my Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou, as well as my favorite monster, Guardian Eatos!"

The green crest briefly appeared, and in a flash of light, a new monster appeared. It was a blonde woman with a massive headdress that looked like the head of a large white bird, as well as iron braces on her wrists, and a leather dress that exposed her midriff and had large shoulder pads. On her eyes and her arms were red tribal markings, and from her back sprouted two brilliant white angel wings (LV 8: ATK 2500).

"Whoa, Guardian Eatos!" said Anthony. "Sweet! This is gonna be awesome!"

"How so?" asked Ryofu.

"You'll see," said Kannei.

"I equip my monster with another copy of Butterfly Dagger - Elma!"

The dagger appeared in the hand of Eatos, who twirled it experimentally (ATK 2500-2800).

"And now I send my Equip Spell to the Graveyard in order to activate my monster's special ability, Soul of the Sacred Sword!"

Her monster then took to the air, and tossed her dagger into the ground, landing blade first right in front of Sonken (ATK 2800-2500). Suddenly, two spirits came out of the ground where it landed as the dagger disintegrated, with the specters looking remarkably like Vorse Raider and Spear Dragon. The sight of the ghosts made Kan'u cling to Anthony for dear life, while Sonken's eyes shrunk in panic for a different reason, as she took both monsters out of her Graveyard.

"Wh-Wh-What is happening? It looks like Guardian Eatos has just summoned the fallen monsters of Sonken!" screamed Chinrin as the spirits floated towards the Fairy-type, who suddenly absorbed them (ATK 2500-3500).

"That's the effect of my monster! I can send an Equip Spell that I equipped to it to the Graveyard, then banish up to three monsters in my opponent's Graveyard, and for each one, my monster gains five hundred attack points! Now attack that genie with Spirit Opera!"

With a bird-like screech, Guardian Eatos sent a series of spirit-like projectiles at La Jinn, which obliterated the genie (Sonken: 1800-100 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!" And as she did, the extra power granted to Guardian Eatos disappeared (ATK 3500-2500).

Sonken slowly drew her next card, and when she did, she smiled.

'Perfect.' "I play my Polymerization!"

Anthony, who had been freed from his girlfriend, had his eyes go wide. "She's gonna Fusion Summon!?"

"Hm? Is that bad, big bro?"

"It certainly is for Shaoren, Rinrin!"

Sure enough, just as he thought, three copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field, wowing the audience with their size, as they suddenly got pulled into a vortex, and out of it came a massive white dragon. It looked like a much bigger version of the original Blue-Eyes, with one exception: the amount of heads. This new monster had three heads, each of them releasing a powerful roar that drowned out the applause (LV 12: ATK 4500).

"Hawawa…"

"Holy fucking shit!"

"What is that thing!?"

As Shokatsuryo and Anthony let their own surprise and astonishment be known, Kannei decided to enlighten Bacho, who had jumped into Ryofu's lap, the redhead simply widening her eyes upon seeing the huge Fusion Monster. "That 'thing' is Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the best card that Renfa owns. Nothing survives it."

"I'm sorry, Shaoren, but this duel has been decided! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack with Neutron Blast!"

The monster fired three massive white blasts of energy, which completely swallowed Guardian Eatos (Sonshoko: 3300-1300 LP).

"Wow! To see the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a treat in of itself, but to see Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" said Chinrin.

"And I end my turn."

Sonshoko was shaken out of her stupor by her sister's words, in shock from the attack. She drew, then immediately set her new monster, before declaring her turn over. Sonken drew, and summoned a monster of her own.

"I summon Blade Knight in attack mode!"

Her knight landed on the field, brandishing its sword (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And since I have one or less cards in my hand, my monster gains four hundred attack points!"

Her monster then gained a little more power (ATK 1600-2000).

"Blade Knight, destroy her monster!"

The monster swung its blade through a purple-skinned demon wielding a familiar flamberge known as Guardian Baou (LV 4: DEF 400).

"And now, I'll attack with Neutron Blast!"

The three-headed dragon unleashed its devastating attack, which sent Sonshoko flying a good ways backwards (Sonshoko: 1300-0 LP)(Winner: Sonken).

"Shaoren! Are you okay?" said Sonken, as she ran up to her little sister. Sonshoko coughed, then looked up with a smile.

"I'm okay, Renfa. That was some duel, huh?"

Sonken smiled as she hugged her sister, while the audience collectively "aww"d. However, a certain black-haired general had something else on her mind: her match, which was in thirty minutes.

~KD~

Kan'u Uncho was rather anxious. With the exception of maybe Dokuro, she would rather be facing literally anyone else. But no, she had to face the one duelist who had a deck full of spirits. Oh, how cruel life could be.

"First up is the Beautiful Black-Haired Bandit Hunter! From the Kikai Kingdom, her Warrior-types have inspired more than one young duelist, and she's built up quite the reputation for dealing with those who would dare to hurt those weaker than them! Please give a warm welcome to General Kan'u Uncho!"

Kan'u suddenly replaced her look of anxiety with one of resolve, as she stepped into the arena, the crowd cheering for her.

"Go get 'im, big sis!" cheered Chohi.

"Give him hell, Aisha!" chanted Anthony.

"And her opponent, a mysterious man who joined the ranks of Lord Ensho, his Spirit Monsters managed to take the preliminaries by storm, being in complete control of the duel!"

"Don't remind me," said Kaku, with Totaku patting her friend on the back.

"It's okay, Ei. Aisha will avenge you, I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right, Yue."

"Please welcome General Yokai of En!"

The man in the white cloak stepped over to Kan'u, tired look in his eyes. He then held out his fist for a game of rock-paper-scissors, which Kan'u won, her paper beating his rock.

"I'd like to go first, if you don't mind." Her opponent then gave her a toothy smile, which made a shiver run down the length of her spine.

"I don't, provided that you provide some wonderful screams of anguish."

Kan'u couldn't get back to her starting point fast enough.

(Kan'u: 4000 LP)(Yokai: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I play my Reinforcement of the Army, adding one level four or lower Warrior-type monster to my hand!"

As Kan'u played her first card, she pulled out her deck and began to look for a particular monster, and smiled when she found it, before taking it out, shuffling and replacing her deck, and putting it on her Duel Disk.

"Now I Normal Summon my Marauding Captain, and use its special ability to Special Summon my Queen's Knight!"

The two knights appeared on the field, swinging their swords (LV 3: ATK 1200)(LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now I end my turn!"

Yokai drew, and he smiled wickedly. "I activate my Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, which prevents me from having to send my Spirit Monsters back to my hand, so long as I discard one card during each of my End Phases. And then I summon a personal favorite of mine known as Asura Priest!"

As the Continuous Spell hit the field, the multi-faced war god appeared, twirling its throwing knives in its six hands (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And the best part is that my monster can attack every monster that you control once! Go, Daggers of Demise!"

The monster then spun around, tossing its knives at both knights with perfect accuracy (Kan'u: 4000-3300 LP).

"And now I set one card, and discard my Yata-Garasu in order to keep my Settle Machine active!"

"What a play, folks! In one turn, Yokai has completely cleared Kan'u's field!" said Chinrin. Kan'u drew her next card, and smiled.

"I activate my Black Luster Ritual, and use my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland and my Exiled Force to complete the ritual!"

The familiar stage appeared, and the two Warrior-types entered the urns, before the tower of light was formed, the image of the black knight visible in the blinding pillar (4+4=8).

"The forces of light and darkness intertwine! I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth Black Luster Soldier!"

Her ace monster burst out of the beacon and touched down on one knee, before rising to its full height (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Incredible! Kan'u has just managed to summon her most famous card, the Black Luster Soldier!"

"Alright, Aisha!" cheered Anthony, while everyone else, bar Chohi, was in awe of the Ritual Monster, not having seen it in action before now.

"Now attack with Chaos Blade!"

Her monster let out a powerful slash of light, and her opponent smiled, activating his Trap Card, which had two cylinders with question marks on them, and arrows leaving them.

"I activate my Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and dealing damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

The two cylinders appeared on the field, with the attack going into one, and coming out of the other, striking Kan'u (Kan'u: 3300-300 LP).

"Well, I end my turn."

Yokai drew his next card, and pulled his Yata-Garasu out of his Graveyard.

"I banish my Yata-Garasu in order to Special Summon my Yamato-no-Kami!"

For a brief moment, a purple three-legged crow appeared on the field, before it faded away, which startled Kan'u (LV 2: ATK 200). In its place was a wicked man covered in tattoos with black hair, white pants, and six green spikes sticking out of its back (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And now I tribute both of them to set one monster on the field!"

Both monsters soon disappeared, and a horizontal face-down appeared in their place. He then discarded his Great Long Nose to keep Spiritual Energy Settle Machine in play, and ended his turn.

"Very well! I draw! And I shall attack your monster with Chaos Blade!"

As the monster suddenly swung its blade and sent a blast of light its way, Kan'u regretted it when she saw the monster flip up. It was an Eastern dragon with eight heads, being a sickly green color with red eyes that seemed to stare into her soul (LV 7: DEF 3100)(Kan'u: 300-200 LP).

"Gah! What is that thing!? It...it's pure evil!"

Yokai cackled at her screams of fright. "What's the matter? Don't you like my Yamata Dragon? And thanks to you, I can now draw until I have five cards in my hand, since my monster dealt battle damage!" As he drew, Kan'u ended her turn shakily.

"This isn't good!" said Anthony. "She's gonna lose focus, or worse, break down before the duel ends!"

"Hopefully," said Choun, "she can conquer her fears long enough to avoid that."

Yokai smirked as he drew. "I think I'll set one card, then discard my Spring of Rebirth to keep my card on the field."

Kan'u drew, and smiled. "I play The Warrior Returning Alive, in order to add a Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand!" She then pulled a card out of her Graveyard, and placed it on the field. "I summon back my Queen's Knight!"

Soon, the red poker knight made her appearance, ready to battle, from the look of it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now I play my Swords of Revealing Light, keeping you from attacking for three turns! And that will end my turn!" The green blades surrounded Yamata Dragon, which let out not a roar, but a ghostly moan, terrifying poor Kan'u.

"Well then, I begin mine! All I can do, it seems, is discard my Maharaghi in order to keep my card on the field."

"It looks like this duel has slowed down, folks, but this can only mean that at least one of them is preparing for a huge play!"

"Why isn't Yokai doing anything?" wondered Anthony aloud.

"Hawawa…he's toying with her. He wants her to pull off some sort of amazing move, in order to take her down right when she thinks she can win," said Shokatsuryo.

"What? But that's horrible! Why would he do that?" asked Totaku.

"You didn't duel him, Yue, but I did," said Kaku. "The man is sadistic, taking relish in watching people squirm. And he wants her to feel overwhelming despair by taking away hope at the last second."

"I draw, and pass my turn," said Kan'u, as Yokai smirked. The truth was, he had Inaba White Rabbit in his hand, so as soon as those swords dissipated at the end of his next turn, he could attack directly and win. But until then, it was best to have his opponent wallow in her fear. And so, he passed his own turn, discarding his Nikitama to keep his card active. Kan'u then placed her hand over her deck, and took a deep breath.

'I believe in my cards.' She then drew, and a determined smile went across her face.

"Perfect! I summon King's Knight!"

Her knight in yellow armor soon entered the fray, sword and shield at the ready (LV 4: ATK 1600). But that wasn't all.

"I activate the effect of my King's Knight! When I Normal Summon it, and I control a Queen's Knight, I can Special Summon my Jack's Knight from my deck!"

The three knights were soon joined by a fourth, who joined his fellow poker knights (LV 5: ATK 1900).

"And now I play my Polymerization, to fuse my Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight into my Arcana Knight Joker!"

As the three knights were pulled into a vortex, a new monster stepped out. It was a man with long purple hair, wearing black, silver, and bronze armor with large shoulder pads and a tall headdress. All over his outfit were diamond-shaped gems, which were either yellow, red, or blue. His right hand held a large double-edged sword, and his left had a heater shield with a blade sticking out under the tip (LV 9: ATK 3800).

"Whoa, right after the heels of a duel with one incredible Fusion Monster, here comes Kan'u with another!" shouted an excited Chinrin.

"This is perfect!" said Shokatsuryo. "Now Aisha has a monster that's stronger than that dragon!"

"That's my girl," said Anthony. "Show that prick why you're the best of my generals, Aisha!"

Kan'u then pointed at Yamata Dragon. "Arcana Knight Joker, attack with Straight Flush!"

As the massive Fusion Monster raised its sword and rushed towards the mighty Spirit Monster, Yokai began to laugh maniacally as he played his Trap Card.

"I activate my Ghosts From the Past, and banish my Great Long Nose and my Asura Priest from my Graveyard to make your Joker's attack points zero!"

The card showed two aquamarine ghosts grabbing a knight, as two spirits of the same color, which looked remarkably like the tengu and asura he had just banished, began to float towards Arcana Knight Joker, as Kan'u flinched.

"What's the matter? Don't you like my ghosts? Or are you afraid of them? If that's the case, then where is your beautiful scream of horror!?"

"Come on, big sis! Don't let them scare you! You can win!"

Chohi's words seemed to snap the black-haired general out of her stupor, as she put on a brave face and discarded the last card in her hand.

"I activate the effect of my Arcana Knight Joker!"

Suddenly, all of the blue gems on the Fusion Monster began to glow, and four blue constructs of the four suits of playing cards - spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts - appeared, surrounding the Warrior-type.

"What? What are you doing!?"

"When you set that card, I knew it couldn't be good. So I held onto my Lightforce Sword rather than setting it, because once per turn, whenever my Arcana Knight Joker is targeted by a card effect, I can negate that effect by discarding a card of the same type! Behold, my monster's Royal Flush!"

The suits repelled the ghosts, and Arcana Knight Joker continued its attack without delay. It slashed right through Yamata Dragon, and the massive Spirit Dragon let out a moan before it shattered into pixels.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack!"

The knight jumped towards Yokai and swung its blade right through him, which dealt a massive bit of damage (Yokai: 4000-1000 LP).

"And that's it for me!" As Kan'u ended her turn, the audience began to cheer her name, with her friends being the loudest of all.

"What a turnaround from Kan'u Uncho, everyone!"

Yokai snarled. "Well it's not over yet. I set one monster, then discard my Spirit's Invitation to keep my card on the field." As he ended his turn, the Swords of Revealing Light vanished.

Kan'u drew, then pointed at the monster.

"Black Luster Soldier, destroy that card!"

The Ritual Monster released a massive slash of light, cleaving the monster in two, which was revealed to be a woman with orange hair and white garments (LV 3: DEF 100).

"Excellent! By flipping up my Otohime, I can change the battle position of one of your monsters! And I pick your Arcana Knight Joker!"

Kan'u simply smiled, which sent a chill down Yokai's spine.

'What? I can't be afraid of her…can I?'

"I discard The Fiend Megacyber to negate the effect of your Otohime! Royal Flush!"

The yellow gems on Arcana Knight Joker began to glow, and yellow constructs of the four suits protected the Fusion Monster from the effect of the Spirit Monster.

"Now attack with Straight Flush!"

One direct attack from Arcana Knight Joker, and the victor was decided (Yokai: 1000-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"Good game," said Kan'u as she walked up to her opponent, who simply walked out of the arena without a response.

"What a duel, huh? We'll be taking a short break, and then we'll begin the second half of the first round!"

~KD~

"I thought you two said that you were skilled, but apparently I was wrong!"

At the moment, Ensho was chewing out Dokuro and Yokai for losing their duels, with the two remaining silent. Bunshu, Ganryo, and Kochu were watching from a distance.

"I want the two of you out of my sight this instant!"

The two left the throne room, and Ensho turned to her other officers.

"Hopefully, you three will do better. Especially you, Shion. Unless you've forgotten what will happen if you fail."

'Riri…' Kochu could only nod solemnly.

"Now get ready for your duels! I need to prove that the En Kingdom is the best of the best, and I won't settle for less!"

"Yes, Lord Reiha!"

~KD~

As this was happening, Yokai was using his Chaos Duel Disk to contact his master, while Dokuro stood beside him.

"I must apologize, master Saji, but we've lost our positions as generals, and are to leave the kingdom by tomorrow."

"It's no concern. The two of you have already done so much for the White Clothes cause. Is Kochu Kansho still allied with En?"

"Of course. The henchmen that you provided us will make sure that she stays allied with them, in our place."

"And I managed to send Lord Kosonsan to the Shadow Realm."

"Ah, excellent work, Dokuro. Now, I would like the two of you to return to base, and await your next assignment."

"Yes, master Saji."

* * *

 **Dun dun DUN! Also, in case you're wondering, Bato will be forty when he appears, and currently, Ruo and So are seventeen and sixteen respectively, although they probably won't appear outside of omakes. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 11/20/2018: fixed an error with the effect of Butterfly Dagger - Elma.**


	28. Go for Broke

"So, are you all ready for the duel with Shishun, Sei?"

Anthony was currently eating lunch with his peerage, with the second half of the the tournament scheduled to begin in thirty minutes, pitting Choun (in her Butterfly Mask guise) against Kannei. Choun swallowed a bite of dumpling and turned to her lord, a smile on her face.

"Positive. I've taken your account of her deck into consideration, brought my best cards, and am in the perfect state of mind for this duel. Did I miss anything?" Anthony just shook his head, as Choun continued to eat.

'Besides, it isn't me who shall be dueling her, after all.'

~KD~

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the En Tournament! I hope you've managed to find good seats, but then again, once the action begins, you won't be sitting down!"

As Chinrin began to excite the crowd, the members of Kikai and Go, barring two members who were about to face off, had found their seats.

"So without being biased, who do you think will win?" Anthony asked Sonken.

"Well, I haven't seen your newest general duel yet, so I can't be too sure. By the way, why did she enter the tournament as 'Butterfly Mask?'"

"I'm just asking myself why she thinks a single mask, and no change of clothing or any other attempt to hide her identity, is a perfect disguise. I've just come to accept it."

"Alright, first up is somebody who claims to be the Hero of Kikai, who will bring justice to the world with her mighty Insect-types! Please welcome the masked duelist known as Butterfly Mask!"

Choun sprinted into the arena and struck a heroic pose, which made the audience go wild.

"Hawawa…she's having way too much fun with this."

"Mhmm," nodded Ryofu, agreeing with Shokatsuryo.

"And her opponent, the stoic striker of Go, serving as the personal bodyguard to Lord Sonken herself! Please welcome Kannei Koha!"

Kannei slowly made her way to the arena, face emotionless in sharp contrast to Choun's showmanship. After a match of rock-paper-scissors, Kannei managed to win, paper beating rock, and she elected herself to go first.

(Kannei: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"I draw, and set one monster, as well as four other cards. That shall conclude my turn."

"Perfect! I shall draw, and reveal your monster to all with my Swords of Revealing Light! This card shall flip all of your monsters face-up, and prevent you from attacking for three of your turns!"

The swords came falling down, and her monster was soon revealed to be Armed Ninja (LV 1: DEF 300). The monster then swung its weapon, cutting apart the swords.

"When Armed Ninja is flipped," Kannei explained, "then I can destroy one Spell Card on the field."

"Not a problem! Now I summon my Skull-Mark Ladybug!"

Choun soon summoned a ladybug with black outer wings with a skull and crossbones marking, and orange legs (LV 4: ATK 500).

"But this is merely the beginning! For now, I activate my Insect Imitation!"

The new card showed a nest, with three green eggs hatching. Soon, cracks began to appear on the ladybug, as it suddenly burst apart, releasing a massive Hercules beetle that stood on two legs, with a purple exoskeleton and yellow eyes (LV 5: ATK 1500).

"With my Insect Imitation, I may sacrifice a single monster, and Special Summon from my deck an Insect-type monster that is one level higher, such as my mighty Hercules Beetle! And when my Skull-Mark Ladybug goes to the Graveyard, I gain a thousand life points!" As she said this, her life points increased sharply (Choun: 4000-5000 LP).

"And just like that, Butterfly Mask has taken the lead in an unexpected way!"

"And now to deal with your monster! Attack with your mighty Scissor Boomerang, my monster!"

As the huge beetle began to fire white crescent blades from its wings at Armed Ninja, Kannei activated her Trap Card, as a chain with a Y-shaped blade wrapped around it, forcing the beetle to crouch down (DEF 2000). Choun then noticed that Armed Ninja was holding the Kunai with Chain in its hands (ATK 300-800).

"Thanks to Kunai with Chain, I can change your attacking monster into defense mode, and equip it to my monster in order to give it five hundred attack points."

"A valiant move. I end my turn!"

Kannei drew, then placed her newly drawn card on the field, face-down. "I set a monster, then activate my Desert Sunlight, which will change the battle positions of all of my monsters to face-up defense mode."

The card depicted the Egyptian temple known as Abu Simbel, with two travelers and a camel walking towards the entrance as the sun beat down on them, the sun rising on the battlefield. Kannei's set monster flipped up, revealing it to be a ninja completely garbed in white (LV 4: DEF 800). It then whipped a four-pointed shuriken out of its sleeve, and tossed it at the huge Insect-type, which shattered.

"I'm sure that you noticed that by flipping my White Ninja, you've let me destroy a monster in defense mode. And now, I activate my Ceasefire, flipping all face-down monsters face-up and deals damage for every Effect Monster on the field."

A card appeared, showing two warlords making a peace treaty, as both White Ninja and Armed Ninja began to glow gold, the same golden aura briefly covering Choun (Choun: 5000-4000 LP). Kannei then activated her fourth and final Trap Card, which showed a group of knights levitating with a green glow.

"I now play my Zero Gravity, which changes the battle position of every face-up monster on the field." Her White Ninja and Armed Ninja soon found themselves on the offensive (ATK 1500)(ATK 800).

"Now I attack directly with both of my monsters."

Choun soon found herself wrapped in the Kunai with Chain, as Armed Ninja began its attack (Choun: 4000-3200 LP). The White Ninja then tossed a few more throwing stars at Choun, which passed through her harmlessly, but did quite a bit of damage to her life points (Choun: 3200-1700 LP).

"Alright! It looks like Shishun has just taken control of the duel!" said an excited Sonshoko, as Kannei concluded her turn. Choun drew, and she smiled.

"Your villainous monsters shall soon have the sound of justice buzzing in their ears, with the power of my Howling Insect!"

The new monster was a blue cricket, which was rapidly flapping its wings and releasing a buzzing noise (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"Now, to attack! Destroy that Armed Ninja!"

Her monster began to flap its wings even harder, releasing a cacophonous noise in the form of white sound waves that made everyone in the audience cover their ears.

"Ow! Talk about an attack!" said Chinrin. "That thing is even hurting me!"

Armed Ninja appeared to be the most affected, as it dropped its Kunai with Chain and its polearm in order to cover its ears and scream, before it exploded (Kannei: 4000-3600 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Kannei drew, and placed her new card into her Spell and Trap Zone, face-up.

"I activate my Banner of Courage, which will increase the attack points of all my monsters by two hundred during my Battle Phase."

A red, white, and blue banner then appeared on the field, flapping in the nonexistent wind as Kannei activated her next card.

"I now summon my Strike Ninja to the field."

Her familiar ninja appeared, twirling a kunai absentmindedly in its hand (LV 4: ATK 1700). Kannei then entered her Battle Phase, which made her monsters even stronger due to Banner of Courage (ATK 1700-1900)(ATK 1500-1700).

"Strike Ninja, attack her Howling Insect with your Stealth Slash Attack."

Her monster then tossed a smoke pellet onto the ground, and Howling Insect used its wings to clear the smoke, only to reveal that there was nothing there. It suddenly let out a screech as it was stabbed from behind and shattered, leaving a lingering buzz (Choun: 1700-1000 LP).

"Oh dear!" shouted Chinrin. "With that, it looks like Butterfly Mask is open for a direct attack!"

"Not quite, for my insects never fight alone. By destroying Howling Insect in battle, you've allowed me to Special Summon any Insect-type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck! And I select a personal favorite of mine! Spring into action, Pinch Hopper!"

The green grasshopper hopped onto the field, and Anthony and Kan'u smiled from the sidelines, knowing this card's effect (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Your smiles are concerning me," said Sonken, who had turned to face them.

"What does that card do?" asked an equally worried Rikuson.

"You'll find out soon enough," said Anthony.

"White Ninja, attack her Pinch Hopper."

The monster then sped towards the Insect-type and delivered a swift kick that sent the monster reeling before it exploded (Choun: 1000-300 LP).

"Aha! It seems that you have fallen for my trap! For you see, whenever my Pinch Hopper is sent to the Graveyard, I may call forth an Insect-type from my hand! And now, I may call upon the strongest monster in my deck, one that shall surely provide victory for me! Behold my mighty Insect Queen!"

The massive insect emerged, and let out a horrifying screech as it began to flap its wings (LV 7: ATK 2200).

"And now, for every Insect-type monster on the field, my monster gains additional power to aid it in fighting those who do wrong!" (ATK 2200-2400).

"What a move by Butterfly Mask, folks! Managing to bring out her best monster on her opponent's turn, so that it can begin its attack next turn!" shouted Chinrin, as Kannei silently ended her turn.

"Now I draw! And I shall summon some support for my queen, in the form of my Leghul!"

The spiked worm soon slithered onto the field, clicking its pincers in anticipation (LV 1: ATK 300). As it appeared, her Insect Queen let out a screech (ATK 2400-2600).

"And now, I use the effect of my Leghul, letting me attack directly with it!"

Her monster coiled up, then shot towards Kannei, digging its mandibles into her waist (Kannei: 3600-3300 LP).

And now, I tribute my Leghul so that my Insect Queen can attack your White Ninja with Queen's Toxic Breath!"

The audience then groaned in disgust as the massive Insect-type bit down on the back of the worm's neck, destroying it (ATK 2600-2400).

"Ugh, for somebody who stands for justice, her monsters are certainly vicious! Not to mention a little disgusting…" commented Chinrin.

"Poor monster…" said Chohi, as Ryofu put her hands over her mouth, either in disgust, shock, or a combination of the two. The beastly beetle then spat out a blast of energy that turned White Ninja into shattered bits of yellow light (Kannei: 3300-2400 LP).

"I now set a single card and end my turn! And since it destroyed a monster in battle, Insect Queen can lay an egg, Special Summoning an Insect Monster Token and giving it the strength it lost when I tributed my monster!"

As Choun said that, Insect Queen put her abdomen to the ground, and spawned a red and beige egg (LV 1: ATK 100). Choun then struck a pose, smiling wide.

"You must admit, foul villain, that my mighty Insects are putting a stop to your wicked ways!"

Kannei simply drew, and shook her head. "Not exactly. After all, no hero would ever sacrifice their allies in order to fight. And more importantly, they wouldn't leave their allies unprotected. Strike Ninja, attack that token." (ATK 1700-1900).

Her ninja then ran towards the egg, kunai at the ready, when Choun simply smiled, and activated her Trap Card, with an image of Marauding Captain standing up to Despair from the Dark.

"Who said anything about them being unprotected? Since you know all about traps, maybe you know this one, Staunch Defender!"

"Hawawa!" cried Shokatsuryo. "That card forces Shishun to attack one monster that Sei chooses with all of her face-up monsters!"

Choun then struck a pose. "Now you're forced to attack my Insect Queen! After all, it's the job of a true hero to protect those who cannot protect themselves!"

Strike Ninja then switched targets, and Insect Queen let out a roar as she brought down one of her clawed legs, knocking the ninja to the ground and shattering it (Kannei: 2400-1700 LP).

"I stand corrected. I shall set one monster and end my turn." As she did, Insect Queen laid another egg, having destroyed a monster in battle (LV 1: ATK 100)(ATK 2600-2800).

"Then I draw, and I summon a monster known as Killer Needle to aid me in this time of need!"

The new monster took the form of a massive bee, with a sharp stinger that looked ready to pierce some prey (LV 4: ATK 1200)(ATK 2800-3000).

"Killer Needle, destroy that face-down right away!"

The bee then flew towards the face-down monster, stinger poised, as it soon pierced a ninja clad in red wielding two wakizashi, known as Crimson Ninja (LV 1: DEF 300).

"And now, your field is clear! Insect Queen, attack directly!"

Her monster then bit into Killer Needle, destroying it and feeding its own attack (ATK 3000-2800). It then spat out its toxic blast at Kannei, who shielded herself as the attack made contact (Kannei: 1700-0 LP)(Winner: Choun).

"And with that, Butterfly Mask shall be advancing to the quarterfinals!"

"Man, it kind of stinks that my friend is out so soon, but at least she put up a great fight!" said Rikuson, watching as Choun and Kannei shook hands in good sport. "It makes me excited for my duel!"

"Which, unless I'm mistaken, is the next duel that's scheduled," said Sonken.

"Better be careful, Non! I've dueled her before! And although she tends to rush into battle without a second thought, her Dinosaur-type monsters are no slouch!"

"Thanks, Shuri! My Spellcasters will definitely have to be tricky, then!"

"Hawawa…"

~KD~

"Alright, it's time for our next duel to begin! Our first contender comes from Go, and is the apprentice of the famous strategist known as Shuyu Kokin! Her love of reading is only matched by her love of dueling, and she treats each of her Spellcasters as though they were her faithful friends! Please welcome the Go strategist Rikuson Hakugen!"

The buxom bespectacled bibliophile skipped into the arena, admiring the cheering and the chanting of the excited audience upon Chinrin's announcement.

"And her opponent, one of two advisors to Lord Reiha herself, her way of thinking is to strike hard and fast, while never asking questions! Her ancient monsters left quite an impression on account of their size and strength, and her goal is to take this tournament by storm, all for the sake of her lord and friend! It's Bunshu of En!"

Bunshu strode into the arena, left arm raised with a clenched fist, making the crowd excited. She then strode up to the strategist with the same colored hair, and the two of them had a quick match of rock-paper-scissors, with Rikuson's paper beating Bunshu's rock.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to go second."

"Fine by me. Let's get to the action!"

(Bunshu: 4000 LP)(Rikuson: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And now I summon my Sabersaurus to the field!"

Her new monster was a large red Triceratops, with horns like metal sickles, curved blades sticking out of its shoulders, and what looked like the blade of a broadsword on the tip of its tail (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"But while it may be powerful enough already, a little more power never hurt anyone, did it? I equip my Sabersaurus with Raise Body Heat!"

An Equip Spell showing a picture of Horn Imp heating up appeared, as Sabersaurus began to glow red, letting out a loud bellow (ATK 1900-2200).

"And now I end my turn!" declared Bunshu, as Rikuson drew.

"Okay then, I summon my Rapid-Fire Magician to the field!"

Her magician entered the field, staffs glowing with magical energy (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, I discard one card to Special Summon The Tricky from my hand!"

As Rikuson sent her card to the Graveyard, a red portal with a question mark appeared, as a new monster stepped out. It was covered from head to toe in a black and yellow jester outfit, with white cuffs and gloves, a blue cape, blue orbs on its shoulders, and a red question mark on its chest, as well as in the place of its face (LV 5: ATK 2000).

"And now I activate my Magical Stone Excavation, in order to discard two cards, and return one Spell Card in my Graveyard to my hand!"

The card showed a large purple crystal being uncovered, as Rikuson sent the other two cards in her hand to the Graveyard and obtained the one she discarded to summon The Tricky. Upon the resolution of her card, the staff in the left hand of Rapid-Fire Magician began to glow.

"And whenever I play a Normal Spell, Rapid-Fire Magician deals four hundred points of damage! Go, Spell Salvo!"

The monster then fired a series of green magical orbs at Bunshu, who had to shield her face from the brightness (Bunshu: 4000-3600 LP).

"She discarded one card, then discarded two more cards just to get it back? Why?" asked Sonshoko.

"Two possibilities," said Shokatsuryo. "One, so that she could deal more damage with her Rapid-Fire Magician. Two, in order to get those specific cards in her Graveyard."

"Knowing Non, probably both," said Kannei. "She always does like to plan ahead."

"But I'm not nearly done! Now I play my Mystic Box!"

As she played the card, a box appeared on each side of the field, with three red octagons containing purple question marks on the door. Each box opened, and Sabersaurus and Rapid-Fire Magician stepped into them, with the doors closing behind them.

"Hm? What the heck is going on here?" asked Bunshu.

"Rinrin is confused too," said Chohi from the stands.

"You'll see," said both Rikuson and Shokatsuryo, answering the question. Suddenly, floating swords surrounded the box on Rikuson's field, and stabbed the box!

"What is happening!? It…it looks like Rikuson just destroyed her own monster!" cried Chinrin, when suddenly, both boxes opened, and revealed that in Rikuson's was Sabersaurus, which was now filled with sabers as it, as well as the box, exploded, and Rapid-Fire Magician stepped onto Bunshu's field, completely unscathed.

"What a show, huh!? My Mystic Box destroys one of your monsters, and then I give you control of one of mine! Rapid-Fire Magician, no hard feelings, right? This is just so that I can win."

The Spellcaster simply nodded its head, and Rikuson smiled.

"Okay then! Tricky, attack with Confounding Blast!"

Her monster then aimed its hands straight at Rapid-Fire Magician, and fired a green blast from its hands which, for some reason, came out at an angle. It then changed directions in midair, and continued to do so, making a random path that eventually reached its mark, blasting the other Spellcaster-type to bits (Bunshu: 3600-3200 LP). With no more cards to play, Rikuson ended her turn.

"Alright, I draw! And I summon my Element Saurus to the field!"

Her new monster was a theropod dinosaur with brown scales and a red underbelly, as well as crimson claws and talons. It had rows of red spikes down its back, and on the top of its legs were tan spikes (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now I set two cards and end my turn!"

Rikuson then drew, and smiled.

"I tribute The Tricky to summon my Dark Magician Girl!"

Her monster was soon replaced by the apprentice sorceress, who let out a wink as she twirled her wand (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Why would you do that?" asked Bunshu. "They both have the same power."

"Not quite. For every Dark Magician or Magician of Black Chaos in either of our Graveyards, Dark Magician Girl gains three hundred attack points! And I happen to have one of each, thanks to my Magical Stone Excavation!"

"Hawawa! I was right!" exclaimed Shokatsuryo, as Dark Magician Girl raised her wand (ATK 2000-2600).

"Well don't think that you can attack this turn! I activate my Trap Card, Threatening Roar!"

The Trap Card had an image of Manticore of Darkness intimidating Behemoth the King of All Animals with a powerful roar, as a similar roar came out of the card, and Dark Magician Girl suddenly held her hands to her chest, eyes wide in fear.

"Dark Magician Girl, what's wrong? What happened?"

"My Trap Card happened! Now your monsters can't attack this turn! Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Well, I end my turn."

As Bunshu drew her next card, Chinrin decided it was time to liven things up a little.

"Now that was a move! Rikuson's monster has frozen in its tracks, giving Bunshu a chance to destroy it!"

"And that's just what I intend to do! First, I'll play my Earthquake, which will switch every monster on the field into defense mode!"

The tremor soon forced both monsters to get down into crouching positions (DEF 1200)(DEF 1700).

"And now I switch my monster back into attack mode, and give it a little help in the form of my Mad Sword Beast!"

Her monster then stood up, letting out a roar (ATK 1500), as the rhino and Nodosaurus hybrid joined it (LV 4: ATK 1400). With an EARTH monster on the field, Element Saurus let out another roar as the tan spikes began to glow orange, the ground shaking below it.

"Now my Mad Sword Beast will attack your Dark Magician Girl, and don't forget that my monster can deal piercing damage!"

"What? But my monster's defense is higher than your monster's attack power!"

"Not when I decrease your monster's defense points by five hundred with my Snake Fang!"

Her other Trap Card had a picture of a viper with green scales and fangs tipped with a red substance, either blood or venom. A viper that looked like the one in the card suddenly came out of it and bit the Spellcaster-type on the leg, who winced in pain (DEF 1700-1200). The Dinosaur-type then charged right through it, destroying the monster without any issue (Rikuson: 4000-3800 LP).

"Now my Element Saurus will attack directly with Seismic Stomp!"

The dino then lifted its foot and smashed it into the ground, sending out a shockwave that made Rikuson shake (Rikuson: 3800-2300 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

"You know, she's playing a lot more strategically than she did in her duel with Shuri," said Kan'u.

"Yeah, you're right," said Bacho. "Guess she got a lot better in the last couple of months. Kinda makes me excited!"

"I guess…"

Rikuson frowned, then smiled once more as she drew her next card.

"I play my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards from my deck!"

As she refilled her hand, she smiled as she saw what she had gotten.

"Well, it seems like Rikuson has found a way to bounce back, it seems! What new cards has she gained!"

Rikuson decided to answer Chinrin by playing a Monster Card. "I summon my Maha Vailo to the field!"

Her sorcerer in blue soon entered the battle (LV 4: ATK 1550).

"Now attack that Mad Sword Beast with Sacred Lightning!"

Her monster threw its hands into the air, and shot a yellow bolt of lightning into the air. The bolt then came down and struck the Dinosaur-type, making it explode into pixels (Bunshu: 3200-3050 LP).

"And now I set one card and end my turn!"

Bunshu then drew her next card and smiled. "Well, you aren't the only one who has a Pot of Greed in her deck!" As she drew her two cards, she then slipped one of them into her Spell and Trap Zone.

"I activate my Silent Doom in order to revive my Sabersaurus!"

Her monster soon came back from the grave, but in no mood to fight, it seemed (LV 4: DEF 500).

"Now I tribute it to summon my Megazowler!"

As the red Chasmosaurus left, the yellow one took its place with a low bellow (LV 6: ATK 1800).

"Hey, why did she summon that monster? It's not as strong as her other one," said Bacho, with Ryofu nodding.

"Maybe not," said Shokatsuryo, "but it can attack this turn." Little did she know that it wouldn't get the chance to.

"Thanks! By summoning a monster, you've let me activate my Trap Card, Dark Renewal! Now I can send both that monster, and one of my Spellcaster-type monsters, to the Graveyard, in order to Special Summon a DARK Spellcaster-type monster from my deck or Graveyard! So welcome my Dark Magician!"

A large maroon and gold coffin with a pink cross and a blue orb in the center appeared on the field, before it opened up, pulling in both Megazowler and Maha Vailo. Then the coffin closed, and then opened once more, with a purple fog inside, and suddenly, the master magician rose from the coffin, arms crossed, scepter in hand (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"Now she's bringing back something weaker!?" said Bacho. "Dark Magician Girl is way tougher with those monsters in her Graveyard!"

"That may be so," said Kannei, "but there are more cards in her deck that benefit her Dark Magician than its apprentice."

"How does it feel to be back on the field, Dark Magician?"

Rikuson's monster then turned to her and smiled, which made Rikuson smile too.

"Wow, talk about a bond between cards! Rikuson is talking to her powerful Dark Magician like an old friend, and it seems to react to her!"

Bunshu ignored the commentary as she switched her monster into defense mode, and ended her turn (DEF 1200).

"Alright! I draw!" Rikuson then smiled brightly as she saw her new card. "Nice! I play my Thousand Knives!"

The Spell Card looked like a bunch of knives flying through the air, as a series of light constructs in the shape of knives surrounded Dark Magician.

"I can only activate this card if I control a Dark Magician, but with it, I can destroy one monster that you control!"

Dark Magician then pointed its staff at Element Saurus, and the magical knives soon flew towards the monster and ripped it to shreds.

"Now attack directly with Dark Magic Attack!"

The dark mage formed a green orb of magical energy and tossed it at Bunshu, bringing the short-haired duelist close to defeat (Bunshu: 3050-550 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Bunshu drew her next card, and smiled, knowing that she was just put back into this contest.

"I summon my Trakodon to the field!"

The striped raptor made its way onto the field with a sharp cry (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"And now, I equip it with my Megamorph, a card that doubles its attack points as long as I have less life points!"

The raptor then grew to twice its height, as Dark Magician clenched his teeth and aimed its scepter at the monster (ATK 1300-2600).

"Now attack!"

The supersized dino then slashed at the Spellcaster-type with its claw, which destroyed it (Rikuson: 2300-2200 LP).

"And that ends my turn."

"Well, now Bunshu is in control! Hopefully, Rikuson can pull off a miracle!"

The girl in question adjusted her glasses, then drew her next card, eyes widening. 'Magic Cylinder! Now I have a chance to win this!' She then set her card and ended her turn, prompting her opponent to draw, which caused her alarm when she suddenly grinned.

"I activate Cold Wave, which prevents either of us from either activating or setting Spell or Trap Cards until my next turn!"

A card appeared showing a group of dinosaurs that had been frozen, and to Rikuson's horror, her card became coated in ice.

"Trakodon, attack directly!"

The monster then swung its tail at Rikuson, the shockwave knocking her back as she ran out of life points (Rikuson: 2200-0 LP)(Winner: Bunshu).

"And with that, the winner is Bunshu, who shall be advancing to the next round!"

As both Kikai and Go were in shock from this upset, from where she stood, Ensho had a smile on her face.

"Ohohohohoho!"

* * *

 **Edit 10/23/2018: fixed a timing error with Rapid-Fire Magician and Mystic Box.**

 **Edit 6/15/2019: fixed an error with Ceasefire, as Flip Monsters that are flipped by it don't have their effects activated.**


	29. The Truth Revealed

Thirty minutes after the duel between Rikuson and Bunshu, it was time for the penultimate duel of the first round, as Ryofu and Ganryo were patiently waiting for their names to be called.

"This is gonna be tough for Ren," said Anthony. "Ganryo was better than Bunshu when we saw her duel Shuran, and if Bunshu has become so much better over the past few months, then Ganryo is sure to have improved as well."

"I'm sure that Ren can handle it," said Totaku.

"Yeah, nothing in Ganryo's deck that we've seen was strong enough to beat her Manticore of Darkness," added Bacho.

"Hm? Manticore of Darkness? When did she get that card?" asked Kaku.

"The boss of the guy who took Yue gave everyone rare cards," said Anthony. "Manticore of Darkness was hers, and from what I've heard, Shia got Gaia the Fierce Knight." But he was soon cut off by Chinrin's announcements.

"First up, she's the second of Lord Reiha's advisers, as well as the smartest mind in the kingdom! But don't let that fool you: she can still crush you to bits with her rock-hard monsters! Please welcome Ganryo to the field!"

Ganryo then stepped forward, smiling as she held out her Duel Disk.

"And her opponent, a wild girl who used to serve the wicked dictator who used to live here, until she was defeated by Kan'u Uncho and joined the court of Kikai. She's a total softie when it comes to animals, but on the battlefield, she becomes a wild beast! It's General Ryofu Hosen!"

Ryofu walked over to Ganryo, and held out her fist for a match of rock-paper-scissors. Ganryo's rock managed to beat Ryofu's scissors, and Ganryo made the decision to go first, and like that, the duel was underway.

(Ganryo: 4000 LP)(Ryofu: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I set one monster face-down and end my turn!"

As Ganryo ended her turn in a flash, Ryofu drew and slowly looked over her options. She then plucked a card from her hand and placed it on her Monster Zone.

"Summon…Enraged Battle Ox…"

Her new monster looked a lot like the original Battle Ox, only a lot angrier, as it let out an aggressive bellow (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Alright!" said Anthony. "Unless I'm mistaken, that card makes it so that all of Ren's Beast-type, Beast-Warrior-type, and Winged Beast-type monsters are able to inflict piercing damage!"

Ryofu then pointed to the face-down on Ganryo's side of the field. "Attack with Axe Charge Attack."

Her monster then let out a bellow as it sprinted towards the opposing monster, swinging its weapon back in preparation for a powerful chop, and the monster was shown to be a small pink monster made of pink stone, with a magnet around its neck, wings with "N" and "S" on them, and a large blue "S" on its chest (LV 4: DEF 1800).

"Nice try, Ryofu, but the defense points of Gamma the Magnet Warrior are too high!"

Ryofu didn't reply, instead playing her Rush Recklessly from her hand, as her monster increased its speed and its power (ATK 1700-2400), and cut through the Rock-type (Ganryo: 4000-3400).

"Ooh, it looks like Ryofu's monster has the power to deal piercing damage, folks! Not even monsters in defense mode can protect her opponent's precious life points now!" said Chinrin, as Ryofu ended her turn, and Ganryo began hers.

'Okay, I've seen what she can do. Now to get serious.' "I set one monster, and then I set two more cards! And that's all for me!"

Ryofu drew, and summoned another monster to her field to join her Enraged Battle Ox.

"...summon Eagle Eye…"

The new monster looked like an eagle with black feathers, excluding its daffodil tail feathers and its blue head feathers, while it had a blue beak, red eyes, and a golden helmet. It bore its talons and its eyes briefly flashed.

"Ooh, it looks like Eagle Eye just played its effect! Now her opponent can't play cards that activate upon its Normal Summoning, like Trap Hole!"

Ryofu then played her Shield Crush, which destroyed the monster that Ganryo had. The En adviser pouted as she sent her Beta the Magnet Warrior to the Graveyard, but she knew it wasn't over yet.

"Attack."

Both Enraged Battle Ox and Eagle Eye sped towards the purple-haired duelist, before slashing at her with their axe and talons respectively (Ganryo: 3400-400 LP).

"Oh my, it seems like Ganryo is almost out of life points, while Ryofu hasn't taken a single point of damage!"

"Let's change that!" shouted Ganryo. "I activate my Trap Card, Rock Bombardment, which lets me send a Rock-type monster from my deck to the Graveyard in order to deal five hundred points of damage!"

Her card flipped up to show a castle getting assaulted by boulders, as Ganryo took out her deck, and flipped through it before finding Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and taking it out of her deck. She then shuffled and put away her deck, before slipping the card she took out into her Graveyard. Alpha the Magnet Warrior then appeared directly above Ryofu, before it crumbled into large chunks of rock and fell on top of the redhead, who covered her head with her arms, even though the chunks, being nothing but light, simply passed through her (Ryofu: 4000-3500 LP). Ryofu then ended her turn, with Ganryo drawing.

"Okay, I play my Magical Mallet, letting me return any amount of cards from my deck to my hand and draw new cards!"

As the Normal Spell appeared on the field, she slipped two of the three cards in her hand into her deck, then shuffled it well and drew two new cards, smiling at what she had picked up.

"Now I play my Fissure, which destroys the monster that you control with the least attack points!"

A fissure soon appeared under Eagle Eye, who fell in and was lost to the ground.

"Now I set one monster and end my turn!"

Ryofu drew her next card, then took her Enraged Battle Ox off of her Duel Disk, replacing it with something much stronger.

"Tribute Summon...my Manticore of Darkness!"

Her minotaur was soon replaced by the much larger manticore, which let out a roar as it took the stage (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"Oh my, that's the monster she got?" asked a startled Totaku.

"Yep! Pretty cool, huh?" said Chohi.

"You...could say that…"

Ryofu then pointed to the face-down monster. "Furious Frenzy."

Her monster then bore its teeth, claws, and stinger, before it took into the air, closing in on the monster, Stone Statue of the Aztecs (LV 4: DEF 2000).

"Not so fast! I play another Trap Card known as Castle Walls!"

The second Normal Trap flipped up, showing a large stone castle, as the defensive power of the statue increased (DEF 2000-2500). Manticore of Darkness's claws, teeth, and stinger simply bounced off of the monster, and the eyes of the Rock-type began to glow, indicating that the damage was doubled (Ryofu: 3500-3100 LP).

"I...end my turn…" (DEF 2500-2000)

As Ryofu wrapped up her turn, Ganryo drew, and smiled as she saw what she got.

"I play the Spell Card Silent Doom, in order to bring back a Normal Monster in defense mode! And I pick my Beta the Magnet Warrior!"

Her monster, a small yellow creature with magnets on its head and hands, soon appeared on the field, arms crossed in front of it (LV 4: DEF 1600).

"And now, I tribute both of my monsters to set one monster on the field, and end my turn!"

As a face-down card replaced Stone Statue of the Aztecs and Beta the Magnet Warrior, Kan'u looked wary as Ryofu drew.

"The last time somebody tributed two monsters to set one, it had over three thousand defense points," she said, memory of her duel with Yokai still fresh in her mind. Ryofu, however, simply summoned her Kurama to the field (LV 3: ATK 800), then pointed at the newly set monster.

"Attack, Manticore."

Her monster once again began its assault, but to her avail, Ryofu's monster failed to put a dent in the new card. The new monster was a large serpentine dragon made mostly out of brown rock, except for its yellow underbelly. It had two front limbs that were shovellike with long claws, like a mole, that had red orbs on the back of them. It also had small spiky wings made from rock, as well as two more limbs on the back of it, near the tip of its tail. Along the back of it, it was lined with small stone plates, and it had a jaw that didn't have teeth, but rather sharp points of rock along it. It had pure yellow eyes, and a horn on its nose (LV 7: DEF 2300).

"Sorry, Ryofu, but it seems like my Stone Dragon has just enough defense points to stick around for another turn."

Ryofu ended her turn, and Chinrin decided to pipe up. "It looks like the momentum has moved from Ryofu to Ganryo! Will this be the comeback of the tournament?"

'Hopefully.' "I switch my Stone Dragon into attack mode!"

Her dragon soon rose up, looking down on the other monsters (ATK 2000).

"Now attack her Kurama with Stone Shard Spray!"

Stone Dragon then opened its maw and fired a blast of sharp pieces of gravel, which ripped through the Winged Beast-type (Ryofu: 3100-1900 LP).

"And now I set one card to end my turn!"

Ryofu drew, then summoned out her Wolf, which let out a loud howl as it entered the battle (LV 3: ATK 1200). She then played her Beast Fangs, which made her monster even stronger (ATK 1200-1500).

"Attack!"

As her monsters began to charge her opponent's Stone Dragon, Ganryo simply played her face-down.

"I activate my Mirror Force, destroying all of your monsters in attack mode!"

A transparent force field appeared, and a barrage of multicolored lasers made short work of Ryofu's monsters. Ryofu simply ended her turn, and doing so, she slipped her Larvas into her Graveyard, and in doing so, the Manticore of Darkness came back (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"Well, what do you know! By discarding or tributing a Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-type monster, Ryofu is able to bring back her monster during the End Phase of the turn it went to the Graveyard!"

"What a card!" said Kaku, amazed that Ryofu was able to get her hands on it, regardless of who she got it from.

"Not a problem! I draw, then I activate my Smashing Ground, which destroys your monster with the highest defense!"

The Beast-Warrior was then forced onto the ground, which cracked under the force and the weight, before the monster of myth shattered into pixels, leaving Ryofu wide open for a direct attack.

"Now, my Stone Dragon can attack directly and finish this duel! Stone Shard Spray!"

The barrage of stone brought the life points of Ryofu to zero, as she fell onto her knees, disappointed by her early elimination (Ryofu: 1900-0 LP)(Winner: Ganryo).

"What a match, folks! But now, only one more match remains, and then tomorrow, it's on to the quarterfinals!"

"Hawawa...now I'm up…"

"Don't worry, Shuri," said Anthony. "You're one of the best duelists in Kikai! I'm sure that you can win against Kochu."

Shokatsuryo smiled. "Thank you."

~KD~

After a half hour, Shokatsuryo and Kochu were waiting for their names to be called, while in the stands, Totaku was doing her best to comfort Ryofu, who after her loss was even more quiet than usual. Anthony was worried about his general, and decided that he would give her a pep talk later that night.

"Alright, it's time for the last match of the first round! First off, she's spent six years training under the great Shibaki Tokuso, before becoming the lone strategist under the rule of Lord Anthony of Kikai, her Dragons are much more than myth, it's Shokatsuryo Komei!"

Shokatsuryo nervously stepped forward, intimidated by the hundreds of spectators cheering for her. "Hawawa…"

"And as for her opponent, she's a woman who's Fairy-type monsters will surely bring down their divine wrath on all who dare stand against her! Please welcome, General Kochu Kansho of En!"

As soon as Chinrin finished her announcement, and Kochu walked onto the field with her usual smile, the entire Kikai Kingdom, or at least those who were present, collectively had the same response (excluding the silent Ryofu, and Choun, who didn't know her).

"WHAT!?"

"Kochu is…" began Anthony.

"...an En general!?" finished Kan'u.

"Do you know her?" asked Sonken.

"I seem to remember Lord Anthony talking with her once we finished our block in the qualifier," said Kannei.

"I dueled her on the day that we arrived, before any of you guys came here," answered Anthony. "But she never said anything about being a member of Ensho's peerage!"

The two duelists came up to one another, and a quick round of rock-paper-scissors left Shokatsuryo as the deciding vote, her scissors beating the older woman's paper.

"If it's okay with you, I wanna go second," said Shokatsuryo.

"Very well," said Kochu. "I wish you the best of luck."

Shokatsuryo then took her position opposite of Kochu, and like that, the duel began.

(Kochu: 4000 LP)(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)

"Let's see what we can do here," mused Kochu, as she drew her six cards and began to look through her hand. "I think that I'll set one monster, and then set two cards, and that will be all for now."

As the three cards appeared on the field, Shokatsuryo drew, then summoned her newly drawn monster to the field.

"I summon my Masked Dragon!"

Her monster roared as it entered the battle (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"And now I'll attack your monster!"

The dragon then spat out a fireball, and the card flipped up to reveal a rather cute monster. It was a little pink blob, with a happy smile and rosy cheeks that, for some reason, were upside down (LV 3: DEF 500). The audience began to coo at the Fairy-type, as did the announcer.

"Aw, what an adorable monster! Not all cards need to be big and scary, it seems!"

"Thank you. By attacking my Marshmallon while it was face-down, you now take a thousand points of damage, and my Marshmallon is unable to be destroyed by battle."

Shokatsuryo frowned as she took damage, and the blast did absolutely nothing to hurt the little monster that Kochu controlled (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3000 LP). "I set one card and end my turn."

Kochu then drew, before smiling. "I summon my Keldo to the field!"

Her new monster was a rather unusual card, to say the least. It was mostly tan, with a green top and hat, with red orbs all over it. Its hands were nothing but red orbs with blades that trailed behind them, and it had no legs, hovering midair with a silver skirtlike base below its waist (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And now I equip my monster with my Silver Bow and Arrow!"

Her monster was soon equipped with the bow, although without fingers, it simply stuck to its hand, as the monster became more powerful than before (ATK 1200-1500).

"Now my Keldo will attack your Masked Dragon!"

The monster drew back its bow, and fired the arrow which pierced the chest of Masked Dragon, shattering the Dragon-type (Shokatsuryo: 3000-2900 LP). However, this wasn't entirely a bad thing for the young Kikai strategist.

"By destroying my Masked Dragon in battle, you've let me Special Summon a Dragon-type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck! And I pick my Different Dimension Dragon!"

A portal soon opened up where Masked Dragon once stood, and the dragon from another plane soon flew out (LV 5: ATK 1200).

"Very well. I end my turn."

Shokatsuryo drew her next card, and smiled, before she slipped it into her Spell and Trap Zone.

"I activate my Dragon's Gunfire, which lets me destroy your Marshmallon!"

Different Dimension Dragon then spat out a fireball, which torched the Fairy-type, and Shokatsuryo then summoned another monster to her field.

"Now I summon my Mirage Dragon!"

The long dragon appeared on the field with a roar (LV 4: ATK 1600). However, it seemed that Kochu was ready for this, as she played one of her Trap Cards.

"You've activated my Trap Hole, which lets me destroy your monster!"

However, Shokatsuryo played her own card in response, with her face-down flipping up to show Tyrant Dragon, with a green bead in its forehead.

"I play The Dragon's Bead, letting me discard one card to negate and destroy your Trap Card!"

She then sent her Curse of Dragon to the Graveyard, as Trap Hole was destroyed.

"Now, it's time to attack! Mirage Dragon, destroy her Keldo with Spectrum Blast!"

As the monster began its attack, a magenta fog covered the face-down card, preventing Kochu from activating it. Her Dragon-type then fired a multicolored beam of energy at the Fairy-type, which blasted the monster to bits (Kochu: 4000-3900 LP). As soon as Keldo left the field, two red orbs appeared over Shokatsuryo's Duel Disk, and Kochu smiled.

"By destroying my monster, I can now select two cards in your Graveyard, and return them to your deck. Let's return your Masked Dragon, and the monster that you discarded to use your Trap Card!"

Shokatsuryo then sent her two monsters back to her deck, then shuffled her deck.

"Different Dimension Dragon, attack directly with your Rainbow Burst!"

Her other dragon fired its own rainbow blast, which Kochu blocked with her cape (Kochu: 3900-2700 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Kochu drew her next card, and she smiled as she played it.

"I activate my Swords of Revealing Light, which will keep you from attacking for three of your turns! And now, my turn is over."

As the swords appeared, Chinrin decided to talk. "And for the third time, we've seen this card be played! This might help her pull off a comeback!"

Shokatsuryo drew her next card, and played it. "I activate A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon, in order to return my Different Dimension Dragon to my hand, and destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"

The new card showed Tyrant Dragon flapping its wings and destroying the landscape, as Different Dimension Dragon flapped its four wings, which sent out a massive gust of wind that destroyed The Dragon's Bead, Swords of Revealing Light, and Kochu's face-down card, Horn of Heaven.

"Now I summon my Troop Dragon!"

Her green dragon soldier soon joined Mirage Dragon on the field, and pointed its sword at Kochu, who prepared for a series of direct attacks (LV 2: ATK 700).

"Mirage Dragon, Troop Dragon, attack directly!"

Her monsters began their assault, with Mirage Dragon blasting its Spectrum Blast at the buxom Fairy user, who once more shielded herself with her cape (Kochu: 2700-1100 LP). Troop Dragon followed, swinging its sword as Kochu blocked the attack with her armored hand, although the action was pointless, as the blade simply passed through her (Kochu: 1100-400 LP). Shokatsuryo ended her turn, as her lord was becoming excited.

"Man, Shuri is destroying her out there!" he said, a wide smile on his face.

"Don't forget that Ryofu was doing the same, until Ganryo bounced back," said Sonshoko, which made Ryofu put her head down, and made Kaku glare at the youngest Son sister, who shrunk back.

"Well, Shuri also beat Bunshu without losing even half of her life points," pointed out Kan'u. The members of Kikai and Go soon turned their attention back to the duel as Kochu drew her next card.

"I set one monster and end my turn."

Shokatsuryo then drew her next card, and her eyes went wide as she saw it, and decided that it was time to bring out something big.

"I tribute both of my monsters in order to summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

The two dragons were then replaced by the much larger Red-Eyes (LV 7: ATK 2400), which let out a massive roar as the audience began to cheer.

"Whoa, that's her best monster!?" asked an excited Rikuson.

"Well, not necessarily, but it is her signature monster," said Anthony. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"I'm inclined to agree," said a breathless Choun, as Kannei could only stare at the massive beast.

"Wow, what a monster! Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a rather rare card, so to see it in action is a treat to be sure!"

"Hawawa…I'm not used to this sort of praise…"

"Don't worry, dear, they all appreciate you! You should be taking it in stride!"

"Um, thank you? Anyway, I'll have my Red-Eyes Black Dragon attack your monster with Inferno Fire Blast!"

The black dragon shot its blast of flame at the defending monster, which was revealed to be a red orb with a golden eye that looked like the Millennium Symbol, with metal pincers like a crab, and tiny golden wings (LV 4: DEF 1300). As it was destroyed, the Millennium Symbol appeared, surrounded by six red orbs numbered one through six.

"Thank you very much, Shokatsuryo. Now by destroying my Agido in battle, you've let me roll a die, and Special Summon a Fairy-type monster with a level equal to the result from my Graveyard."

The Millennium Symbol then looked up at the orb labeled "1," and began to spin its pupil around and around.

"What's it gonna land on," said Chohi with bated breath. Anthony and Kan'u were unable to answer, until the eye finally came to rest, looking at the orb labeled "3," and Kochu grinned.

"Perfect! I revive my level three Marshmallon!"

The tiny fairy appeared on the field, a smile on its upside down face (LV 3: DEF 500).

"Hawawa…I end my turn."

"It seems like Kochu is still in this, folks! What will she do now that she's been blessed with another turn?" asked Chinrin, as Kochu drew her next card.

"This. I play my Monster Reborn, reviving my Keldo from my Graveyard!"

Her monster reappeared, and crossed its arms in front of it, the orbs and blades making an imitation of a pair of eyes (LV 4: DEF 1600).

"And now, I can bring out my favorite monster! I tribute my Marshmallon and my Keldo in order to summon my Majestic Mech - Goryu!"

The two fairies disappeared, and a heavenly roar came from above, as a massive monster flew down from the sky into the arena. The monster appeared to be a trail of golden light that had the rest of its body formed from white metal. It had four small legs, two by the much wider torso, and two trailing a little further down the long serpentine body, which went on much further, ending in a branching tail. It had two angelic wings, and a head that looked like that of a dragon (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"Incredible! Kochu has just summoned an amazing monster, one that seems like it just descended from the heavens!"

"And it's more powerful than Red-Eyes," said Kan'u.

"Goryu, attack with your Aether Stream!"

The monster soon fired its attack, a dazzling golden beam of light that struck Red-Eyes, destroying the monster (Shokatsuryo: 2900-2400 LP).

"And that shall conclude my turn."

Shokatsuryo began to shake as she drew her next card.

"Hawawa…I set one monster and end my turn."

Kochu smiled as she drew.

"A decent attempt, but a futile one, as my Goryu deals piercing damage! And now, I summon my Majestic Mech - Senku!"

Her metallic angel then appeared on the field, ready for battle (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Now, for my Battle Phase! Aether Stream, then Heaven Blow!"

Her massive gold and white monster fired its celestial blast, which destroyed Shokatsuryo's Spirit Ryu (LV 4: DEF 1000)(Shokatsuryo: 2400-500 LP). Senku then flew towards her, and dealt a punch that she managed to block, but the hit still knocked her back, as her life points hit zero (Shokatsuryo: 500-0 LP)(Winner: Kochu).

"And that's it! The winner of this duel is Kochu Kansho! And with that, the first round has ended!"

Shokatsuryo slowly stood up, and accepted the handshake offered by Kochu, albeit weakly.

"That was a great duel."

"Th…thanks."

'Apparently, it isn't just Ren who needs cheering up,' thought Anthony, as Chinrin began to announce the next four matches.

"And now, for the quarterfinal matches! Tomorrow, the duels shall be as followed! Kan'u Uncho versus Kochu Kansho! Sonken Chubo versus Anthony Calem! Ganryo versus Butterfly Mask! And Bacho Moki versus Bunshu! Good night, everyone, and I hope to see you all tomorrow as the En Tournament continues!"

~KD~

Shokatsuryo was bummed. No, more than that, she was crushed. This was her chance to show everybody just how good she was, how much her master had taught her, and yet, despite making it into the tournament, had lost in the first round against Kochu. And she wasn't the only one. While Ryofu was normally quiet, her roommate had still been silent after her loss to Ganryo. Nobody else had taken their losses as harshly as these two, mostly because they felt that they let down somebody. Shokatsuryo, her teacher. Ryofu, her former lord. And the both of them, the one who was knocking on the door right now. Ryofu slowly got up and walked to the door, opening it to reveal Anthony.

"Mind if I come in?"

Ryofu simply moved out of the way, letting him through. He then sat on a chair in the corner, and looked at the depressed general and strategist, who were on their beds.

"So, I could tell that you're upset about losing so soon, so I came to cheer you up."

The two of them looked at each other, then turned back to him.

"You know, losing is nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, I've lost before, and I just got right back onto the proverbial horse. And I've seen both of you lose before, and you were fine with it. So what's the matter now?"

"We let you down."

Anthony turned to Ryofu, who had finally broken the silence, staring at her feet. "We wanted to make everyone proud…"

"And we failed," cut in the young strategist.

"You know," said Anthony, "Yue and Ei didn't even make it into the tournament, and although they were sad at first, they both got over it."

"Yeah…" said Ryofu, although she sounded unconvinced.

"And Rinrin lost too! But she wasn't upset in the slightest!"

"But that's different," said Shokatsuryo. "She's…"

"'Just a kid?' Last time I checked, you were the same age, miss hypocrisy."

"No, it's just, she doesn't take loss that hard, and she lost to a friend. We lost to the peerage of Ensho."

"So? You guys will just have to try harder next time! Don't let one loss get you down, it just means that you have to give it 110 percent next time!"

"But you can't have 110 percent," said Shokatsuryo, with Ryofu nodding.

"Not with that attitude! And I've actually got something to help you with that. Shuri, do you have a card called Metalmorph?"

Shokatsuryo raised an eyebrow, before she began to flip through her cards, and eventually, she found the card that he asked for and showed him to it. Anthony smiled, then reached into his satchel and looked through his extra cards, before pulling out a card and handing it to her.

"Here you go, a little present."

Shokatsuryo was in shock. "Hawawa! I can't take your cards!"

"You aren't taking it, I'm giving it to you. Besides, you have the cards to make it work."

With some hesitation, she took the card, and her expression went from upset to in disbelief as she saw what she had been given.

'HAWAWA! This is stronger than anything that I have in my deck!'

Anthony then removed her hat and began to pat her head, which made her squirm in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, Shuri."

He then turned to Ryofu. "And that goes for you too, Ren. Sorry, I don't have a card for you."

Ryofu simply shrugged her shoulders, then spoke up.

"Pat…my head?"

Anthony tilted his head in confusion. "What? You want me to pat your head?"

She nodded, and Anthony shrugged in response, before he patted her head, which made her blush and smile.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, I guess. Goodnight, girls, and don't forget what I told you." He then left, and as he did, he came face to face with Choun.

"Sei? What are you doing out here?"

"I'm going on patrol. Somebody has to make sure the streets are safe at night."

Anthony cocked an eyebrow, and went into his room to build his deck for his duel with Sonken the next day, while Choun went off to do her own thing.

~KD~

In her Butterfly Mask disguise, Choun leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the crisp air of the night lightly stinging her cheeks as she ran across the town at top speed. She then came to rest on the ledge of a shop, looking for anything suspicious.

"Why Riri…"

She then looked down, seeing Kochu walking through the streets. But rather than her usual friendly smile, Kochu was frantically wiping away tears, as she was softly sobbing.

"I'm the one that they wanted. They could have just captured me. Why did they have to take Riri?"

She then looked at her cards. "And even more than these cards, she's the most important thing in my life."

Chou had heard enough. 'This woman needs our help.' She then removed her mask, in order to talk to this woman directly, and leapt from the rooftop onto the street, landing gracefully before Kochu. The older woman was startled by the sudden appearance, as she held out her Duel Disk before Choun stood up.

"Who is Riri?"

This was apparently enough to cause Kochu to burst into full-on bawling, as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her palms. Choun then kneeled down to her, and removed the hands of the older woman, whose face was all red from crying.

"Please, let us help you. Come with me, and I'll take you to Lord Anthony."

Kochu stopped crying, and nodded. She decided to tell them everything once she got there.


	30. Jailbreak

Kochu was sitting on Anthony's bed, with Choun and Kan'u on either side of her, Anthony, Chohi, and Shokatsuryo on Kan'u's bed, and the other four members of Kikai standing around, as Kochu began to tell her story.

"Well, it's best if I start from the beginning. You see, I was born into a rather wealthy and powerful family. And when I reached adulthood, my family decided that it would be best if I were to keep the legacy going. As such, I was set to have an arranged marriage with a man from another wealthy family, so that they could combine their wealth and become stronger. His name was Haruto, and he…was the love of my life."

Kan'u couldn't help but flinch at the word "was," feeling that this story wouldn't be happy for long.

"By the time Haruto and I were married, Duel Monsters had become popular, and he had grown rather interested in it. I, however, didn't really care for it that much. At the time, we had settled down in the capital, and I had become pregnant. While he cared a lot for the game, he still managed to make the time for me, as well as our daughter, Riri."

'So Riri is her daughter,' thought Choun, as the cheerful Kochu became more somber.

"That's when Haruto became sick. By the time the doctors had figured out what the issue was, it was too late to cure his ailment, and he passed away, just four years ago. He left me two valuable things to care for, his deck, filled with Fairy-types, as he was a rather spiritual man, and his Duel Disk. But although I came to love the game after I learned how to play it for his sake, there was always one thing that he gave me that I'll always treasure the most, and that's Riri."

She was quiet for a second, and Bacho decided to ask what was surely on everyone's mind. "So what happened to Riri?"

Kochu could feel the tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes. "On the day that Lord Kosonsan was defeated, a bunch of men in white clothes, who served under Lord Reiha, came into the city seeking out strong duelists to serve her, and enter on the tournament. They soon found me, but I refused, wanting to live my life in peace. But they wouldn't take no for an answer!" At this point, she had begun to bawl. "So they took Riri, and said that if I didn't enter the tournament, then they would…they would…"

Kan'u clenched her fists. "That's absolutely disgusting! Those cowards, using your daughter to force you to give in to her demands! We won't stand for this, right, Anthony!?"

But Anthony was oddly quiet, his head tilted down so that the rim of his fedora covered his eyes. "How old is Riri?"

Kochu stopped crying for a second. "She's…she's seven years old. Why?"

Anthony could swear that he heard something snap. "THAT FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!"

He then got up and punched the wall, a mixture of rage and adrenaline numbing the pain. "Forcing somebody to do their dirty work is one thing. But to take their child, their fucking CHILD, who is only SEVEN, and threaten to kill them if the parent doesn't cooperate!? That's way, WAY over the goddamn line!"

He then turned back to face Kochu. "You want our help? You've got it, because it will be a cold day in hell when I let something as…heartless as this slide. Girls, it's time for a jailbreak!"

Kochu looked at the Messenger from Heaven. "You…you'll save my daughter? Really?"

"Really."

"But, what do you want in return?"

Anthony had his face of rage become a lighthearted smile. "All I ask is that you join my peerage. I'm sure there's room in the palace for you and your daughter to live. And even so, it's just the right thing to-oof!"

He soon found himself in a bone crushing hug, courtesy of Kochu. "Thank you! Thank you all so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!" she said as she began to cry once more, only this time it was out of happiness rather than grief. Between the huge pair of breasts compressing his chest, and the arms squeezing his torso like a python constricting its prey, Anthony had a little trouble getting out a response.

"Hey, no problem, Kochu," he finally wheezed, as Kochu released her grip, causing him to fall onto his back, on his bed, breathing heavily.

"Please, call me Shion, I insist."

After Anthony was able to gather his bearings, he turned to his peerage.

"Okay, Yue, Ei, I need you two to draw a map of the palace for each person who's going on this mission."

The two of them nodded as Chohi raised her hand.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh! Rinrin wants to go! Please, big bro? Pleeeeeease?"

"Oh, okay, Rinrin." He then had an idea. "Shuri, Ren, the two of you will be going with her. If you two feel like you failed me, then this is your chance to bounce back, you got it?"

Ryofu nodded, and Shokatsuryo gasped.

"Hawawa! Are you sure you want to send me!? Why not a general, like Aisha or Sui?"

"They're going to need time to prepare for the tournament. Besides, I know that the three of you have got what it takes to save her."

"Hawawa…"

Totaku and Kaku began to draw three maps for them, using their knowledge of the palace structure. The three girls on the mission went to get their decks, as Anthony turned to Kochu.

"Shion, I want you to stay in here with us. Is that okay?" The older woman nodded, and Anthony nodded in response.

"Alright, it's time to pull off a rescue mission!"

~KD~

In the middle of the night, the palace of Ensho Honsho was quiet. That is, until a grappling hook was thrown into the air, latching onto an open window. The rope that the hook was attached to was pulled, but the hook remained secure. From below, Chohi smiled, before beckoning the others to follow her, as she eagerly began to scale the wall.

"Hawawa, I'm not sure about this," whispered Shokatsuryo, before she was lifted by Ryofu, who followed Chohi up the rope. Eventually, the three of them entered the room, with Chohi taking the grappling hook, before she looked to see where they were. According to the maps, and Shokatsuryo (since Chohi still couldn't read that well, although her fellow thirteen-year-old had begun to give her lessons), they should have been in Kayu's former room, although the painting of Kochu, as well as a young girl with purple hair who Chohi presumed was Riri, was enough evidence to show that it was her room now, though once Riri was free, it wouldn't be her room anymore. Chohi began to look at the map.

"Okay, so if I go left, and you guys go right, then split up here, we can look everywhere!"

Ryofu nodded, and began to drag Shokatsuryo away, as they went out of the door, and Chohi followed, going in the opposite direction. Chohi passed by several doors, evidently more barracks for high-ranking troops, before she took a flight of stairs to the floor above, unaware of two figures that had begun to follow her.

~KD~

"So, which way should we go?"

Shokatsuryo asked the question, as she and Ryofu came face to face with a fork in the road. One path went through the palace until it reached a stairway to the first floor, while the other was a flight of stairs that also led to ground level, specifically the courtyard. Ryofu answered Shokatsuryo's question by going down to the courtyard herself, while Shokatsuryo sighed, and went to search the second floor.

Ryofu soon found her way to the courtyard, which had four differents entrances, or exits, on each side, and was mostly empty except for the large statue in the center, depicting Emperor Reitei. Ryofu decided to go to the door to her right, when she was suddenly stopped.

"Hey, you there!"

Ryofu spun on her heels, and saw a man in a white hood with the Millenium Symbol on it and a Chaos Duel Disk approaching her.

"I don't recall seeing you around here. Who do you think you are, trying to break into the palace of Lord Ensho? You got a death wish?" He then tilted his head. "Wait, you're that Hosen girl, right? The one who served Totaku before all of this. Were you feeling lonely, so you came to join your friends in the shadows?"

"Where is Riri?"

The man laughed. "The brat? That's why you're here? Well, I might be able to tell you where she is, if you can beat me."

Ryofu took out her cards and began to shuffle them, while the man laughed and activated his Duel Disk, as a purple mist began to cover their cards, indicating that this would indeed be a Shadow Game.

(Ryofu: 4000 LP)(Guard: 4000 LP)

Ryofu drew her hand of six cards, and quickly placed a card onto the field.

"Summon Griffore."

Her round Beast-type lazily laid on the field (LV 4: ATK 1200), as Ryofu ended her turn by setting a card. The guard simply laughed as he drew his next card.

"So that's the monster that you bring to the table? Weak! Let me show you a real monster! I play my Polymerization, in order to fuse my Tainted Wisdom with my Ancient Brain to Fusion Summon my Skull Knight!"

Two monsters briefly appeared on the field, one being a large orange brain with pink worms sticking out of it (LV 3: ATK 1250), and the other being a green-skinned fairy with a bushy redwood-colored beard, a wooden staff, pink wings, a green robe, and most noticeably, a large yellow brain with a red horn sticking out (LV 3: ATK 1000). They both were sucked into a blue vortex, and out of it came a much stronger monster. It had green skin, and it wore a piece of torso armor that looked like a giant demon's skull, with the eyes glowing purple. It had a white helmet that appeared to be made of bone, and two long red horns grew from it. In its left hand was a shield that was made from a skull, and in its right, a sharp-looking scimitar (LV 7: ATK 2650).

"And now I summon my Skull Meister to join it!"

A new monster appeared, who looked like an elf with red war paint over its left eye running to its right cheek. It had long black hair done up in a ponytail, a black and red robe with two skull decorations (and unlike Soso and the Kako twins, rather than metal, they looked like real skulls) and a green sash, and a white fur scarf. It was seated on a throne that appeared to be made entirely of various bones, and it held a horned skull in its left hand (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Skull Knight, attack with Cranium Cleaver! Skull Meister, attack directly with Screaming Skull Lob!"

His Spellcaster-type leapt into the air, bringing down its sword onto the Beast-type's head, shattering it into pixels (Ryofu: 4000-2550 LP). Suddenly, the ground began to shake, as large, thick bones sprouted behind Ryofu, in a curve around her.

"Pretty impressive, huh? Whenever a player loses life points, more and more bones surround them until there's no way for them to escape! And then, once they run out of life points, the loser is dragged into the Shadow Realm!"

As he said this, his Fiend-type threw the skull it was holding, which let out a horrid screech as it bit down on Ryofu's arm (Ryofu: 2550-850 LP). Soon, even more bones began to surround her, leaving only an opening wide enough to walk through, but just barely.

"Hahahahaha! I end my turn!"

Ryofu drew, and her eyes lit up as she saw what she got. But first, she decided to play a different card. She played her Silent Doom card, which brought back her Griffore, which had crouched its head down (LV 4: DEF 1500).

"Summon Larvas!"

She then summoned her Larvas, a monster that looked like a legless green imp. It had a thin frame, a beak, yellow eyes with red irises, and two thin pink arms that ended in brown tentacles (LV 3: ATK 800).

"I set a card...and end my turn."

Her opponent drew, and as he did, he smiled as he played a Ritual Spell.

"I activate my Novox's Prayer, and use the Skull Meister on my field and the Skull Stalker in my hand to Ritual Summon my Skull Guardian!"

A woman with purple hair and blue eyes in a red cloak appeared, hands folded in prayer, as a new monster came onto the field, a red and purple demon with a scorpion tail and pincers, a long neck, and a pointy jaw with sharp teeth (LV 3: ATK 900). The woman closed her eyes, and she, Skull Stalker, and Skull Meister began to glow, before the two monsters disappeared, and a much stronger creature appeared in the woman's place (4+3=7). It was a brown humanoid figure, with plated shoulders, three crests sticking out of the back of its head, and wicked blades in place of its forearms (LV 7: ATK 2050).

"Skull Guardian, attack her Larvas for the final blow!"

The monster began to run at the small Beast-type, blades behind it, when Ryofu played her Trap Card.

"Threatening Roar!"

The card let out a loud roar, and both Skull Guardian and Skull Knight flinched, with the former retreating back to its owner's side of the field.

"Grr...I end my turn."

Ryofu drew, and swiftly replaced her two monsters with a brand new one.

"Tribute Summon...my Mosaic Manticore!"

The two monsters were soon replaced by what appeared to be a clay statue of a manticore. The statue had the body of a lion, colored yellow with white claws. It had a dandelion mane, and a yellow face that was much more similar to a human than a lion. A pair of black and red dragon wings grew from its back, and its tail was that of a scorpion, being black in color. The monster then began to move, showing that it was much more than a statue as it let out a roar (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Splintered Stinger…"

Her monster then pointed its stinger at Skull Guardian, before launching it like a missile. Midair, the stinger split apart, becoming a flurry of thin quills. The quills struck the Ritual Monster, and it was soon down for the count (Guard: 4000-3250 LP). A few bones emerged directly behind the guard, who was stone-faced. Ryofu then ended her turn, as her opponent drew his next card.

"All I can do is set one card, and send it back to you."

Ryofu nodded, before she drew her next card.

"During my Standby Phase...my monsters come back…"

And just as she said, the monsters that Ryofu used to Tribute Summon her Mosaic Manticore came back to the field (LV 4: DEF 1500)(LV 3: DEF 1000).

"Now I summon Manticore of Darkness!"

Ryofu tributed her Larvas in order to bring back the familiar Beast-Warrior (LV 6: ATK 2300). She then pointed at Skull Knight.

"Attack, Mosaic Manticore."

Her monster roared before it pounced at the monster, reaching back with its paw, when the White Clothes member smiled and played his Trap Card, showing an imp holding a large red die.

"Sorry, but I activate my Skull Dice! Now I get to roll a die, and all of your monsters lose one hundred attack points times the result! So I have a five in six chance of destroying your monster!"

Ryofu, however, simply shook her head, as she played her Trap Card, which depicted a bear trap floating above a magic circle, surrounded by green lightning.

"I play…my Trap Jammer. Now your trap…is negated."

The same magic circle appeared directly below Skull Dice and destroyed it. The attack went off without a hitch, as Mosaic Manticore slashed right through Skull Knight, and one more bone emerged from the ground (Guard: 3250-3100 LP). Manticore of Darkness then attacked, furiously swiping at the guard as even more bones surrounded him (Guard: 3100-800 LP).

"I end my turn."

The guard slowly drew, and set one monster before he ended his turn. Ryofu drew, then played her Shield Crush, which destroyed the monster, which was a skeleton in plate armor and wielding a crimson blade, known as Skull Knight #2 (LV 3: DEF 1200).

"Furious Frenzy!"

Her Manticore of Darkness once again began to slash at the guard, who soon became completely surrounded by bones (Guard: 800-0 LP)(Winner: Ryofu). As soon as he did, he began to sink into a purple portal that had formed beneath him, as Ryofu stepped over to him, a rare look of fury in her eyes.

"Where. Is. Riri."

The White Clothes henchman laughed as he became waist deep in shadows. "On the third floor, tied up in a spare room. You'll never beat the one guarding her." As he laughed, he was soon completely consumed by the shadows, and the bones vanished, not even leaving holes from where they popped out of the ground. Ryofu then pulled out the map, and found out how to get to the third floor, before she bolted back up the flight of stairs that she just went down.

~KD~

Shokatsuryo was silent as she made her way through the halls of the second floor of the palace. She was being quiet on purpose, just in case she heard Riri crying, or calling for help. She was pressing her ear on any and all doors that she came across, but didn't open them in case she ran into any guards. However, as she turned the corner, she soon found that all of her hard work was for nothing, as a guard wearing the White Clothes uniform managed to see her.

"What? An intruder!"

"Hawawa!" Acting on instinct, Shokatsuryo turned to run, only to trip and fall. She turned onto her back and got a glimpse of the guy, who had activated his Duel Disk.

"So what's your story? Are you a thief? A spy? An assassin?"

"A rescuer."

As the young strategist got back on her feet, she stared at the man with resolve. "I know what you did to Shion's daughter. Now you're going to tell me where she is!"

The guard smirked. "And why would I do that, pipsqueak? If you wanna get anything from me, you'll have to duel me for it. And considering how your match with General Kochu went, I'd say that I rather like my chances."

Shokatsuryo didn't respond to his taunts, as that was exactly what he wanted, but rather, she activated her own Duel Disk. "We'll see!" As they both drew their hands, a purple mist covered their cards, and they were soon trapped in what appeared to be giant hourglasses, with all of the sand stuck on top. Shokatsuryo bit her lip nervously, as her opponent smirked.

(Guard: 4000 LP)(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)

The guard went first, drawing his next card. "Let's see here. I think I'll set one monster and one other card, before I end my turn."

Shokatsuryo drew, then summoned her first monster.

"Okay then, I summon my Twin-Headed Behemoth!"

Her monster appeared on the field with a roar from both of its heads (LV 3: ATK 1500).

"And now I'll attack with Thermal Vortex!"

Her monster fired a vortex of heat and cold, as the monster was destroyed, showing it to be a large tortoise with a pyramid for a shell (LV 4: DEF 1400). As it was destroyed, the White Clothes guard began to laugh.

"Ha! It looks like you've fallen into my trap! By destroying my Pyramid Turtle, you've let me Special Summon a Zombie-type monster from my deck with two thousand or less defense points! And I pick my Giant Axe Mummy!"

The new monster was a large mummy that appeared to wield a large axe, with three double-sided blades (LV 5: ATK 1700).

"Well, I play my Stamping Destruction!"

This new card showed a cottage being smashed to bits by the foot of Tyrant Dragon, as Twin-Headed Behemoth flew towards the set card.

"I can only play this Spell Card if I control a Dragon-type monster, and with it, I can destroy a Spell Card or Trap Card on the field, then deal five hundred points of damage to its controller." But to Shokatsuryo's surprise, her opponent began to laugh.

"Nice try, but when you play a card that would destroy a Spell or Trap Card, I can negate it and destroy it with my Curse of Royal!"

The new card showed the hallway of a tomb, and a hoard of yellow spirits flying out of an open door. Those same yellow spirits soon swarmed the Spell Card, which destroyed it.

"Hawawa…I end my turn."

Her opponent drew his next card, and smiled.

"I hope that you didn't need that monster, because I activate my Tribute to the Doomed, discarding one card, like my Wandering Mummy, in order to destroy your Twin-Headed Behemoth!"

A sandpit soon appeared below the Dragon-type, and bandages came out, pulling the dragon down into the pit.

"And now I summon my Royal Keeper!"

His new monster was a mummy soldier with a gold mask over the right side of its face, wielding a spear and a shield (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now both of my monsters will attack directly! But not before I play my Pyramid Energy to boost their power by two hundred each!"

The new card showed a golden frame shaped like a pyramid, with a brilliant yellow light in the center. The two Zombie-types soon absorbed the light from the card, becoming even stronger (ATK 1700-1900)(ATK 1600-1800). Shokatsuryo could only flinch as the two monsters swung their weapons right through her (Shokatsuryo: 4000-300 LP). Suddenly, a cascade of sand poured from the top of the hourglass into the bottom, burying the blonde strategist up to her chest.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot the rules of the Shadow Game! Whenever we lose life points, the sand falls into the bottom of these hourglasses that we're in. The loser is completely buried, and their soul is taken away to the Shadow Realm! Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, I end my turn by setting one card, and using the effects of both my monsters to change them into face-down defense mode." As the vertical backing appeared, both of his undead soldiers became horizontal face-down cards, as Shokatsuryo nervously pulled a card out of her Graveyard.

"W-Well, d-during your End Phase, I can b-b-bring back m-my Twin-Headed Behemoth, with less attack and defense than before," Shokatsuryo stammered, as her Dragon-type rose from the Graveyard (LV 3: ATK 1000). She then drew her next card, and nodded her head.

"I tribute my Twin-Headed Behemoth to summon my Kaiser Glider!"

The golden dragon soon made its way to the field, letting out a roar (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Now attack the Giant Axe Mummy with your Golden Burst!"

The monster became coated in flames, as it tore through the air, closing in on the Zombie-type, which flipped up (LV 5: DEF 2000). Kaiser Glider struck Giant Axe Mummy directly in the stomach, bursting through it and gliding back over to its controller.

"And I set one card to end my turn!"

The guard drew, and began to chuckle.

"First things first, I can't let you use that Trap Card. I activate my Trap Stun, in order to negate all other Trap Card effects on the field!"

The Normal Trap had a picture of a card, presumably Trap Stun, shooting yellow bolts of energy through the cards Imperial Order, Royal Command, and Royal Oppression. It then fired a yellow blast of energy, trapping Shokatsuryo's face-down in yellow static.

"And now, I tribute my Royal Keeper in order to summon The End of Anubis!"

The face-down monster soon disappeared, and a new monster appeared in its place. It was a purple humanoid figure, rippling with muscle and having sharp claws. It only wore a red loincloth and a cloth collar of the same color, and its head was that of a jackal, just like the Egyptian god of death (LV 6: ATK 2500). It soon let out a fierce bark, and for a second, both Graveyards had a purple aura.

"Now destroy the Kaiser Glider!"

His monster brought back its claw, and brought it down on the Dragon-type, turning it into pixels as another cubic foot of sand fell from the hourglass and onto Shokatsuryo's head (Shokatsuryo: 300-200 LP).

"Well, when my monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, then I can send a card from the field to the hand!"

However, the White Clothes member just laughed, as the purple aura reappeared over her Graveyard. "Sorry, but The End of Anubis has a special ability, Funeral Lock, which negates effects that either target cards in the Graveyard, or activate in the Graveyard, meaning that the effect of Kaiser Glider does jack! I end my turn!"

Shokatsuryo slowly drew her next card, as the static over her face-down vanished. As she saw what she had picked up, she smiled.

"I summon my Masked Dragon to the field!"

Her tan and red dragon appeared with a roar (LV 3: ATK 1400), as her opponent burst into laughter.

"What did I just tell you!? My monster negates card effects that activate in the Graveyard! Not to mention that it's far too weak!"

Shokatsuryo slipped her new card into her Duel Disk. "It may be weaker, but I'm hoping to get something stronger with my Monster Gate! Now I tribute my monster, and draw until I find a monster that I can Normal Summon, then I can Special Summon it!"

Her monster fell into a blue glyph, which became much wider as Shokatsuryo began to draw. She had to discard her Burst Breath, as well as her Metamorphosis, but her next card? Just what she needed.

"I Special Summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Out of the glyph rose her signature monster, which let out a powerful roar as it entered the battle (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"And now, to make it strong enough to beat your monster! I activate my Metalmorph!"

As her Trap Card activated, her monster became coated in the mercury-like substance, becoming a light shade of silver (ATK 2400-2700).

"Not only does my monster gain three hundred attack and defense points, but it gains power equal to half the attack points of any monster that I attack! Go, Inferno Fire Blast!"

Her monster let out a roar, as it became stronger still (ATK 2700-3950), and shot out the vermillion blast of fire, destroying the Fiend-type (Guard: 4000-2550 LP). As the guard finally took damage, the sand in his hourglass finally began to fall, burying the man up to his knees.

"I end my turn!"

Her opponent drew his next card, and smiled as he set it.

"I end my turn by setting this card."

Shokatsuryo drew, and as soon as she did, her opponent played his card, showing an urn with a marking of a dragon's head, as her monster crouched down (DEF 2300).

"And now I play my card, Dragon Capture Jar! This forces all Dragon-type monsters on the field to go into defense mode!"

Shokatsuryo began to panic, until suddenly, she remembered something.

'Anthony's card…"

"Well now, I suppose it's time to bring out a monster that isn't a Dragon-type! Since it's equipped with Metalmorph, I can tribute Red-Eyes Black Dragon to summon a monster from my deck! Go, Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon!"

The liquid metal around Red-Eyes suddenly began to harden, and then it opened its eyes, which flashed red. It then stood up, releasing a mechanical roar from its mouth (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Now attack directly with Flash Flare Blast!"

The monster opened its mouth once more, before it shot out a bright pink blast of energy which struck the guard, causing the hourglass to completely spill the sand into the bottom half, and as soon as it did, the hourglasses disappeared, leaving Shokatsuryo by herself in the hallway (Guard: 2550-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo).

"Hawawa…"

But she didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Ryofu soon ran towards her.

"Ren? What is it? Did you find Riri?"

Ryofu shook her head. "Third floor…"

"Third floor? That's where Rinrin went! Come on, lead the way!"

And with that, the two duelists headed towards where Riri was being held, unaware of what was going on up there.

~KD~

As Chohi was looking through the third floor, she then heard something from across the hall, which sounded like muffled crying, then somebody screaming for somebody else to shut up. With a determined expression, Chohi raced to where the sound was coming from, until she came to a turn. She peeked around the corner, seeing a man with a white hood and a Chaos Duel Disk in front of a door, seemingly having an argument. More soft cries were heard, and the guard turned towards the door.

"I said, shut up! I swear, the only reason why you aren't dead is because we need your mother, you little brat!"

"You're a bully."

The guard spun to face Chohi, who was glaring at the man angrily. "Rinrin doesn't like bullies."

The man sneered. "And I don't like nosy kids. What do you think you're doing?"

Chohi pointed to the door that the man stood in front of. "Helping her. We're gonna take her back to her mommy!"

"Ha! If you want to do that, you're going to have to beat me in a Shadow Game!"

"Rinrin accepts!" And with that, the duel began.

(Chohi: 4000 LP)(Guard: 4000 LP)

As they both drew their starting hands, two purple ropes of energy hung loosely around their feet, similar to the links that fused Rikuson and Ketsugo with their monsters during their duel. Chohi saw that the rope around the guard's feet led into a portal, and looked behind her to see that her snare had the same portal.

"Here's the catch," the guard said. "Whoever runs out of life points first will be dragged, quite literally, into the Shadow Realm, with the snares around our feet getting tighter and tighter when we get closer to zero."

Chohi nodded before drawing her sixth card. She carefully looked through her options, before plucking two cards from her hand.

"I set one monster and one other card, before I end my turn," she said, as her opponent drew.

"Well, I play my Pot of Greed, which as you should probably know, lets me draw two more cards!" After he drew, he slapped a card onto his Monster Zone. "And now, I summon my Makyura the Destructor!"

His monster was a rather vicious looking warrior, completely covered in armor. The armor was mostly purple plate armor, with the exception of the area around the chest, which was gold. It had two massive three-bladed claws attached to its wrists, and had a helmet that had four blades similar to those of an axe on them, and over its eyes was a golden circlet with the Millennium Symbol, the iris being green (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Attack her monster with Three-Claw Slash!"

The monster jumped over to the face-down, revealing it to be Giant Rat (LV 4: DEF 1450). As soon as it was flipped up, Makyura tore through it with its claws, and destroyed it, as an orange portal appeared where the monster once stood.

"When Rinrin's monster gets blown up, I can bring out an EARTH monster with 1500 or less power! Like Gyaku-Gire Panda!"

Out of the portal came a furious looking panda, with red eyes, and sharp teeth and claws. In its left paw, it held a stick of bamboo (LV 3: ATK 800).

"And Rinrin's monster gains five hundred attack points for each monster you control!"

Her panda let out a vicious roar as it became even more powerful than before (ATK 800-1300).

"Very well. I set three cards and end my turn!"

Chohi drew her next card, and smiled before she activated it.

"Rinrin plays her Mystical Space Typhoon!"

Her opponent smiled. "No you don't!" He then activated a Trap Card that had an image of a black jackal statue. "I play my Judgment of Anubis! Now I can discard my Double Snare, and then I can negate your card, and destroy your monster, dealing damage equal to its attack points!"

Her Gyaku-Gire Panda was soon destroyed, as Chohi saw the snare become smaller as her life points fell (Chohi: 4000-2700 LP). The young general pouted as she summoned her next monster.

"Rinrin summons The Trojan Horse!"

The new monster took the form of a large wooden horse (LV 4: ATK 1600). As soon as it appeared, her opponent played a new card.

"I activate my Trap Hole, in order to destroy your monster!" However, Chohi was prepared for such an occurrence.

"Rinrin plays her Beast Soul Swap!"

The card showed a monster named Great Angus, and its soul leaving its mouth, as her monster suddenly returned to her hand.

"Now Rinrin returns her pony to her hand, to summon a Beast of the same level! Like Berserk Gorilla!"

Her pissed off primate entered the field with a loud cry (LV 4: ATK 2000), as the White Clothes member activated his last face-down, showing an image of a red and yellow urn with a wide grin.

"I play my Jar of Greed, which lets me draw another card!" He then drew his next card, as Chohi pointed at Makyura.

"Berserk Gorilla, attack!"

Her monster furiously beat its chest, before it shot a blast of fire at the Warrior-type, destroying it, as the snare around the feet of the guard became slightly smaller (Guard: 4000-3600 LP). The guard then smiled, before he placed not one, not two, but all three cards in his hand into his Duel Disk.

"Why, thank you! On the turn my monster is destroyed, I can play Trap Cards from my hand! And I play my Shadow Spell, as well as two copies of Embodiment of Apophis!"

The first card had a picture of a bright light, and many dark blue chains, as similar colored chains came out of the card, binding the Beast-type and decreasing its power (ATK 2000-1300). The other cards released two monsters, which resembled blue and purple humanoid snake beings with snake tails, arms, feminine heads, and a large snake head coming out of the backs. They also wore golden armor, and wielded curved swords and heater shields (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Um, Rinrin is done for now."

"Excellent! I draw! And now both of my monsters will attack you!"

With a hiss, both Embodiments of Apophis slithered towards Chohi and her monster. One of the Reptile-types rose its blade above both of its heads, before it brought it down on Berserk Gorilla, destroying both the monster and the Shadow Spell (Chohi: 2700-2400 LP). The other Trap Monster was now able to attack directly, and did so (Chohi: 2400-800 LP). Chohi then felt something touch her ankles, and looked down to see that the snare was much tighter now, and if she lost any more life points, her legs would be pulled together.

"I set one card and end my turn."

The guard's words managed to bring the general's attention back to the duel as she drew her next card.

"Rinrin sets one card, then summons back her Trojan Horse!"

As a card was set on the field and The Trojan Horse reappeared (LV 4: ATK 1600), the member of the White Clothes grinned as he activated his Trap Card.

"I play my third and final copy of Embodiment of Apophis!"

Sure enough, a third of the snake creatures appeared on his field, drawing its sword and letting out a menacing hiss from its snake head (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, to finish you-"

"Rinrin plays her Threatening Roar!"

The loud roar kept the monsters at bay, as her opponent growled and set another card, ending his turn. Chohi drew, and smiled as she saw what she got.

"Since Rinrin can use The Trojan Horse as two tributes to Tribute Summon an EARTH monster, she Tribute Summons Behemoth the King of All Animals!"

Her monster was soon replaced by the massive pink beast, which emitted a low growl, a drop of drool falling from its dagger like teeth (LV 7: ATK 2700).

"Now I can add Beast-types from my Graveyard to my hand for each monster that was tributed!" As she pulled a card out of her Graveyard and put it into her hand, Chohi pointed at one of the monsters her opponent controlled.

"Now Rinrin attacks!"

Her opponent simply laughed, before he activated his face-down. "Nice try, but I activate my Spellbinding Circle, which prevents your monster from attacking or changing battle modes! So much for your best monster!"

As the Behemoth became trapped in the magical circle, Chohi pouted. "Rinrin ends her turn."

Her opponent drew, and began to go on the defensive.

"I set a monster, then switch all of my other monsters into defense mode!"

His serpent warriors soon lowered themselves and held out their shields, as if getting into formation (DEF 1800).

"That's all for me, now give me your best shot!"

"Okay! Rinrin summons her Gyaku-Gire Panda!"

She soon summoned out the monster that she had brought back to her hand with the effect of her monster (LV 3: ATK 800). As soon as it hit the field, it let out a roar, and began to grow much larger, until it was the same height as her Behemoth (ATK 800-2800).

"Now Rinrin plays her Wild Nature's Release, to boost her panda by power equal to its defense points!"

Her panda bared its claws and let out a tremendous roar as it became even more powerful (ATK 2800-4400).

"So what? All my monsters are in defense mode! You can't deal any damage!"

Chohi smiled. "Yes I can. Rinrin's panda deals piercing damage."

"What!?"

"Go, Kung Pow Paw!"

The monster let out a roar, as it brought back its right paw, and shot it forward for a palm strike at the face-down monster, a yellow mask with a red cross, similar to a scar, on the left cheek, which was known as Mask of Darkness (LV 2: DEF 400). The attack blasted the monster into pixels, as the guard's life points plummeted (Guard: 3600-0 LP)(Winner: Chohi). As soon as his life points were empty, the guard felt the energy snare become as tight as possible, forcing his legs together and causing him to fall forward. The snare then began to retract, and the man in white attempted in vain to avoid his face, clawing at the ground, but it was a futile effort as he was dragged into the Shadow Realm, and the snare around Chohi's legs vanished. She didn't have time to dwell on this, as she grabbed the door and pulled it open, revealing the captive child.

The little girl had short purple hair, the same color as Kochu, with two pink ribbons in her hair. She wore a long sleeved pink top with white trim, a picture of a red flower on it, and a white collar with a cyan ribbon. She also wore a purple skirt, white socks that went halfway up her calves, and pink shoes. Her blue eyes were filled with fear, and she had a gag tied around her mouth, her hands and feet bound by ropes. Chohi immediately got to work, pulling off the gag.

"Who are you? What are you doing?" asked the kid in a scared tone.

"You're Riri, right?" asked Chohi as she began to untie her feet. She saw the little girl nod her head, and Chohi smiled as she went behind her to free her wrists. "I'm Rinrin! My big bro sent me and my friends to rescue you, and take you back to your mommy!"

"M-Mommy?" asked Riri, as she nursed her wrists once the ropes were removed.

"Yep! Don't worry, you'll see her soon! Rinrin promises!"

Riri smiled, and Chohi grabbed her hand, leading her out of the room, but when they turned to go back the way Chohi came, she ended up being face to face with Bunshu and Ganryo, both of which out of their armor, but wielding their Duel Disks.

"So this is what you were up to?" asked Ganryo. "Trying to break out Shion's daughter?"

Chohi stood in front of Riri, her arms outstretched. "Rinrin won't let you hurt her!"

"Rinrin!"

Behind the En advisors and generals, Shokatsuryo and Ryofu ran into view, and soon saw Riri hiding behind Chohi. "You found her!"

"Yeah, and now these two are gonna take her back! But Rinrin won't let them!"

Bunshu shook her head. "We never said that! Look, neither of us like those guys in the white clothes. I mean yeah, they gave us cards, but they're way more ruthless than even Totaku. Not to mention that ever since they showed up, Reiha's been acting worse and worse. Look, just, get her out of here. We'll think of something, right Toshi?"

"I suppose, Ishe," said Ganryo, knowing that what Bunshu meant was "Toshi will think of something."

Chohi was elated when she heard this. "Really?"

"Really."

Riri then smiled super wide. "I can…go home?"

"Well, to the hotel, where your mother is," corrected Shokatsuryo, as the little girl began to cheer.

"Yay! Thank you, thank you!"

The two advisers smiled, as the members of Kikai left, before Chohi suddenly remembered something, turning back towards them.

"Oh, and Shion quits. She's with Kikai now."

"I gathered as much," said Ganryo, before she let out a sigh as the four disappeared, heading towards the exit. "Reiha isn't going to like this, Ishe."

"Don't worry, Toshi. If Reiha will listen to anyone, she'll listen to us."

"I hope you're right."

~KD~

As the five members of Kikai who were still in the tournament looked through their cards, Kochu let her worries be known.

"Are you absolutely sure that those three are able to retrieve my daughter safely and soundly?"

"Positive," said Anthony. "I trust all the members of my peerage with my life." Just then, he heard a knock at the door, then bolted over to answer it. He opened it, revealing the three members of his peerage, and one newcomer, who he smiled at.

"Hi there! You must be Riri, right?" At the sound of her daughter's name, Kochu perked up.

"Um, yes?"

Kochu could feel tears welling up in the corner of her eyes as she heard the voice of Riri. 'They actually did it…they saved her…'

"Well, my name is Anthony! I'm the lord of the Kikai Kingdom. And I've got somebody here who really wants to see you. Shion?"

Kochu then got up, and once she came into Riri's view, the little girl had a wide smile and sprinted up to her.

"MOMMY!"

Kochu smiled wider than Anthony had ever seen her smile, as she began to cry once more, kneeling down and catching her daughter in a hug.

"Oh, Riri! You're safe! Oh, I'm so happy to see you again!"

Anthony could only smile as he watched the two reunite, and he saw Kochu pick up her daughter and turn to the leader of Kikai.

"Thank you so much for bringing her back. All of you. I would be happy to join the Kikai Kingdom."

"You're welcome!" said a cheerful Chohi.

Anthony then went to the door. "Come on, we should probably get you checked in." He then headed into the hallway, with Kochu and her daughter in pursuit.

"Thank you, Messenger from Heaven."

Riri then turned to Anthony. "Oh, you're from heaven? Really? Do you know my daddy?"

'Holy fuck.' Anthony was not expecting that question at all, but he still managed to match Kochu's warm smile. 'I don't like lying, but I like unhappy children even less.' "Um, I'm not sure. But if I go back and see him, I'll let you know that his beautiful wife and his adorable daughter love him very much."

"Okay! Thank you!"

Kochu felt her cheeks go red, as the three of them went downstairs to the front desk. 'He's so good with children, and so selfless. I wonder…'

But these thoughts had to wait. Right now, she had to get ready for her duel with Kan'u, and more importantly, spend time with her daughter.

* * *

 **So yeah, Riri is here! And true to Shion's word, she's seven, and no, she doesn't have any cards. The decks of the White Clothes are just generic "evil" decks, although these ones are much better than the ones used by the Yellow Turbans. Also, those who are familiar with the visual novel may have noticed a change in the identity of Shion's husband, and Riri's father. Originally, it was Shion's uncle, but I changed it to an heir from another family, simply because I have a strong distaste for incest. This change doesn't impact the personalities of Shion or Riri in any way, or anything in the story, for that matter. Also, rather than Shunran and Shuran being Karin's cousins, they're her oldest childhood friends, which will be further elaborated on in the Gi Arc (expect a flashback or two). And before I leave, it's time once again for shameless self-advertisement! I uploaded a new omake, and this one has both Synchro Monsters and Xyz Monsters in it! That's it from me. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 12/12/2018: fixed an error with Trap Jammer.**

 **Edit 7/31/2019: added description of Stamping Destruction, since this is now its first appearance.**


	31. Second Round Rumble

"What do you mean you lost her!?"

In her throne room, Ensho was absolutely livid. Before her were her two advisers, who were explaining how Riri had managed to escape. Unbeknownst to her, however, they had conveniently left out the involvement of Chohi, Shokatsuryo, and Ryofu.

"It's exactly as we said, Lord Reiha," said Bunshu. "Riri managed to get past the guards and escape. And without her, Shion had no reason to stay here, so she defected. To our knowledge, she's joined up with Kikai now."

Ensho clenched her hands into fists, trying not to lose her temper, no matter how hard it was. "Fine, fine. We didn't need Shion anyway! You two are far better than she could ever be! And I expect you to crush her if you end up facing her in the tournament, understand?"

"Yes, Lord Reiha!"

~KD~

"Welcome, one and all, to the quarterfinals of the En Kingdom Tournament!"

In the arena, the crowd was going absolutely insane. Everyone was excited to see the next round, already having been blown away by the eight duelists who had made it this far. And among those excited were the members of Kikai and Go.

"Yay, mommy is gonna duel!" cheered Riri, who was seated right next to Anthony, with the adjacent seat, which was for Kochu, being empty, as well as the seat on the other side of Anthony, which was for Kan'u.

"Yeah, and so is Aisha! This is gonna be great!"

"So who is she, exactly?" asked Sonken, just seeing Riri for the first time.

"She's Shion's daughter," explained Choun.

"Yeah, Shion is on our side now! Too bad for Ensho!" said Bacho.

Kannei looked over to see Anthony playing with Riri, with Chohi joining in from her spot right behind her sworn big brother, and blushing. "He's certainly very good with children."

"I suppose he is," said Choun, blushing as well. Sonshoko looked between the two of them in confusion. What was going on with them?

"Alright, for our first match, we've got something special. First up, you know her as the Beautiful Black-Haired Bandit Hunter, the wielder of the mighty Black Luster Soldier, and one of the mighty generals of the Kikai Kingdom. Her mission is to protect others, but if you wish to endanger others, then her Warriors are the ones that you'll need protection from! Please, give it up for General Kan'u Uncho!"

With a thunderous applause, Kan'u entered the arena, head held high. Unlike her previous match, she was actually looking forward to her next duel.

"And although she no longer serves Lord Ensho, other than that she remains unchanged. Her monsters will come down from heaven, but they'll end up raising hell! The newest general of Kikai, Kochu Kansho!"

The applause continued as Kochu stepped in, her signature smile on her face.

"Yay! Mommy is gonna win this duel!" shouted Riri as the two of them played rock-paper-scissors to decide the order.

"Nuh uh! Big sis is gonna win this duel!" shouted Chohi, as Kan'u managed to win, her scissors trumping Kochu's paper.

"I would prefer to go second," said Kan'u, "if that's alright with you, Shion."

"That would be fine, Aisha," said Kochu, as the two of them got into position.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Kochu: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I draw. Hmm, it seems like a change in scenery is preferable. I play my Field Spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky!"

Sure enough, the whole field began to change. Both duelists were soon standing on clouds, and directly behind Kochu, a large marble temple floated in the air.

"Amazing! This is definitely the perfect field for Fairy-types to battle, as the controller of a Fairy-type monster takes no battle damage from a battle that involves a Fairy-type!" declared Chinrin, as Riri let out an "ooh."

"Why is she impressed? She's seen her mother duel before, right?" said Kaku aloud.

"She probably just thinks the card looks cool," said Bacho. "I certainly do."

"And now, I summon my Royal Knight!"

Her new monster was a humanoid monster made from white and gray metal, with floating wings, one eye, and a sharp gladius in its right hand (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"And now, I end my turn by setting one card."

Kan'u drew, and smiled. "For my turn, I set one monster and three other cards! And now I play my Twister, which lets me pay five hundred life points to destroy any face-up Spell or Trap Card under your control! And with its power, I can destroy your Sanctuary!" (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP)

The gray tornado appeared in the middle of the field, sucking in the clouds and ripping apart the sanctuary, turning the field back to normal.

"Aw, the card is gone!" said Riri.

"Don't worry, Riri! Your mom still has a chance!" said Rikuson, trying to cheer the kid up.

"Against big sis? The only person who ever beat big bro? No way!" said Chohi.

"I end my turn! Now show me what you've got!"

With a smile, Kochu drew. "With pleasure! Let's see here…"

"Hold on, not quite yet! I activate my Lightforce Sword!"

A Trap Card flipped up, showing a card that had been impaled by a longsword. A sword then fell from above and pierced one of Kochu's cards, before coming to rest in the ground, card still run through.

"With this card, I can banish one random card in your hand, until your fourth Standby Phase after I played it."

"Good thin that she used it on Shion's Main Phase 1, huh?" said Shokatsuryo.

Kochu, however, frowned at this move. The card that had been banished was Majestic Mech - Ohka, one of her favorites. Fortunately, she could still work with the cards that she had.

"I summon my Zolga to the field!"

Her caped monster floated alongside Royal Knight, eye glowing red (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, attack with Cape of Destruction!"

As her monster began to build up power, Kan'u played another one of her Trap Cards.

"By declaring an attack, you've let me activate my Enchanted Javelin!"

A multicolored javelin with wings and a green tip and wings materialized in her hand, as she prepared to throw it at Zolga.

"Now I gain life points equal to your monster's attack points!"

She then threw the javelin, with it piercing the Fairy-type, and Kan'u soon found herself in the lead (Kan'u: 3500-5200 LP). Zolga fired the beam from its cape, and the monster, Big Shield Gardna (LV 4: DEF 2600), simply deflected the attack with its massive shield, as Kochu took damage (Kochu: 4000-3100 LP).

"Wow, what a defense!" exclaimed Chinrin. "But don't worry, folks. Kochu still has a chance, since now, Big Shield Gardna changes battle positions!" And sure enough, the black-haired blocker soon stood up (ATK 100).

"Which is perfect, since when my Royal Knight destroys a monster in battle, I gain life points equal to your monster's defense points!"

As the other Fairy-type began to attack, flying towards the Warrior-type with its blade, Kan'u simply played her last Trap Card, which depicted a squadron of knights that were defending.

"I activate my Ready for Intercepting, in order to change my monster into face-down defense mode!"

The Big Shield Gardna then flipped down, and flipped back up in order to block the attack from Royal Knight (LV 4: DEF 2600), and increased Kan'u's lead (Kochu: 3100-1800 LP)(ATK 100).

"And just like that, in one turn, Kan'u had more life points than she started with, and Kochu has less than half of her life points!"

"Mommy…" said Riri, upset that her mother was losing so badly.

"Don't worry, Riri, your mom still has a chance," said Totaku.

"Yeah, in a duel, anything can happen!" concurred Sonshoko, moving over and putting her arm around the youngest of the bunch.

"Hm, I suppose that I'll end my turn."

Kan'u drew her next card, and immediately slapped it onto her field.

"I summon Axe Raider!"

The axe wielding Warrior entered the battle (LV 4: ATK 1700), although it wouldn't b there much longer, as Kochu played her Trap Card.

"I activate Horn of Heaven, and tribute my Royal Knight to destroy your Axe Raider."

A horn with angel wings appeared, and Royal Knight blew into it, before both it and Freed were destroyed.

"Well, I suppose that I switch my monster into defense mode." (DEF 2600)

With Kan'u having ended her turn, Kochu drew, and smiled.

"I summon my Mudora!"

Her masked monster appeared, letting out a powerful grunt (LV 4: ATK 1500-1700).

"What's this? It seems as if her monster has gotten stronger as soon as it entered the battle!"

"That would be its effect, giving it two hundred attack points for every Fairy-type monster in my Graveyard. And now I increase its power even further, with the help of my Cestus of Dagla!"

The Fairy-type put its sword away, and soon found itself equipped with two golden cestus (ATK 1700-2200).

"Now my Zolga will attack!"

The monster in question fired a blast from its cape, which Big Shield Gardna deflected (Kochu: 1800-900 LP).

"Why would she do that?" asked Bacho aloud, as Shokatsuryo let out a gasp.

"Hawawa! Now Big Shield Gardna is forced into attack mode, and Mudora can attack it!" And sure enough, the defending monster was now in attack mode, wide open for an attack (ATK 100).

"Mudora, destroy her monster!"

The Fairy-type sprinted towards the Warrior-type and slashed it apart (Kan'u: 5200-3100 LP).

"And whenever a monster that's equipped with Cestus of Dagla deals battle damage, I gain life points equal to the amount!" (Kochu: 900-3000 LP).

"And just like that, this duel is much closer!" announced Chinrin.

"And with that, my turn is done!"

"Alright! My mommy is gonna win! She's gonna beat Aisha!"

"No she isn't! Big sis will win!"

"Should we stop them before they come to blows?" asked Rikuson.

"I doubt it will come to that," replied Sonken, while back on the field, Kan'u just drew her next card.

"Yes! First, I summon my Freed the Brave Wanderer!"

As her wandering Warrior appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1700), Kan'u then activated her newly drawn Equip Spell.

"And now I equip my monster with Lightning Blade, increasing its attack points by eight hundred!"

Her monster soon found itself in the possession of a double-edged sword that was crackling with electricity (ATK 1700-2500). As thunder could be heard, Kochu violently flinched.

"Now destroy that Mudora! Brave Sword Attack!"

The Warrior-type lifted its blade into the air, and swung down, sending an arc of lightning at the Fairy-type, destroying it (Kochu: 3000-2700 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Kochu drew her next card, and she soon chuckled lightly.

"Hm? What's so funny?"

"I apologize, it's just that I drew something that should definitely turn the duel in my favor. I tribute Zolga to summon my Majestic Mech - Goryu!"

The EARTH Fairy-type soon vanished, and the massive celestial dragon descended from above, letting out a powerful cry (LV 8: ATK 2900). The effect of her other monster soon kicked in, and her life points jumped up (Kochu: 2700-4700 LP).

"Wait, that's a level eight monster!" cried Kan'u. "How did you Tribute Summon it with one monster?"

"My Goryu can be summoned with one tribute, as long as I send it to the Graveyard at the end of my turn. Now attack with Aether Stream!"

The monster fired the blast of heavenly energy at Freed, effectively smiting the Warrior (Kan'u: 3100-2700 LP). And as Kochu ended her turn, the monster proceeded to fade away, leaving nothing but the Lightforce Sword on the field.

"Okay then, I draw! And I summon Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!"

Her female fighter leapt into a battle stance, her sword already drawn (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"Now I'll attack directly!"

Her monster approached Kochu and swung her sword through the buxom duelist, who simply blocked the attack with her cape (Kochu: 4700-3600 LP).

"Ooh, mommy is using her phoenix cape! Cool!" said Riri.

"Yeah, she's been using that to block direct attacks all the time," said Anthony. "Not sure why, but at least it looks cool."

"I end my turn, Shion! Go ahead!"

Kochu drew her next card, then she placed it into her hand, and selected another card.

"I summon my Shining Friendship!"

The new monster was rather adorable. It was a spherical green angel with blue eyes, small feet, and tiny nubs for arms (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Aw, another adorable monster from Kochu! And not only is it cute, but it's powerful too!"

"I love mommy's monsters, because they're so cute and lovable!" said Riri, gushing over the tiny fairy.

"Eh, Marshmallon was cuter," said Anthony.

"Okay, Shining Friendship! Destroy her Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!"

The monster began to shine with a brilliant glow, with the light becoming blinding, as most of the spectators averted their eyes, while Anthony put on his sunglasses. When the light dimmed, Kan'u's monster was gone (Kan'u: 2700-2500 LP).

"Thank you. When my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon an EARTH Warrior-type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck! And I pick my Exiled Force!"

A portal appeared, and out came the group of armed men (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Interesting," said Shokatsuryo. "With that monster, she can tribute it to destroy one of her opponent's monsters."

Kan'u drew, and smiled.

"I tribute my Exiled Force, not to use its effect, but to Tribute Summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

The group of warriors were replaced by the hulking warrior in gold, who let out a powerful battle cry (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Now destroy that Shining Friendship with your Cyber Swipe!"

Her Warrior-type jumped towards the petite Fairy-type and slashed through it with the claws on its knuckles (Kochu: 3600-2700 LP). Kan'u then ended her turn, and as Kochu began hers, she couldn't help but smile.

"Four of my Standby Phases have passed," she said, "which means that my card is returned to my hand!" As she said this, Lightforce Sword exploded into pixels, and she regained her banished card.

"Oh dear…" said Ryofu, looking at Kan'u.

"And now, I play my Dark Hole, destroying all monsters on the field!"

As the black hole appeared, The Fiend Megacyber was soon swallowed by the darkness, shattering once it passed the event horizon.

"And now, to use the card that you banished! I use the effect of my Majestic Mech - Ohka in order to Normal Summon it without a tribute!"

Her celestial lion soon made its way onto the field, flying over Kan'u (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Now attack with Celestial Roar!"

Her monster fired its red beam at Kan'u, who managed to stay on her feet (Kan'u: 2500-100 LP).

"And now, I end my turn." And as she did, Ohka faded away, being sent to the Graveyard by its own effect.

"Yay! Mommy is gonna take down Aisha!"

'Come on, Aisha,' thought Anthony, 'I know that you can do this!'

As Kan'u drew, she smirked. "I play my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards!" And as soon as she drew, she knew that she had won.

"I activate my Advanced Ritual Art!"

Soon, a stone altar, surrounded by stone gate like constructs similar to Stonehenge, appeared before Kan'u, who had just pulled out her deck and begun to look through it.

"With this card, I can Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster from my hand by sending Normal Monsters from my deck to the Graveyard whose total levels equal that of my Ritual Monster! And I use my level three Swordsman of Landstar, and my level five Jack's Knight, in order to call upon the awesome power of my level eight Black Luster Soldier!"

The two monsters soon materialized on the stone altar, before a green light shone from above, sealing them in a green pillar, as they sunk into a magical circle (3+5=8). Her signature monster soon rose from the ground, letting out a war cry as it pointed its blade at Kochu, light gleaming off of the well-polished metal (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Amazing! Kan'u has just summoned her most well-known card to the field! And seeing how Kochu controls no cards, it seems like a victor has been determined!"

"Black Luster Soldier, attack with Chaos Blade!"

As soon as the Ritual Monster unleashed its devastating attack, it was game over (Kochu: 2700-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"Wow, what a finish! It looks like General Kan'u will be advancing to the semifinals!"

"Oh...mommy lost…" said Riri, crushed by the results.

"Don't be upset," comforted Anthony. "Your mom did her best out there, and she had fun. And in the end, that definitely counts as a win." Riri smiled as he said this, feeling much better.

"You put up an excellent fight," said Kan'u, walking over to her bested opponent, who had a smile on her face, despite being eliminated.

"Thank you, Aisha. I wish you the best of luck in the next round."

"It'll be my boyfriend who requires luck," Kan'u retorted, "as now, he has to face Renfa, who's significantly stronger than the first time they dueled, so I've heard."

"Not to worry. With our support, he just might pull off a miracle."

~KD~

"I hope that you're all excited, because now, it's time for a battle between two lords! First up, he's the lord of the Kikai Kingdom, as well as the fabled Messenger from Heaven! His unique Machine-types will leave his opponents reeling their heads, while wondering how it all went awry so fast! Please welcome Lord Anthony Calem!"

Anthony strolled into the stadium with a smile, looking forward to his match against Sonken. Now that she had become more confident, she was sure to have improved greatly. And if there was one thing that Anthony enjoyed, it was a challenge.

"And from the Go Kingdom, the Lotus Queen! Proud owner of the legendary monster known as Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Her mighty deck will shut you down, and take you out! Lord Sonken Chubo!"

Sonken had a light smile as she made her way to the center of the arena, and soon met up with Anthony.

"Ready for our rematch? I've beaten you once, and now it's time to see if I can keep that winning streak!"

"Don't think it will be too easy, now. I've been working hard to improve, and I've come a long way since our previous match."

"Sweet. I'm counting on it."

One game of rock-paper-scissors later, with Anthony's rock beating Sonken's scissors, and Anthony made the decision to go second.

"No mercy, Renfa!" cheered Sonshoko.

"Show her why you're the best, Anthony!" shouted Kan'u.

(Sonken: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

As Sonken drew her sixth card, she began to look through her hand, and made her decision.

"Alright, for my first move, I'll set one monster and two cards. That shall be all for now."

"Interesting," said Kochu. "Anthony may have to play cautiously in order to bypass this."

"Okay, I draw! And now I play my Star Blast! Now I pay life points in multiples of five hundred in order to reduce the level of one monster in my hand or on my side of the field until the End Phase! So now, I pay one thousand of my life points to reduce the level of one of my monsters by two!"

Six stars soon appeared on the field, and two of them exploded, leaving only four left (Anthony: 4000-3000 LP).

"And now, I don't need to tribute a monster to Normal Summon my favorite monster, Machine King!"

As his signature card appeared, the stadium began to go wild (LV 6-4: ATK 2200-2300).

"Wow, cool!" said Riri, never having seen a card quite like it.

"I'll admit, it's impressive," relented Sonshoko, "but can it handle my sister's cards?"

"I think we're about to find out," said Kannei.

"Go, Machine King! Attack her face-down monster with Jet Punch!"

His monster fired its rocket punch, revealing the monster to be a large metal jar with a blue door and a green cockpit, which resembled a face with a sharp-toothed grin and a single eye (LV 3: DEF 900).

"Oh no!" exclaimed Kaku, recognizing the card. "That monster...it's Cyber Jar!"

"When my monster is flipped up," explained Sonken, "it destroys every monster on the field! And then both of us reveal the five cards on top of our decks, and Special Summon any level four or lower monsters that we drew, while adding the other cards to our hands!"

The Cyber Jar opened its…face…then began to suck in Machine King, then once the mechanical monarch was inside, the Rock-type exploded, and both players drew five new cards, revealing them to their opponent. Anthony had drawn Pendulum Machine, Guardian of the Throne Room, Secret Barrel, Acid Rain, and Robotic Knight. Sonken had drawn Ryu-Kishin, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Lord of Dragons, Polymerization, and Saggi the Dark Clown.

"Alright then, I set all three monsters that I can!"

"And I Special Summon the two monsters that I can bring out!"

Soon, Anthony had brought out both his Guardian of the Throne Room (LV 4: ATK 1650), and his Robotic Knight (LV 4: ATK 1600), while Sonken set three cards on her field.

"Amazing! One of Anthony's strongest monsters has been destroyed, and both players have a field full of monsters! This is the way duels should be!"

"Okay, Guardian! Destroy the leftmost monster with Safeguard Missiles!"

His monster fired its rockets, and revealed the monster to be Ryu-Kishin, which was a red gargoyle with a single horn (LV 3: DEF 500). The monster went up in smoke, and Anthony pointed at his Robotic Knight.

"Now I'll attack the rightmost monster with Mechanical Thrust!"

Robotic Knight leapt towards the monster, which was revealed to be Lord of Dragons, a tan lord wearing a purple cape and an outfit seemingly made from dragon bones (LV 4: DEF 1100), and struck it with its rapier, destroying it.

"And now, I set two cards and end my turn," Anthony announced, prompting Sonken to draw her next card.

"Let's see, first off, I Flip Summon my Saggi the Dark Clown!"

Her monster sprung up, cackling as it looked directly at Anthony (LV 3: ATK 600). Anthony remained unfazed, coolly playing one of his Trap Cards.

"I activate my Secret Barrel! You already know what this card does, Renfa, but for those who don't, it lets me inflict two hundred points of damage for every card that's on your field, or in your hand! And with three cards on the field, and five in your hand, that means 1600 points of direct damage!"

As eight turrets popped out of the ground, Sonken simply smiled. "I do recognize that card. And I also know how to counter it! I play my Quick-Play Spell, Ring of Defense, which can reduce the damage that I would take from the effect of a Trap Card to zero!"

One of her face-downs flipped up, and out of it came a metal ring, with four green shields that had golden trim and red pearls alongside the edge, and the shields soon began to spin as though the ring were a fan. The turrets opened fire, but the volley of laser blasts was simply deflected by the Ring of Defense. She then placed a new monster onto her Duel Disk.

"Now I summon my Des Feral Imp!"

Her monster was a large purple imp, with an orange underbelly, a tail, long ears, and three spines going down its neck (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, I play my Polymerization, in order to bring out my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Hawawa! She's bringing it out already!?" shouted a surprised Shokatsuryo.

"Yes! Now my big sister is sure to win! I doubt that anything in his deck is powerful enough to beat that monster!"

As Sonshoko boasted about her sister's monster, it soon made its grand entrance, with the three dragons fusing together to become the ultimate dragon (LV 12: ATK 4500).

"And just like that, folks, Lord Sonken has brought out the most powerful monster that the tournament has seen so far! Can anything match its power!?"

As Chinrin went over what just happened, Sonken pointed at Robotic Knight. "Blue-Eyes, destroy that knight with your mighty Neutron Blast!"

The monster reared back its heads, before unleashing the massive blast from its three jaws, completely enveloping the Machine-type and vaporizing it (Anthony: 3000-100 LP).

"And just like that, Sonken has taken an absolutely massive lead!"

"No…" said Ryofu softly, as Chohi began to bite her nails in anticipation and anxiety.

"Thanks, Renfa. I activate my Damage Condenser!"

As the Normal Trap flipped up, Anthony discarded his Acid Rain, and pulled out his deck, looking through it. "Now I can Special Summon a monster in attack mode, if its attack points are less than or equal to the damage that I took. So now, I can bring out a personal favorite, Barrel Dragon!"

He then placed the card onto his Duel Disk, and the gunmetal gray and electric blue monster materialized, gun chambers spinning as it released a powerful screech (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Yikes! That thing is creepy!" said Riri, burying her face in her mother's lap.

"Not as much as that Jinzo, let me tell you that," said Bacho. "It makes that Despair from the Dark monster that Dokuro used look like Marshmallon in comparison."

"So what exactly does Barrel Dragon do?" Kochu wondered aloud.

"Once per turn, he can spin the three chambers on its weapons," said Kannei. "And if at least two of the card's cannons are properly charged, he can destroy one of Lord Renfa's monsters. I'm assuming he's going to be aiming to take down Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

"Well then," said Sonken, taking in the massive machine, "I suppose that I'll just have to set this one card and end my turn."

"Perfect! I draw-"

"And then, I activate it! I play my Crush Card Virus!"

"HAWAWA! Not that card, ANYTHING but that card!"

"Shuri? What's the matter?" askeed Kan'u.

"That card...will be a massive problem for Anthony, if he wants to defeat Lord Renfa."

"Alright! Take him down, Lord Renfa!" cheered Rikuson.

Anthony gulped as Saggi the Dark Clown began to have black cracks spread across its body, and Sonken took the time to go over her Trap Card. "With this card, I must tribute one DARK monster with a thousand or less attack points. Then you reveal your hand, and I destroy any monsters in your hand or on your field with 1500 or more attack points, and you also have the option to destroy up to three monsters in your deck that fit the same criteria!"

"What a move, everybody! Now Lord Anthony is about to lose any cards that might be able to stop Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Saggi then burst into multiple purple germs, each one having the kanji for "death" on it, and the germs soon surrounded Guardian of the Throne Room and Barrel Dragon, destroying the Machine-types. Not long after, five holograms appeared, revealing the cards in Anthony's hand to be UFO Turtle, Blast Sphere, Polymerization, Pendulum Machine, and Metalmorph. One of the germs infected the one with Pendulum Machine, with it being a monster with 1750 attack points, and Anthony then discarded it, before he pulled out his deck and looked through it.

"I'll also send Megasonic Eye, Slot Machine, and Launcher Spider to the Graveyard."

As he got rid of said cards, Chohi tilted her head. "Why did big bro get rid of those cards?"

"He must be trying to trim his deck," said Shokatsuryo, "so that he has a better chance of drawing just the card that he needs."

"And now, I set one card and end my turn, since I know that with that card, I don't take damage until the end of the next turn," said Anthony, as he looked over his cards. 'Now what can I do? If I try to use either of my monsters, I'll still lose when both of her monsters attack, and I can't use Polymerization. Hopefully, I can draw just the card that I need.'

"I draw! And I tribute my Des Feral Imp in order to summon my Judge Man!"

Her Reptile-type soon disappeared, and a new monster replaced it. It was a muscular man with gray hair, a neatly trimmed beard, two fangs sticking out of its lower jaw like a pair of tusks, and a pair of pure white eyes. He was adorned in a blue crown with a symbol attached to it that looked like six arrows pointing in different directions, a gray sleeveless top, a long blue kilt, pointed shoes, and a purple cape with a high collar that was attached to his neck by means of a golden collar with studs on it. In each hand, the Warrior-type held a small morningstar (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And now, my turn is over!"

Anthony closed his eyes, and slowly drew the top card of his deck, and smiled as he saw what he picked up.

"I activate my Reload, which lets me shuffle all the cards in my hand into my deck, then draw the same amount of cards! Let's hope that I get something good!"

He then shuffled his hand into his deck, and after a few seconds of his Duel Disk automatically shuffling his cards, he drew three cards, and his jaw dropped when he saw them. 'Holy crap! This is perfect! I just might be able to win with these cards!' "I play my Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand, like a monster that you just might find oddly familiar."

As the scroll appeared, out leapt his Zoa, which let out a loud howl (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Remember this card? It's the one that you gave me! And now, I play the card that I used to beat you the first time around, Metalmorph!"

As his monster gained a silver luster as the Trap Card became equipped to it, Anthony smiled as his monster grew stronger (ATK 2600-2900). "Now my monster gains not only three hundred attack and defense points, but it also gains half of the attack points of any monster that I attack with it! Like your Blue-Eyes!"

"I'm afraid that you can't attack something that isn't there. I activate my Interdimensional Matter Transporter!"

A mysterious device soon appeared, with various green and silver curved spikes, and a few red orbs, including one rather large orb on the very top. Soon, the orbs began to glow red, and a multicolored portal appeared directly below the massive Fusion Monster, which then sunk into the portal.

"What is this!?" cried Chinrin, in utter disbelief. "Did Lord Sonken just get rid of her best monster!?"

"Not quite," was the Lotus Queen's response. "I just banished it until the End Phase, effectively keeping it on the field for another turn. Now you can't destroy it."

"But I can take out your Judge Man! Zoa, destroy that monster with your Glimmer Strike!"

The Fiend-type had a brief twinkle in its eyes, before it began to become more powerful (ATK 2900-4000). It then fired a light green X-shaped blast of energy, which sliced right through Judge Man, destroying the monster (Sonken: 4000-2200 LP)(ATK 4000-2900).

"And remember how I said how this monster was the one that took down Totaku? Well, that isn't exactly the whole truth. This monster is the one that beat her! I tribute my Zoa in order to Special Summon my Metalzoa from my deck!"

Anthony's most powerful monster, at least in terms of original attack points, soon appeared on the field (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"And I end my turn by setting one card!" And as soon as Anthony finished his turn, the massive Fusion Monster reappeared, just as powerful as before (LV 12: ATK 4500).

"Both duelists have brought out their trump cards, but which of them will come out on top?"

"Easy! Renfa has a way stronger monster than Anthony! There's no way that she can lose this!" said Sonshoko.

"She may have the stronger monster, but don't forget, Anthony has a face-down," said Kan'u. Sonken soon drew, and pointed at Metalzoa.

"Blue-Eyes, destroy that monster with Neutron Blast!" But as soon as her monster began to gather power for its immense attack, Anthony activated his face-down.

"I play my Anti-Fusion Device, which lets me destroy your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

As the card flipped up, a large gray and yellow sphere made of metal, with a red light and a glass door, began to float on the field. The door then opened, and a vortex soon pulled in the massive dragon. The door closed behind it, and the light went on, as the monster began to be forced apart, with three Blue-Eyes White Dragons briefly appearing before they were destroyed.

"Wh-What? Her monster...was destroyed?" said Sonshoko in shock.

"It seems as if Anthony has won this duel," said Kochu.

Sonken bit her lip, before she set her last card. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Okay, I draw! And now, to finish this! I activate my Spell Card known as Night Beam!"

His card had an image of three cards on some sort of radar, and the nearest one being shot at by a beam of light, as a beam of light shot out of the card, destroying Sonken's set card, Shrink.

"With this card, I can destroy any set Spell or Trap Card that you control, and the best part is, you can't activate it in response! Now then," he said, flipping down his sunglasses, "it's time to face the future! Metalzoa, attack with Hardened Glimmer Strike!"

His monster crossed its arms, and unleashed its devastating attack, which brought the duel to an end (Sonken: 2200-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"And with that, it's over! Anthony Calem shall be advancing to the semifinals! We're going to take a bit of a break now, but don't worry, because later, we'll wrap up the quarterfinals with two more exciting duels: Ganryo against Butterfly Mask, and Bacho Moki against Bunshu!"

~KD~

"So you guys are just gonna leave? But the tournament isn't over yet!"

"Perhaps, but we have a lot of business to take care of back in Go. Besides, with the four of us out of the running, there isn't really a reason to stay here, is there?"

About half an hour after the duel between the leaders of Kikai and Go finished their duel, Anthony and Kan'u found out that the members of Go were returning home.

"What do you mean, no reason?" replied Kan'u. "The four of you can at least support us, and our friends!"

"I wish that I could, but unfortunately, I don't have the time. And Meirin can't keep running the kingdom by herself."

Anthony let out a sigh. "Well, I guess if you have to. Later, Renfa, Shishun, Non, Shaoren! I hope that we can meet up again!"

Three of the four girls smiled, while Kannei used her scarf to hide her blush. "Thank you, Anthony. I hope for us to be reunited as well. But until then, this is goodbye." And with the two members of Kikai waving goodbye, the members of Go left.

"You know, even though I lost, I still had a lot of fun, Renfa!" said Sonshoko. "I can't wait to get stronger, and duel Anthony again!" Sonken chuckled at the actions of her little sister, as Rikuson and Kannei had their own conversation.

"You know, whenever Lord Anthony talks to you, Shishun, you always blush. Are you embarrassed to be around him?"

"It's nothing of the sort, Non. It's just...I can't quite describe it, but I have these...feelings... for him."

"Like what? Don't tell me that you're going to leave Renfa for him!"

"Never. I wouldn't dream of betraying my loyalty for Renfa. Besides, these feelings are...different."

"Different how?"

"I'm...not sure…"

And with that, the members of Go left En, and began their journey home, while things were only beginning to heat up back in En, with the tournament still raging.


	32. New & Improved

"Welcome back, everyone! I hope that you're ready to witness some pulse pounding excitement, because now, it's time for the second half of the En Tournament quarterfinals! First up, she has the strength, the smarts, and the skill to go far in this tournament! Nothing can break through her impenetrable defenses! Adviser and general to Lord Ensho, please welcome Ganryo!"

Ganryo calmly walked to the center of the stage, ready to make Ensho proud. Once she was in the center, Chinrin announced her opponent.

"And facing her, she's the Scaled Savior of the Kikai Kingdom! With her dazzling collection of Insect-types, and her ways of pursuing justice, she has certainly left an impression on the crowd! Please give a warm hand for Butterfly Mask!"

"Why, thank you, kind citizen!" said Choun, as she began to walk towards Ganryo. "I shall certainly try my hardest to make my way into the hearts of the audience, and inspire the next generation!"

"Man, it looks like Sei is having the time of her life out there!" said Anthony, clearly excited.

"I didn't know she was a superhero!" said Riri.

"Well, not really, but she did save Anthony's cards from a thief the day before the tournament," said Kan'u. "So I suppose she is a hero, in her own way."

"Do you think that she'll beat Ganryo?" asked Chohi.

"Hopefully," said Anthony, though in honesty, he was rather nervous about Choun's chances of winning. After all, Rock beats Bug.

After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, in which Ganryo's rock (of course) lost to Choun's paper, Choun decided to go second, as both duelists prepared to throw down.

(Ganryo: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"Alright then, I draw! And I set one monster and two other cards, before I end my turn!"

Choun smiled as she drew. "Ah, an interesting play! But I think that I can match it! I play my Mystical Space Typhoon, in order to destroy your card on the left!"

The cosmic whirlwind soon sent the card, Castle Walls, flying into the air, before it shattered.

"And now, for a good friend of mine! Leap into action, my Pinch Hopper!"

The Insect-type hopped into action, a soft chirp coming from its legs (LV 4: ATK 1000). As soon as it was on the field, however, Ganryo activated her Trap Card.

"You should have destroyed the other card! I play my Trap Hole, which will destroy your Pinch Hopper!"

As soon as the monster fell into the hole, Choun began to laugh. "Ah, it appears that you forgot about my monster's special ability! When it leaves the field, I can Special Summon any Insect-type monster from my hand!"

"I didn't forget. Just like I didn't forget that your strongest monster needs a tribute to attack!"

"Ah yes, it is true that to unleash its power, Insect Queen requires a sacrifice. However, it isn't the only powerful insect that dwells in my deck! I Special Summon a monster that will shrug off even the strongest of your Rock-types, my Metal Armored Bug!"

A massive insect with an orange face appeared, with the rest of its body completely covered in metal armor (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Whoa," said Bacho, "that thing is huge! It's stronger than anything in Ganryo's deck, for sure!"

"Now attack!"

Her monster quickly made its way towards the monster, which was revealed to be Giant Soldier of Stone (LV 3: DEF 2000). The Insect-type plowed through the Rock-type, not even slowing down as it broke through the heavy stone statue. Choun then ended her turn, as Ganryo began hers.

"I set a monster on the field, and then I set another card!"

"Very well, I summon another of my incredible insects! Strike hard and fast, my Arsenal Bug!"

Her next monster was quite the vicious looking insect. Its back was multicolored, and resembled some sort of tribal mask in shape. It had wings fully extended, and in its front two legs, it held a scimitar and a spiked shield, with its face looking like a trident, with a yellow color to it and three horns, with the look of it completed by red eyes and a blue pair of mandibles (LV 3: ATK 2000).

"Hey, is it just me," said Kaku, "or is Sei playing differently than she usually does?"

"Yeah," said Anthony. "Usually, she plays a bit more cautiously, focusing on controlling her opponent and bringing out Insect-types. But now, she's using a beatdown deck."

"A what?" asked Chohi.

"A deck that focuses primarily on getting out powerful monsters," said Shokatsuryo.

"Doesn't seem like a good idea," said Kan'u. "I mean, Ganryo's deck is based around defense, right?"

"Exactly, and a deck filled with monsters that have high attack power is the perfect way to break through her defenses." said Anthony.

"Behold, the immense power of my insect cards!"

But before Choun could declare an attack with either of her monsters, Ganryo simply played her face-down, revealing Freed the Matchless General planning an attack on a map.

"Before you declare your attack, I play A Feint Plan, which prevents you from attacking my face-down monsters this turn!"

"It looks like she's really depending on that one monster," said Kan'u.

"Interesting! Well, fiend, I shall end my turn by setting a card!"

Ganryo smiled as this happened. "Perfect! I draw, then I Flip Summon my Medusa Worm!"

Her card then flipped up, and from underneath Metal Armored Bug, a new monster burst from the ground and destroyed it. It was a massive purple and red sandworm, with a body completely lined with spikes (LV 2: ATK 500).

"Oh, too bad for Butterfly Mask!" said Chinrin from her booth. "Whenever Medusa Worm is Flip Summoned, it destroys one monster on the field!" And that wasn't the only thing that happened, as without another Insect-type on the field, Arsenal Bug lost a good deal of power (ATK 2000-1000).

"And now, I'll switch my monster into face-down defense mode using its effect!"

Pretty soon, Medusa Worm had set itself, and Ganryo then placed a card into her Spell & Trap Zone, face-down. "I now set one card and end my turn!"

Choun then drew her next card, and with a smile, she summoned her next monster. "I summon my Chainsaw Insect!"

Her new monster was a large insect, roughly the same size as Arsenal Bug. Its thorax and abdomen were both purple with black lines, and a red spot was on its thorax, with six black legs. Its head was gray in color, with slitted eyes. However, the main focus was its mandibles, or rather, what was in place of them. Two massive chainsaws that curved into jaws were its mouthparts, which roared to life, teeth spinning along the outside with a growl as the monster let out a screech, clicking its powered jaws together with a grinding noise (LV 4: ATK 2400). And with another Insect-type monster under Choun's control, the power of Arsenal Bug returned to normal (ATK 1000-2000).

"Oh my, it seems like Butterfly Mask is not going to mess around during this duel!" shouted Chinrin, as the members of Kikai were in either awe or shock.

"Cool monster!" said Chohi, while Kochu comforted her daughter.

"What the heck!? It has a bunch of teeth on its mandibles, and they're moving!" exclaimed Kaku.

"Those are chainsaws," explained Anthony. "You know, as in Chainsaw Insect."

"Well now, that's a cool monster, Butterfly Mask, but will it last another turn? I play my Ordeal of a Traveler!"

Ganryo then played her face-down, which flipped up to show a traveler in front of a sphinx, gripping his head in frustration.

"Here's how it works. Whenever you declare an attack, you have to select a random card in my hand, and declare whether it's a Monster Card, a Spell Card, or a Trap Card. If you guess correctly, the attack will go through. However, guess incorrectly, and your monster is sent back to your hand!"

Choun began to laugh. "An impressive move to be sure. However, whenever a hero is faced with a difficult choice, they shall always find another option! I play my Remove Trap, which shall destroy your Ordeal of a Traveler!"

Her card had a picture of a broken bear trap, as a red mist began to surround the Continuous Trap, before it shattered into pixels.

"And now, I play my own Trap Card, Final Attack Orders! This card forces all face-up monsters to go into attack mode!"

As the card appeared on the field, Kan'u smiled. "This means that Medusa Worm will be forced into attack mode when Sei attacks it, which will cause massive damage!"

"Now it's time for my monsters to do battle! Chainsaw Insect, destroy that Medusa Worm with your Serrated Bite!"

The chainsaws on her monster revved up, and once they were spinning at full speed, her monster crawled over to the face-down monster, which flipped up once its opponent was close (LV 2: DEF 600). However, the effect of Final Attack Orders soon kicked in, and Ganryo's monster was forced into attack mode against her will (ATK 500). The Insect-type then bit down on the Rock-type, and destroyed it (Ganryo: 4000-2100 LP).

"Fortunately, my monster is a generous one. For whenever it attacks, or is attacked itself, you draw one card!" Ganryo did so, and as she looked over her new card, Choun pointed at her. "And now, Arsenal Bug shall attack directly! Go, Swarm Saber Slash!"

Her monster then flew towards Ganryo, slashing through the En adviser and general, and bringing her life points incredibly low (Ganryo: 2100-100 LP).

"And I end my turn with that!"

Ganryo then drew her next card, and as soon as she did, her eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

'This card…the one that THEY gave me.'

"You may think that you have the upper hand right now, but I'm here to tell you, that's far from the truth! Because now, I tribute my Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior!"

"Wait, what!?" shouted Anthony, as all three of the Magnet Warriors appeared on the field.

"Is something wrong?" asked Riri, tilting her head.

"Hawawa…by sending those three monsters from the hand or the field to the Graveyard, Ganryo can bring something far more powerful out…" said Shokatsuryo, as the monsters suddenly came apart, and began to combine into something else.

"Now I can Special Summon my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

Her new monster was much taller than Choun's monsters, and much stronger as well. The majority of its body was that of Alpha, including its sword. It now had magnets on its shoulders, courtesy of Beta. On the back of it was Gamma's wings, and its head was made from the heads of all three monsters (LV 8: ATK 3500).

"Would you look at that, folks!" said Chinrin. "Ganryo has just brought out one of the strongest monsters in the game!"

"This can't be good," said Bacho, as Ryofu nodded in agreement.

"Valkyrion, attack her Chainsaw Insect with Magnet Saber!"

Her monster then flew over to the Insect-type, sword charged with electromagnetic energy, as it sliced through the monster like it was paper, and once it shattered, Ganryo drew her next card, on account of the monster's effect (Choun: 4000-2900 LP). As Arsenal Bug lost power (ATK 2000-1000), Ganryo set one card and ended her turn.

"I draw! And I end my turn without making a move!"

"This duel is over," said Anthony, in a somber tone.

"I draw! Then I play my Rock Bombardment, sending a Rock-type from my deck to the Graveyard in order to deal five hundred points of damage!"

Her Stone Dragon then materialized directly above Choun, before it broke apart, burying her in a pile of brown stone (Choun: 2900-2400 LP).

"Now it's time to attack! Valkyrion, destroy Arsenal Bug with your Magnet Saber!"

Her monster slashed through the Insect-type, and with that, Choun was out of the tournament (Choun: 2400-0 LP)(Winner: Ganryo).

"And with that, it seems like Butterfly Mask has been knocked out of the tournament! General Ganryo shall be advancing to the semifinals! And now, only one spot remains! Will it be Bacho Moki, or Bunshu? Find out in a bit!"

~KD~

After some time had passed, Choun had rejoined her fellow Kikai members, having taken off her mask as the last round of the quarterfinals was about to start.

"Even though you lost," said Kan'u, "you did good out there, Sei."

This caused Choun to smile. "Thank you, Aisha. I'm glad to see that I managed to leave a lasting impression, at the very least." She then became quiet, as Chinrin began to announce the duelists.

"First up, born in Ryoshu, her Beast-Warriors are as wild and as powerful as she is! She'll never back down from a challenge, no matter the difficulty! It's General Bacho Moki from the Kikai Kingdom!"

Bacho strolled into the stadium, right fist in the air, a cocky smile on her face.

"And against her is the other adviser of the En Kingdom, one who has the immense power of her massive Dinosaurs backing her up! Please welcome Bunshu!"

By she walked over to Bacho, grinning from ear to ear. "May the best duelist win!"

"You got it!"

One game of rock-paper-scissors later, Bacho's rock crushing Bunshu's scissors, and the daughter of Bato decided to go first, and just like that, it was on.

(Bacho: 4000 LP)(Bunshu: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I summon my trusty Tiger Axe!"

Her monster made its way onto the field, letting out a roar as it appeared (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Now I set two cards and end my turn!"

Bunshu drew, and smiled as she slipped a card into her Duel Disk, showing a roaring dinosaur skeleton and a sauropod in a burning land. "I play my Heat Wave, preventing both of us from summoning an Effect Monster until the beginning of my next turn! And now, I play my Meteor of Destruction!"

Her card had a picture of a burning meteor entering the atmosphere, as Bunshu went over its effect. "I can only play this card if your life points are more than three thousand. With it, I can deal a thousand points of damage!" A meteor then fell from the sky and struck Bacho, giving the green-haired duelist the honor of first blood (Bacho: 4000-3000 LP).

"Come on, Sui! You can do this!" cheered Chohi from the bleachers, as Bunshu summoned her first monster.

"And now, I'll flatten that kitty cat with my Two-Headed King Rex!"

Her massive dinosaur appeared on the field, both heads letting out powerful roars (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now attack that Tiger Axe of hers with Foot Stomp!"

Her dinosaur jumped over to the Beast-Warrior-type, ready to crush it flat, when Bacho played one of her Trap Cards, which had an image of Breaker the Magical Warrior facing off against Mobius the Frost Monarch.

"I activate my Prideful Roar! This card can only be played when one of my monsters is attacked by a monster with more attack points, and with it, I pay life points equal to the difference, and my monster gains attack points equal to the life points I paid, plus three hundred!"

"And by doing so," said Anthony, "her monster will become stronger than Two-Headed King Rex! Way to go, Sui!"

Her monster let out a roar, as it became even stronger (Bacho: 3000-2700 LP)(ATK 1300-1900). It then swung its axe, slashing right through the Dinosaur-type (Bunshu: 4000-3700 LP)(ATK 1900-1300).

"Dammit! Well, I end my turn."

"Well this seems like the perfect opportunity for Bacho!" said Chinrin to the audience. "Her opponent controls no cards, and she has a monster on the field for a direct attack!"

Bacho grinned as she drew. "I tribute my Tiger Axe in order to bring out my Garoozis!"

Her tiger disappeared, and the dragon appeared in its place, swinging its axe (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"And now I play Call of the Haunted, to revive my Tiger Axe!"

Her monster was soon back on the field, weapon as sharp as ever (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Garoozis, attack directly with Battle Blade Strike!"

Her monster leapt forward, before it struck Bunshu with its axe (Bunshu: 3700-1900 LP).

"And now, I'll attack with my Tiger Axe!"

Her weaker Beast-Warrior swung its own battle axe at Bunshu, bringing the girl in gold to a seriously low amount of points for turn three (Bunshu: 1900-600 LP).

"Wow, Sui is doing really good, mommy!" said an excited Riri.

"That may be so, but it's too early in the game right now to tell," replied Kochu.

"I end my turn!"

Bunshu drew her next card, and grinned. "Well now that I can summon Effect Monsters again, and seeing as you have a FIRE monster and an EARTH monster on your field, I summon my Element Saurus!"

Her monster appeared, and soon, all of the spikes began to glow either orange or red, and the earth shook as the monster spat out a blast of fire into the air (LV 4: ATK 1500-2000).

"What is this!?" exclaimed Chinrin. "It looks like Bunshu's monster has just gotten stronger as soon as it appeared!"

"Whenever there's a FIRE monster on the field, it gains a whopping five hundred attack points! Now attack that Tiger Axe with your Molten Meteor!"

Her dinosaur spat out a glob of lava that hit the Beast-Warrior, shattering it (Bacho: 2700-2000 LP). Once the monster was gone, the tan spikes on Element Saurus stopped glowing.

"Now I end my turn by setting one card!"

Bacho drew, then she smiled. "Cool monster, but I think I can take it down. I summon my Panther Warrior!"

As soon as the feline warrior appeared (LV 4: ATK 2000), and Element Saurus had its tan spikes glow once again, Anthony grinned. "Excellent! That monster needs a tribute to attack!"

Ryofu tilted her head. "Is that…good?"

"It is in this case! Remember, Bunshu's Element Saurus is stronger right now because there's a FIRE monster on the field, in the form of Garoozis."

Totaku quickly caught on to his line of thought. "And once it's gone, the monster will lose its power boost!"

"Exactly, Yue!"

"Okay, now I tribute my Garoozis so that I can attack with my Panther Warrior! Go, Panther Slash!"

Her Normal Monster soon disappeared, and the red spikes on Element Saurus soon stopped glowing, which made Bunshu start to panic (ATK 2000-1500). Panther Warrior let out a roar as it pounced over to the Dinosaur-type, and cut through it, the monster shattering into pieces of light (Bunshu: 600-100 LP).

"And that's it for now!"

Chinrin was quick to go over what just happened. "And with that, Bunshu's life points are almost gone! Will she be able to pull off a comeback? Or is it all over for her?"

Bunshu drew, then set one card. "I set a card and end my turn."

Bacho smiled, as she drew her next card, and was quick to play it. "I activate my Silent Doom, in order to bring back my Garoozis in defense mode!"

Her monster came back, kneeling down on one knee and crossing its arms, axe in its hand (LV 5: DEF 1500). This made Bunshu smile, and she swiftly activated one of her face-down cards, showing a frog ready to catch an unsuspecting butterfly, while unaware of an approaching snake, which was unaware of a large dinosaur creeping up on it.

"Thanks! By Special Summoning a monster, you activated my Trap Card, Hunting Instinct! Now I can Special Summon a Dinosaur-type monster from my hand, like my most powerful monster, Black Tyranno!"

Out of the card, a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex emerged. It had thick scaly skin that was completely black in color, with small spikes on it and hungry orange eyes. It let out a primal roar, exposing its sharp yellow teeth and its long tongue (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Oh ho ho! It looks like Bunshu has brought out a secret weapon! Bacho better be on her toes!"

Anthony let out a low whistle from the stands. "That's a new one. Hopefully Sui is able to take that thing down."

"Me too, big bro!"

Bacho stared at the massive dinosaur, then looked at her hand, and smiled. "That's a pretty cool monster you've got there, Bunshu. Too bad my own best monster is stronger than it! I tribute both my Panther Warrior and Garoozis in order to bring out my Beast King Barbaros!"

Her monsters disappeared from the field, and in their place, her signature monster appeared, letting out a roar as it pointed its drill-like lance at Black Tyranno, as if it were challenging it (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Now attack with your Crag Spear!"

Her monster pierced the earth, weapon gaining a layer of rock. Before it could charge the Dinosaur, Bunshu played her other card, showing two police officers in front of a barred gate.

"I activate my No Entry! Now every monster on the field changes to defense mode!"

Both Black Tyranno (DEF 1800) and Beast King Barbaros (DEF 1200) were forced into defense mode, as Bacho frowned. "Whatever. I end my turn."

Bunshu drew, then switched her monster back into attack mode (ATK 2600). "Hey, do you wanna know something cool about my monster?"

Bacho has a bad feeling about the question. "Uh, sure?"

"Well, if you control nothing but face-up monsters in defense mode, no other cards on your side of the field, then my monster can declare a direct attack!"

"It can do what now!?"

"Go, Rex Bomber!"

Her monster let out a roar, before it began to stomp towards Bacho. It leapt over Beast King Barbaros, and aimed one of its powerful legs directly downward at Bacho, before it landed, kicking up dust and stomping down on Bacho, although it simply phased through her (Bacho: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Bunshu).

"And that's game!" announced Chinrin. "Bunshu will be advancing to the next round! And now, it's time to decide our two matches for tomorrow!"

"Oh man! Sui lost!" complained Chohi, while Kan'u and Anthony listened carefully for who they would be facing.

"First up, there's Anthony Calem versus Bunshu!"

"Hmm, so it looks like the power of the past will be facing the future," said Anthony, lowering his sunglasses.

"And afterwards, Kan'u Uncho against Ganryo!"

"She definitely won't be an easy opponent, especially with that Valkyrion of hers," said Kan'u.

"Don't fret, you two," said Kochu. "I'm sure that the two of you will come out on top." The both of them could only hope that that was the case.

* * *

 **And with that, the signature cards of both Toshi and Ishe have been revealed! Also, please remember to leave either a review or a private message saying whether or not you want Chosen in, because right now, I probably won't include him in the main story (although I may have him in an omake). Starpion out!**


	33. The Penultimate Plays

"So how are you feeling about our next matchups, Aisha?"

"I'll be perfectly honest, I'm a little bit nervous."

The young couple was preoccupied at the moment, building their decks for tomorrow. Both of Ensho's advisers/generals/only friends were much better at the game than they were before, having knocked three of Anthony's generals out of the tournament, not to mention Rikuson, who had proved her immense skill back when the Anti-Totaku Alliance was still a thing.

"Well, they may have some new cards, but they still haven't seen everything that we have to offer," said Anthony, waving a card in his hand that looked like a giant red robot with an engine in its chest. "You have any surprises in there?"

Kan'u looked through her deck, before revealing her Gilford the Lightning. "Neither of them have seen this card before, and even if anybody told them about it, they still don't know what its effect is."

"Perfect! We should be able to catch them off guard. Besides, my futuristic cards are far more advanced than Bunshu's ancient monsters, and your deck has a natural advantage. After all, both Fighting and Steel beat Rock."

Kan'u had to raise an eyebrow at the last statement. "Fighting? Steel? What are you talking about?"

It was then that Anthony remembered that he was in the past (from what he could gather, anyway), and that she wouldn't get any of his references. "Never mind, it isn't important. Let's just wrap things up, and get some sleep."

"Okay, but I can't help but be concerned by what will happen if both of us manage to defeat our opponents."

Suddenly, Anthony realized the weight of her statement. If they managed to beat Ensho's peerage, then they would have to duel each other. "Oh, you're afraid of facing me, aren't you."

"I'm certainly not afraid! It's just that, ever since our last duel, we've become much closer, and I don't think that…"

Anthony then gave her a quick kiss to cut her off. "Relax, Aisha. No matter what happens, we'll still be together. And besides, I've been waiting for a rematch with you for months now."

Kan'u smiled. "Very well. Although keep in mind, I won't be going easy on you."

Anthony lightly chuckled, as he placed his deck into its box. "What a coincidence. Neither will I."

~KD~

"Welcome, everyone, to the semifinals of the En Kingdom Tournament, everybody!"

The crowd was giving off thunderous applause, eagerly awaiting the next two duels. The members of Kikai, sans their lord, were watching the empty field with bated breath, while in her personal booth, Ensho was looking forward to seeing the lord of Kikai get destroyed by Bunshu.

"First up, we've got a headstrong girl from En, who won't give up until she's six feet under! Her Dinosaurs will trample any adversity! General Bunshu from En, everyone!"

The girl in gold strode into the stadium with a cocky grin, ready to cause some havoc.

"I hope that Lord Anthony knows what he's up against," said Shokatsuryo, nervously wringing her hands. "Hawawa…"

"Well, I certainly believe in him," said Totaku with a smile.

"And facing her is the lord of the Kikai Kingdom, as well as the Messenger from Heaven! Not too much is known about this man, except that he uses a unique type of monster known as Machine, and he has a love for all things Duel Monsters. Prepare to face the future, because here comes Anthony Calem!"

Anthony walked over to Bunshu, and after a brief game of rock-paper-scissors, in which Bunshu's scissors slashed apart Anthony's paper, it was decided that Bunshu would make the first move, as the both of them walked to their starting points, and the duel began.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Bunshu: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And then I summon my Mad Sword Beast to the field!"

Bunshu wasted no time bringing out the razor sharp dinosaur (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now I set one card and end my turn!"

Anthony drew his next card, and looked over his cards carefully. He had the monster that he planned on using to beat her in his hand, but he couldn't bring it out just yet. For now, he had to deal with her monster.

"I summon my Ground Attacker Bugroth!"

His monster hopped into action, aiming its blasters at the opposing monster (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now attack with Beam Barrage!"

His monster fired a salvo of laser rounds at the Dinosaur-type, blasting it into pixels (Bunshu: 4000-3900 LP).

"And then I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Bunshu drew her next card, and swiftly tucked it into her hand, before she inserted a different card into her Duel Disk. "I play my Heavy Storm, in order to destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field! And I also chain my Meteorain, so that for the rest of the turn, all of my monsters can inflict piercing damage!"

As Heavy Storm appeared on the field, her other card flipped up to show an orc charging forward, and a meteor shower directly behind it. Strong winds then destroyed the Trap Card, as well as Anthony's cards, which were Widespread Ruin and Damage Polarizer.

"And with that move, Anthony's entire back row has been wiped out!" said Chinrin, as Anthony grimaced, sending both cards to his Graveyard as Bunshu played another card.

"Now I activate my Earthquake, which switches all monsters on the field into defense mode!"

The mech on Anthony's field crouched down (DEF 1000).

"Not good," said Choun. "Now his monster is easier to destroy."

"And now, I summon my newly drawn Crawling Dragon #2!"

Her new monster was a large brown wingless dragon with spikes down its tail and along the back of its head, with sharp teeth that were sticking forward (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, I'll have my monster attack!"

The monster grabbed Bugroth in its teeth and proceeded to crush the monster into pixels. As soon as that was done, a meteor shower began to fall, and struck the area around Anthony, who shielded his with his arms (Anthony: 4000-3400 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Anthony drew his next card, and he selected a different card from his hand and played it.

"I summon my Cannon Soldier!"

The purple robot appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1400), and Bunshu couldn't help but snicker. "Um, that monster doesn't have nearly enough power to beat mine."

"Maybe not right now, but it will once I equip it with 7 Completed!"

As the card appeared on the field, Anthony adjusted his hat and flashed a smile. "Now I can give my monster a boost of either seven hundred attack points, or seven hundred defense points. And I choose attack points!"

Cannon Soldier soon became much stronger, outclassing its opponent easily (ATK 1400-2100).

"Now attack with Cannon Fire!"

His monster aimed its claws at the dino, before opening them and revealing the cannons inside of them, firing laser blasts at it until it shattered into tiny pieces of light (Bunshu: 3900-3400 LP).

"And I think that should do it for the time being."

Bunshu drew, then immediately played her new card. "I activate my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two new cards!" And as soon as she drew, she smiled seeing what she picked up. "And now I activate my Lightning Vortex!"

A roll of thunder could be heard, and the color drained from Kochu's face, as her daughter looked concerned. "Mommy? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes, dear."

"Hm? Are you scared of thunder, Shion?"

Kochu turned to Kan'u and sighed. "Since I was a kid."

"It's no big deal. I mean, I'm terrified of ghosts."

Kochu smiled, then her eyes widened as another roll of thunder could be heard, and she turned to see several spiraling thunderbolts strike down Cannon Soldier.

"By discarding one card, I can destroy all face-up monsters that you control!" shouted Bunshu, discarding a card before placing another into her Duel Disk. "And now I set one card and end my turn!"

"Both duelists have no monsters on the field," recapped Chinrin, "but Bunshu has a face-down. What surprises does she have in store?"

Anthony drew, then summoned his own monster. "I summon my KA-2 Des Scissors!"

As his monster appeared and snapped its claws open and shut (LV 4: ATK 1000), Bunshu activated her Trap Card, a Continuous Trap with a picture of A-Team: Trap Disposal Unit uncovering a dinosaur skull, as she sent her Sword Arm of Dragon from her hand to the Graveyard.

"I activate my Fossil Excavation! Now by discarding a card, I can revive any Dinosaur-type monster in my Graveyard, as long as its effect is negated! Welcome back, Black Tyranno!"

"Black Tyranno!?" Anthony then remembered that she had to discard a card in order to play her Lightning Vortex, and could only watch in horror as the massive dinosaur entered the battle (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"How did she get that card in her Graveyard!?" asked Bacho.

"Hawawa! She used it as the cost for her Spell Card! And now," said Shokatsuryo, "she has a massive advantage! Hawawa!"

"Well, I'm not done just yet! I set a card and end my turn!"

"Okay then, I draw! And I summon my Two-Headed King Rex to the field!"

Her two-headed Tyrannosaurus appeared, letting out a snarl as it stared at Anthony (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now both of my monsters will attack!"

First up was her Black Tyranno, which picked up Des Scissors in its jaws and crushed it into pixels (Anthony: 3400-1800 LP). Then her King Rex stomped on Anthony, who remained unfazed (Anthony: 1800-200 LP). Anthony then activated his face-down card.

"I activate my Fires of Doomsday! Now I can Special Summon two Doomsday Tokens to the field in defense mode, although I can't summon any other monsters this turn, and I can't tribute them for a Tribute Summon, except for a DARK monster." As he went over the effect of his Quick-Play Spell, two wisps of black fire, with two arms, ghostly tails, and one light green eye each appeared on the field (LV 1: DEF 0).

"Wait, why did he summon them now, instead of before he was attacked directly?" asked Totaku, clearly confused.

"Maybe he wants to have both tokens, to Tribute Summon a level seven of higher DARK monster," suggested Kochu.

"Zoa…" said Ryofu.

"Don't forget Barrel Dragon!" said Chohi, while Kan'u kept quiet, having a feeling that she knew exactly what he was going to summon.

"Not a problem! I end my turn!"

Anthony drew, and when he saw his next card, he smiled and put on his sunglasses. "I set a card face-down, and then, I tribute both of my Doomsday Tokens in order to bring out my Fiendish Engine Omega!"

Both of his tokens disappeared, and in their place came an absolutely massive machine. It was primarily red, and humanoid in shape. It had huge shoulders with exhaust pipes sticking out, which spat out thick black smoke, and its chest looked like an engine. It had huge silver blades sticking out of its wrists, and its hands were silver, with pointed metal fingers. It had two massive red legs, a silver tail with a forked tip, and its head had two massive curved horns on it (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"What is this, folks? It appears that Lord Anthony has just summoned a new monster to the field!"

"That's right, and it's ready to cause some havoc! Attack her Black Tyranno with Crustacular Crash!"

The Machine-type then ran over to the Dinosaur-type and slashed at it with both of its blades, ripping it to pieces (Bunshu: 3400-3200 LP).

"And now I end my turn, and during my End Phase, since I control Fiendish Engine Omega, I Special Summon an Engine Token in attack mode!"

A small engine soon appeared next to the hulking machine (LV 1: ATK 200), and Bunshu grinned at this move.

"Do you have any idea what you just did!? You've won me the duel! I draw, and then my Two-Headed King Rex will destroy that token with Foot Stomp!"

But as soon as the Dinosaur-type jumped into the air, Anthony played his face-down.

"I activate my Covering Fire! Now when you target one of my monsters for an attack, it gains the attack points of another monster that I control!"

Soon, Fiendish Engine Omega was standing right in front of the Engine Token (ATK 200-3000). It then proceeded to slice clean through Two-Headed King Rex, leaving Bunshu in a panic (Bunshu: 3200-1800 LP).

"Uh, I guess I set one monster and end my turn?"

"Hmm, it seems like Bunshu is on the ropes now," said Kochu.

"Go big bro!" cheered Chohi.

"It's time to face the future, Bunshu! I draw! And then I tribute my Engine Token in order to summon my trusty Machine King!"

The engine was soon replaced by the massive robot, which looked down at Bunshu (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And for every Machine-type monster on the field, including itself, my monster gains one hundred attack points!" cried Anthony, as his monster had its power spike (ATK 2200-2400).

"Now my Fiendish Engine Omega will use its own effect, gaining one thousand attack points, at the cost of its self-destruction during the End Phase!" His monster soon had the engine in its chest begin to run even faster than before, with a thick plume of exhaust spewing from the exhaust pipes as it let out a mechanized cry (ATK 2800-3800).

"Fiendish Engine Omega, attack her face-down monster with Crustacular Crash!"

His monster looked over the monster, and brought down its right hand, smashing the monster, which was revealed to be Trakodon (LV 3: DEF 800).

"And now, it's time to finish this duel! Machine King, attack directly with Jet Punch!"

His monster unleashed its devastating attack, knocking Bunshu backwards and onto her back (Bunshu: 1800-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"And that's it, folks! Anthony Calem shall be advancing to the final round! And in a minute, we'll find out who his opponent is, and this afternoon, we'll find out who will take home the game and fortune! So don't go anywhere!"

Anthony walked up to Bunshu and helped her back to her feet, as she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Dude, that was awesome! We've gotta do that again!"

"I'm looking forward to it, Bunshu."

"You know what, call me Ishe. You've earned it."

And with that, the two duelists left the stadium as friends, and Kan'u began to prepare herself for her duel against Ganryo.

'Look out, Ganryo. This is for Ren and Sei.'

~KD~

"Alright! Now it's time for our next duel to begin! First up, her powerful mind and rock-hard strength make for a dangerous combination! She'll shake her opponents to their core! Please help me in welcoming Ganryo!"

Ganryo had a small smile as she entered the arena, as Anthony looked at her from where he was seated.

"This is gonna be interesting. Ganryo's biggest weakness used to be the power of her monsters, but with cards like Valkyrion, she's eliminated that weakness."

"Not to mention that she has a bunch of cards that can destroy monsters," added Shokatsuryo.

"And her opponent, the Beautiful Black-Haired Bandit Hunter! Her monsters are as swift and as powerful as a trained warrior, and her resolve is unbreakable! Please welcome Kan'u Uncho!"

Kan'u stepped forward, a determined expression on her face as she approached Ganryo, and the two had a match of rock-paper-scissors, with Kan'u picking paper, thinking that Ganryo would choose rock again, only to be surprised when she chose scissors.

"I'd like to go first, Kan'u."

"Um, very well then."

The two duelists got into position, and then, it was game on.

(Ganryo: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I set one monster, and one other card! Now I end my turn!"

As Ganryo set her card, Kan'u looked over her options, trying to figure out her best plan of action. "I suppose that I'll set one monster, and two other cards, before I end my turn."

As Kan'u set her cards, Ganryo smiled. "Perfect! I Flip Summon my Medusa Worm!"

Her sandworm soon appeared (LV 2: ATK 500), before it tunneled underground, and burst from underneath the monster that Kan'u controlled. Kan'u frowned as she sent her Warrior Lady of the Wasteland to the Graveyard, but of course, it wasn't over just yet.

"Now I summon my Mine Golem to the field!"

Her new monster was a humanoid figure that looked like it was made of clay, mostly a faded yellow in color, with black hands, and brown gauntlets, knee pads, and boots. It had what looked like two black javelins on its back, and a single red eye, with a land mine on the top of its head (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Mine Golem, attack with Blasting Fist!"

Her monster ran towards Kan'u, left fist held back and ready to strike, when Kan'u played a face-down, which looked like two cans of food, a pack of crackers, and two unwrapped crackers.

"I play my Emergency Provisions, which lets me send any number of Spell and Trap Cards that I control, other than this one, to the Graveyard in order to gain one thousand life points for each card!"

Her other card, Ready for Intercepting, was sent to the Graveyard as Kan'u had her life points increase (Kan'u: 4000-5000 LP). Mine Golem then dealt its powerful punch, as Kan'u had her life points return to their starting value (Kan'u: 5000-4000 LP).

"Now my Medusa Worm will attack!"

The monster tunneled underground, and appeared directly below Kan'u, biting her legs before it returned to its subterranean home, and popped out next to Mine Golem (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP).

"And now, I activate the effect of my Medusa Worm, changing it into face-down defense mode, before I end my turn!" As the monster set itself, Chinrin felt the need to add some commentary.

"And with that, Kan'u has an empty field, and is behind! To get past the brick wall that is Ganryo, she has to go on the offensive!"

"That sounds counterproductive," said Shokatsuryo from the sidelines.

"I draw! And I Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

As her pitch-black Warrior-type in gold appeared with a loud cry (LV 6: ATK 2200), Ganryo spoke up. "Hey, how did you do that! That's a level six monster!"

"Yes, and if my opponent controls at least two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon it from my hand. And now I play The Warrior Returning Alive, in order to bring back a Warrior-type monster in my Graveyard, and add it to my hand!"

She pulled out a card from her Graveyard, and then placed it onto her Monster Zone. "Now I summon Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!"

As her blonde swordswoman appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1100), Kan'u pointed at Mine Golem.

"Megacyber, attack her Mine Golem with Cyber Flare!"

Her monster built up a silver blast of energy in its hands, as Ganryo activated her Trap Card.

"I play Ordeal of a Traveler!"

As the card flipped up, Ganryo smiled. "Now you have to pick a random card in my hand whenever you attack and decide whether it's a Monster Card, Spell Card, or Trap Card, and if you guess wrong, your monster is sent back to the hand!"

Kan'u thought for a second, then pointed at a card in her opponent's hand. "I guess that that card is a monster!"

Ganryo smiled and nodded, flipping the card over to reveal Alpha the Magnet Warrior, as The Fiend Megacyber fired its blast at Mine Golem, who exploded in a massive fiery blast (Ganryo: 4000-2800 LP). After the attack was finished, Ganryo shuffled her hand for the next guess.

"Whenever Mine Golem is destroyed in battle, you take five hundred points of damage!" explained Ganryo as she shuffled her hand (Kan'u: 3500-3000 LP).

"Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, attack her Medusa Worm! And I guess that the card on the far left is a monster as well!"

Ganryo flipped the card to show Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and the attack went through as Warrior Lady sliced through the face-down Rock-type (LV 2: DEF 600).

"And now I end my turn!"

Ganryo drew, and she smiled as she played her next card.

"I activate my Hammer Shot, destroying the monster on the field with the highest attack points!"

The wooden mallet came spinning out of her card as it smashed into The Fiend Megacyber, destroying it.

"Now I summon my Gamma the Magnet Warrior to the field!"

Her monster appeared with a grunt, ready to smash some warriors to pieces (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now destroy that warrior!"

Her monster obeyed, gliding over to the Warrior-type and punching her to the ground, destroying her (Kan'u: 3000-2600 LP).

"By destroying her, you've activated her effect!" shouted Kan'u. "Now I can Special Summon an EARTH Warrior-type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, like my Marauding Captain!"

Her monster appeared, swords drawn (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"Okay then. I end my turn."

Kan'u drew, and she swiftly summoned her next monster. "I summon Field-Commander Rahz!"

Her monster appeared, sword drawn (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And when he's summoned, I can select a level four or lower Warrior-type monster in my deck and place it on top of my deck!"

As she found the card she needed and put it on top, she then pointed at a card in Ganryo's hand. "Now my Rahz will attack, and I select monster!"

Ganryo nodded, showing Beta the Magnet Warrior before shuffling her hand, and Rahz slashed straight through the Rock-type (Ganryo: 2800-2700 LP).

"And now, my Marauding Captain will attack directly! And I select that card on the right to be a monster!"

However, Ganryo shook her head, turning the card around to reveal Silent Doom. "Incorrect." And with that, Marauding Captain was sent back to the hand, as Kan'u ended her turn.

"It's hard to tell who's in the lead here, folks!" said Chinrin, as from the sidelines, the members of Kikai were worried for their friend.

"Who do you think will win?" Riri asked Anthony.

"Aisha, definitely. She knows how to get out of sticky situations like this, and once she gains her momentum, Ganryo's toast."

"For her sake," said Choun, "I hope you're right." Ryofu nodded, and Chohi took offense.

"Big sis won't lose! She's gonna win, no doubt!"

But Ganryo seemed to think otherwise as she drew.

"It's time to take you down, Kan'u! I play the card that you guessed incorrectly, my Silent Doom, in order to bring back my Gamma the Magnet Warrior!"

Her pink magnetic monster returned to Ganryo's field in defense mode (LV 4: DEF 1800).

"Now I tribute Alpha, Beta, and Gamma in order to Special Summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

"Here it comes…" said Ryofu, as Anthony leaned forward.

Soon, the massive magnetic monster was front and center, crackling with magnetic energy as it pointed its sword at Kan'u (LV 8: ATK 3500).

"Well, well, well! It looks like Ganryo has brought out her most powerful monster to come and play!"

"Now attack with Magnet Saber!"

The Rock-type took to the sky, and sped towards Field-Commander Rahz, before it slashed the Warrior-type in half, destroying it effortlessly (Kan'u: 2600-700 LP).

"And that's it for me!"

Kan'u smiled as she drew her next card, and swiftly played her newly drawn monster.

"I summon the monster that I placed on top of my deck with my Field-Commander Rahz's special ability! Come on out, Marauding Captain!"

The captain landed on the field, wielding both blades (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"And when he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand! Like my other Marauding Captain!"

Soon, yet another Marauding Captain appeared, making two of them on the field (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"And just in case you don't know, if you want to attack a face-up Warrior-type

monster that I control, you can only select Marauding Captain as an attack target."

Ganryo was confused. "But you have two of them. Which one can I attack?"

Kan'u smiled. "Isn't that a good question?" Her two Marauding Captains then crossed their longer swords, forming a cross of swords between them.

"What a play, folks! It looks like Kan'u has just pulled off an attack lock!"

"A what?" asked Ryofu.

"It's when you have two or more monsters on the field, each of which having an effect that makes them the only monster that can be targeted for an attack. This makes it impossible for the opponent to attack any of their monsters," explained Shokatsuryo. "Hawawa, it's truly an amazing sight."

"And now," said Kan'u, "I end my turn!"

Ganryo frowned as she drew her next card. "I equip my Valkyrion with Invigoration!"

The card showed a yellow light emitting various colors, as a multicolored layer of light began to cover Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (ATK 3500-3900).

"Now my monster loses two hundred defense points, but gains four hundred attack points! And that makes it even stronger than your Arcana Knight Joker! I end my turn!"

Kan'u drew, then played her newly drawn card. "I activate my Twister, paying five hundred life points to destroy your Ordeal of a Traveler!"

Kan'u's monsters took a small dip (Kan'u: 700-200 LP), as the gray twister sent the Continuous Trap flying before it shattered.

"And now I summon my Armed Samurai - Ben Kei!"

A samurai in a black sleeveless top, white pants, and a white hood appeared, a spear in each hand, with various weapons on its back (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And that will end my turn."

Ganryo drew her next card, which was another copy of Mine Golem.

'Perfect! Now if she destroys this monster in battle, then she'll take five hundred points of damage, and then she'll run out of life points!'

"I set one monster and end my turn."

The world seemed to slow down for a second, as Kan'u drew, and when she saw what she picked up, she smiled. "Perfect! I tribute all three of my monsters in order to summon Gilford the Lightning!"

A roll of thunder could be heard, as Kochu turned pale, and her daughter began to comfort her.

"Is Shion alright?" Anthony asked Bacho.

"She's afraid of thunder," explained Bacho, as a lightning strike appeared in front of Kan'u, revealing the mighty warrior (LV 8: ATK 2800). This made Kochu even more scared, as Anthony leaned over and began to pat her on the back.

"Don't worry, Shion. It isn't real, and it can't hurt you."

Kochu blushed, as she held her daughter tight, who hugged her in response. "Thank you, both of you."

Kan'u smiled, having looked over to see how Kochu was handling this, as she turned her attention back over to Ganryo. "And since I summoned him with three tributes, his effect activates! Now I can destroy all monsters that you control! Go, Lightning Crush!"

Her monster then pointed its sword to the sky and shot a bolt of lightning upwards. A larger bolt came down, decimating both Valkyrion and the face-down Mine Golem.

"And now, folks, it seems that Kan'u has managed to destroy both of her opponent's monsters, and can now declare a direct attack!"

"It's time that we ended this duel, Ganryo! Lightning Sword!"

Gilford then slashed through the purple-haired adviser, drawing the curtains on the semifinals (Ganryo: 2700-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"And there you have it! Kan'u will be advancing to the final round!"

"That was an excellent duel, Ganryo," said Kan'u, shaking her opponent's hand.

"Hey now, call me Toshi. You've definitely earned the right to my secret name."

As soon as the handshake was over, Chinrin advertised the final round. "Only two duelists left, everyone! It's down to Anthony Calem and Kan'u Uncho! Which of them will be victorious!? Show up this afternoon and find out who will wear the crown, as the winner of the first official En Kingdom Tournament!"

* * *

 **Edit 12/28/2018: had Toshi reveal the cards Aisha selected with Ordeal of a Traveler.**


	34. A Rematch Made in Heaven

"We're so sorry that we lost, Lord Reiha!"

In her throne room, Ensho was staring at her two advisers, who were kneeling before her, faces practically touching the well-polished floor.

"We tried our hardest, but they were just too strong, Lord Reiha!" pleaded Ganryo. "Please, don't banish us like you did with Dokuro and Yokai!"

"Ohohohohoho! Don't worry, you two! I have no intention of banishing you!"

The two girls then looked up, in relief and disbelief, as Ensho continued. "Don't misunderstand me, I am disappointed that you two failed to bring me victory. However, I have a plan that will ensure that the En Kingdom will still be well-respected!" The two advisers looked at each other in fear, as Ensho got off of her throne. "Come Ishe, Toshi, we have a duel to watch."

~KD~

"So, it's come down to this."

After the duel between Kan'u and Ganryo wrapped up, everyone from Kikai headed back to the inn, with Kan'u building her deck in her room, and Anthony taking his cards into Choun's room, so that they could build their decks without the other seeing what they had in store.

"Ah, yes. It must be difficult to duel the one that you love so dearly, isn't it?"

Although Choun's commentary made it a little more challenging for the Messenger from Heaven to prepare.

"It's not that, Sei. You see, ever since I came to China, I've won every duel that I played, except for one. And Aisha is the one who beat me. To duel her again? This is going to be the greatest test of my skills."

"Ah, I see. This will be an uphill battle for you, then."

"Not to mention, Aisha has seen me duel more than I've seen her duel, so she has a better idea of what to expect from me. I can't rely on surprises, so I'll have to just use my best cards and hope for success."

"Don't worry," said Choun, putting her hand on Anthony's shoulder. "I have complete confidence in you."

Anthony smiled. "Thanks, Sei. Well, I shouldn't keep her waiting. The match will be starting soon." The two of them then left the room, Anthony equipped with his Duel Disk.

~KD~

"Alright everyone! Are you excited!?"

The crowd began to cheer, and Chinrin put her wooden spoon closer to her mouth.

"I can't hear you! I said, ARE YOU EXCITED!?"

The volume of the cheering doubled in decibels, and Chinrin beamed.

"Yay, big sis and big bro are gonna have a rematch!"

Kochu turned to Chohi, an amused smile on her face. "Oh? Did they duel before?"

"Yeah, and big sis won!"

"Oh, did she? I didn't think that Lord Anthony could lose."

"Well, he did!"

"First up, she managed to dispel Yokai's Spirit Monsters, make Kochu's Fairy-types fall, and make Ganryo's Rock-types crumble, it's Kan'u Uncho!"

The members of Kikai turned their attention to the inside of the colosseum, where Kan'u was making her way to the center of the arena, a smile on her face.

"And now, her lord and opponent! He sent Dokuro's Zombie-types back to the grave, managed to slay Sonken's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and made Bunshu's Dinosaur-types go extinct! Please welcome Anthony Calem!"

Anthony made his way into the arena, also smiling. When he reached Kan'u, they grasped each other's hand, then when they separated, Kan'u prepared for a game of rock-paper-scissors, but Anthony shook his head.

"You know what, you can decide who goes first, Aisha."

"Hmm? You're just going to give the decision to me?"

Anthony nodded, and Kan'u smiled. "Very well. Since you went first during our previous duel, I'll have you go first again!"

"Not a problem."

The two duelists made their way to their respective starting points, then got ready to duel.

"Alright! Let the final round of the En Kingdom Tournament, BEGIN!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And then I'll summon my Robotic Knight in attack mode!"

The metal musketeer materialized, pointing its sword at Kan'u (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now I set two cards and end my turn!"

Kan'u drew her next card, and smiled as she saw the cards in her hand.

"Okay, I can definitely work with these cards. I summon Freed the Brave Wanderer!"

The wandering knight made his entrance, swinging his sword in an arc in front of him (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I discard two LIGHT monsters, like my Gilford the Lightning and my Jack's Knight, in order to destroy your Robotic Knight! Justice Bright!"

The monster suddenly had his sword glow with a brilliant shine as Kan'u discarded the two Warrior-types. However, as she did this, Anthony activated one of his face-down cards, and a flock of floating blue mines came out, with one hitting Freed, blowing both of them to pieces. The other mines floated over to Kan'u, and detonated, dealing a fair amount of damage to her (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP).

"By playing a card or effect that would target and destroy one monster under my control, you activated my Guard Mines, negating and destroying the card and dealing five hundred points of damage!"

"And with that, folks, Anthony has taken an early lead!"

"Well I won't let it last!" shouted Kan'u, playing another card. "I use my Monster Reborn in order to Special Summon a monster from either of our Graveyards! And I select my Gilford the Lightning!"

As the crest appeared, the mighty Gilford soon joined the fray, ready to strike down its foes (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Now destroy that knight with your Lightning Sword!"

Her monster then charged his weapon with electricity, then sliced Robotic Knight in two, destroying the Machine-type monster with no mercy (Anthony: 4000-2800 LP).

"And that will end my turn!"

Anthony drew, and swiftly played his new card.

"I summon my Twin-Barrel Dragon!"

His new monster was yet another robot that resembled a combination of a dragon and a firearm. It had a body similar to that of a raptor, only without any arms. It had two silver and gold legs with metal claws on the end, a thick silver tail, and a blue body, with its head being similar to that of a laser pistol, only rather than one barrel, there were two (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And when it's summoned, I can select one card that you control and fire up both of my monster's guns! And if both are fully charged, your card goes up in smoke! And I select your Gilford the Lightning!"

"He's relying on chance?" asked Choun. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea."

"Actually, quite a few of his monsters have effects that rely on chance, and they usually work out pretty well for him," said Totaku, with Ryofu nodding in agreement. Meanwhile, the two barrels on Twin-Barrel Dragon began to slowly gather energy, until sure enough, both of them were fully charged.

"Sweet! Take down her monster with your Proton Burst, Twin-Barrel Dragon!"

His monster did as it was told, firing two yellow projectiles that blasted Gilford into a shower of pixels.

"Ooh, it looks like Kan'u has just lost one of her strongest monsters! Let's hope that she can recover, or this duel will be over quickly!"

"Twin-Barrel Dragon, attack directly!"

The Machine-type fired two more blasts of energy, putting Anthony back into the lead (Kan'u: 3500-1800 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Kan'u drew, and with a smile, she inserted a card into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"I activate my Hammer Shot, which will destroy the strongest monster on the field!"

"Or the only one," said Kaku, looking at the field as Anthony's eyes shot open in shock. The wooden mallet came spiraling out of the card, before it flattened the Machine-type, destroying it.

"And now I summon my Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Her new monster was a muscular man with short black hair in a sleeveless gray leather top, a mask around the outside of his head, a gold and navy blue belt with a four-pointed star on it, and simple blue pants and gray boots. In his hands, he held a sword with a gold cross guard and a light blue blade (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now attack directly, my monster!"

Her monster swung his blade through Anthony, and the advantage went right back to Kan'u (Anthony: 2800-1100 LP).

"And with that move, Kan'u is in the lead once more! It seems like both duelists are just going back and forth, with neither truly being superior! There's no telling who will win!"

"Well, let's keep the momentum going, shall we? I end my turn! Your move, Anthony!"

"Thanks, Aisha! I draw! And now, I play my Flint!"

The metal snare soon wrapped itself around Warrior Dai Grepher, binding his arms and forcing him to drop his sword (ATK 1700-1400).

"Now your monster can't attack or change his battle position! And now I summon my good friend KA-2 Des Scissors to the field!"

His crablike Machine-type made its way onto the field, unleashing a powerful cry (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"That should do it for now."

"Why did he summon a weak monster like that?" asked Bacho, confused by her lord's actions.

"Hawawa. I think he's trying to bait her into attacking, or at least summon a monster in attack mode," put in Shokatsuryo.

"I draw! And I summon my Rocket Warrior!"

Her monster soon entered the fray (LV 4: ATK 1500), but as soon as it did, Anthony played his face-down, a Quick-Play Spell with an image of Flint being blown to pieces, with Flint Lock in the background.

"I play my Flint Missile, destroying a monster that's equipped with Flint! And when a monster that's equipped with Flint is destroyed, I can select a new target for it!"

Suddenly, Flint exploded, taking Dai Grepher with it. The pieces then fell onto the ground, motionless, before they began to twitch, and the pieces soon came together, remaking Flint, which flew over to Rocket Warrior and wrapped around the monster, decreasing its power (ATK 1500-1200).

"And when I play Flint Missile, I can return it to my deck instead of sending it to the Graveyard once it resolves!" said Anthony, doing so. As his deck was shuffled automatically, Kan'u tightened her brow.

"I'll end my turn by setting a card."

"Perfect! I draw! And then I summon my Cannon Soldier!"

His purple robot entered the battle, pointing its gun directly at Kan'u (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now I play its effect, tributing my Des Scissors in order to deal five hundred points of damage! Go, Cannon Blast!"

KA-2 Des Scissors shattered into pixels, as Cannon Soldier fired a blue beam of energy from its cannon barrel at Kan'u (Kan'u: 1800-1300 LP).

"Wow, talk about firepower!" said Chinrin, as Anthony smiled, then pointed at Rocket Warrior.

"And now, my Cannon Soldier will attack! Cannon Fire!"

His monster then aimed its smaller weapons at the Warrior-type, but suddenly, the monster became coated in spiky armor.

"I activate my Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy your Cannon Soldier!"

The Machine-type fired its blasts, and the lasers simply reflected off of the armor and struck Cannon Soldier, blowing the robot into pixels. Anthony sighed, and ended his turn.

"I draw! And now, I summon my Exiled Force!"

Kan'u brought out her group of warriors, who grinned at Anthony as they brandished their miscellaneous weapons (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Now attack!"

Her Exiled Force rushed forward, and began to batter Anthony with their weapons, which would have been much worse if they weren't holograms (Anthony: 1100-100 LP).

"That direct attack brings Anthony down to a critically low amount of life points, folks! It just might be the end for the leader of the Kikai Kingdom!"

"Oh man, do I root for big sis, or big bro? Gah, I'm so confused!" shouted Chohi, grabbing her head.

"Aren't you rooting for both of them?" asked Shokatsuryo.

"Oh yeah! Thanks, Shuri!"

Shokatsuryo just shook her head. "Hawawa…"

"I end my turn."

"Okay, then it's my turn! I draw!" After looking over his cards, Anthony planned out his next move.

"First off, I play my Enemy Controller, changing your Exiled Force into defense mode!"

The game controller soon appeared beside Anthony, and after a combo of buttons was pushed, the motley crew got into a defensive formation (DEF 1000).

"And now, I activate my Shield Crush, in order to destroy your Exiled Force!"

As the yellow beam of energy destroyed the Warrior-type, Chinrin began to get excited. "What a combo! Lord Anthony may be down, but until the last life point is gone, he isn't out!"

"Damn straight! Now I end my turn by setting a monster in defense mode!"

Kan'u smiled as she drew her next card, impressed by her lord's skill. He had, at least so far, performed much better than their first duel.

"I activate my Swords of Revealing Light, flipping all of your face-down monsters face-up, and preventing you from attacking for three of your turns!"

The green swords of light fell onto Anthony's field, and his monster was soon revealed to be his Battle Footballer (LV 4: DEF 2100).

"That concludes my turn!"

"And begins mine! I draw! And now, I tribute my Battle Footballer in order to summon my Machine King!"

The huge robot soon replaced Battle Footballer, towering over the bound Warrior-type opposite of it (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"And with that, it seems like Lord Anthony has just summoned his signature monster to the field! Things are about to get good!"

Anthony ended his turn, and Kan'u drew her next card, and after looking at it, she decided to pass her turn.

"Okay, I draw! And I'll pass my turn as well."

"It looks like things are beginning to slow down," said Choun.

"Yeah, and get boring! They better be setting things up for an awesome play, or I'll be super disappointed!" said Bacho.

"With these two? There's no doubt in my mind that the climax of this duel will be incredible," said Kochu. Ryofu nodded in agreement, with Shokatsuryo, Totaku, Kaku, and Riri agreeing verbally, as Chohi began to cheer for her sworn siblings.

"Go big sis and big bro! Give it your all!"

Kan'u drew, then she slapped her card onto her field.

"I summon my Armed Samurai - Ben Kei!"

Her samurai appeared with a sly grin, twirling the two weapons in his hands while the ones on his back clattered and shook as he moved (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And that's all that I can do for now."

Anthony drew, and smiled. "I play my Reload, which lets me shuffle the other cards in my hand into my deck, then shuffle my deck before drawing cards equal to the amount that I sent back!"

He inserted the only card in his hand, Blowback Dragon, into his deck, and his Duel Disk began to rapidly shuffle his cards, until finally, they came to a stop. Anthony then placed his sunglasses over his eyes, and slowly drew the top card. Although nobody could see it, his eyes shot open behind the black lenses.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn. Make your move, Aisha." And with three of Anthony's turns having passed, the Swords of Revealing Light faded away, allowing Anthony's monsters to attack once more.

Kan'u drew her next card. "With pleasure! I activate my Black Luster Ritual, and tribute my Rocket Warrior and my Armed Samurai - Ben Kei in order to perform it!"

The ritual was soon set, with the shield and the two pots being present. The two monsters then went into the urns, before being consumed by fire. The two pillars of light then erupted from the pots and began to swirl together, slowly entwining as the two monsters travelled up the shining towers, before the two columns combined into one (4+4=8).

"The forces of light and darkness intertwine! I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth Black Luster Soldier!"

Her Ritual Monster descended from the glittering obelisk, and landed gracefully on one knee, before he rose to his full height and swung his sword in front of him, as if he were challenging Machine King (LV 8: ATK 3000). Machine King didn't back down, raising its fists.

"With that move, both duelists now have their signature monsters! It's time for one final battle to decide the winner!"

"You certainly gave me a challenge, Anthony," said Kan'u, "but now, it's over! Black Luster Soldier, destroy his Machine King with your Chaos Blade!"

Her monster swung his sword, sending a yellow beam of energy slicing through the air towards Machine King, when Anthony smiled, and activated his face-down.

"Yeah, it is. I activate my Limiter Removal, which will double the attack points of every Machine-type monster on my side of the field!"

Kan'u suddenly gasped sharply, as blue electricity began to surround Machine King, who let out a powerful reverberating cry (ATK 2300-4600).

"You may have beaten me in the past, Aisha, but now it's time to face the future! Power Surge, Machine King!"

His monster fired a blue beam from its chest, and the two attacks collided, both of them frozen in place as they clashed. Slowly, the Power Surge began to have an edge over the Chaos Blade, until finally, the yellow beam was absorbed by the blue one, which rapidly began to approach Black Luster Soldier. The Ritual Monster rose his shield and tried to deflect the attack, but although he held it for a little bit, it was simply too much as he exploded into pixels, the shockwaves resulting from his destruction sending Kan'u flying backwards (Kan'u: 1300-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"And that is it, folks! Lord Anthony Calem from Kikai has just become the champion, of the first ever En Kingdom Tournament!"

As Chinrin announced the winner, and the crowd went nuts, Anthony ran over to Kan'u and removed his sunglasses before helping her up.

"Aisha, are you okay?"

Kan'u just smiled, then leaned in to kiss Anthony, making out with him for a good while before breaking apart. "Better than okay. That was one of the best duels I've ever had, Anthony. Even though I lost, I'm still proud of you, and of myself. You deserve the win."

Anthony was too dazed to respond, the kiss having caught him off guard. He then snapped back to reality when he heard a slow clap coming from behind him, as both finalists turned around to see Ensho approaching the two of them, slowly applauding while her advisers were flanking her on either side.

"Ensho, Ishe, Toshi," said Anthony, a little more frosty than usual.

"Congrats, Lord Anthony! Truly a spectacular spectacle! How does it feel to be the champion?"

Anthony smiled sheepishly. "Feels good, I guess. Just call me the King of Games!"

"Truly, you two managed to impress me, which doesn't happen very often. I'd like the two of you to attend dinner at my palace tonight, so that we may talk in more detail, and so I may reward you with your prize money."

Anthony turned to Kan'u, who simply shrugged her shoulders, and Anthony turned back to Ensho. "Fine, I suppose."

"Perfect! I'll see you two at six, sharp! Ohohohoho!" But the two of them, as well as the other members of Kikai, couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.


	35. Royal Rumble

"Whatever Ensho's planning, it can't be good, Aisha."

Anthony and Kan'u were in their room, preparing for the meeting and dinner with the lord of En herself, Ensho Honsho. The two of them couldn't help but be wary, considering what she had done to Kosonsan, Riri, and Kochu. Kan'u was behind the folding screen changing into her dress and hairpin, while Anthony simply slung his satchel over his shoulders.

"I know, but we did accept the invitation, so at the very least, we should attend." As she stepped out, fully dressed in her "fancy" outfit, she looked over Anthony's choice of clothing. "Don't you think that you should wear something more fancy?"

"Aisha, this is literally the only outfit that I have."

"Oh. I suppose that would complicate things…"

'It isn't important, Aisha. Let's get going." The two duelists then made their way to the palace, with Anthony hoping that the little voice in his head telling him that this was a bad idea was wrong.

~KD~

As the two duelists made their way to the palace, they went up to a large pair of doors with two armed guards standing on either side. The guards appeared to recognize the couple, and they opened the door for them, with the two graciously entering. Anthony and Kan'u took the time to observe the palace, which was much more extravagant than the palace back in Kikai. Various curios on display, golden lining: quite the sight to behold. Anthony was about to reach into his satchel to retrieve the map of the palace that Shokatsuryo gave them, the same one that she used when she, Chohi, and Ryofu went to break out Riri, but before he could pull it out, Bunshu and Ganryo showed up.

"Lord Anthony, General Aisha, welcome!" said Ganryo with a smile on her face. "Ishe and I were ordered to lead you two to the dining hall. This way, if you would." The two advisers began to walk down the hall side by side, as the others began to follow them.

"So why does Ensho want to meet with us so badly, again?" asked Kan'u.

"Like she said, Lord Reiha just wants to talk with you, and reward you with the ten thousand copper," answered Bunshu.

"That's the thing. What does she want to talk to us about?"

"I'm... not sure. Reiha never told us that, for some reason."

"Is that unusual?" asked Anthony.

"Quite. Not only are we Lord Reiha's most loyal followers," said Ganryo, "but we're her closest friends, too. She usually tells us everything. But ever since the Anti-Totaku Alliance split up, and those guys in white showed up, she's been much more secretive and ruthless. Poor Pairen…"

At the mention of what happened to Kosonsan, Anthony unconsciously clenched his fists, while also mentally kicking himself for being so blind to not figure out that Dokuro and Yokai were in leagues with the ones who tried to make a scapegoat of Totaku, and take out all of the major factions.

'The worst part is, we let them get away…'

"And she's been obsessed with getting better at Duel Monsters…"

Before anyone could reply to Bunshu's statement, they came face to face with gilded double doors, which the two advisers swung open, revealing a large dining hall, with a gold table that was covered in a brilliant white tablecloth. Five spaces were set, those being the end seats, two chairs on either side of the seat on the far end, and one on the right of the near one, with the two likely being for Kikai, and the three being for En. Anthony's suspicions were confirmed as the doors on the opposite end swung open, revealing Ensho Honsho in all of her glory.

"Ohohoho! You've arrived, it seems! I was worried that you wouldn't be able to make it. Come on now, don't be shy! Have a seat!"

Anthony slowly made his way to the end seat, and Ensho sat in the end seat on the other side, making it so that they were facing each other. Bunshu and Ganryo made their way to their own seats, with Bunshu on Ensho's right, and Ganryo on her left. Kan'u sat down next to Anthony.

"So what would you like to drink? Perhaps some wine?"

"I don't drink," said Anthony. "I'll just take a water."

"Water for me as well."

Ensho smiled and snapped her fingers, as servants came and filled their cups. Anthony proceeded to inspect his own cup, and after coming to the conclusion that she didn't poison it (one couldn't be too careful, given the circumstances), he took a sip as more servers began to bring out salads. The dinner was silent to begin with, the only sound that was heard being chewing and the occasional shuffling of utensils. But as soon as the main course began to be taken out, Ensho became significantly more talkative.

"So this 'King of Games' title, what exactly is it?"

Anthony looked up. "It's…a nickname given to those who won major tournaments back where I'm from." He couldn't exactly say that it was from a TV show, as those didn't exist right now, and explaining what they were to Ensho would be far too time-consuming.

"Oh? And surely somebody with your skills has received such an honor before?"

Anthony shook his head. "This was the first major tournament that I competed in. The others were much smaller, and I didn't always win them."

"And yet here you are, the champion."

Kan'u decided to enter the conversation. "If you don't mind me asking, you seem rather interested in his status as the winner of this tournament."

"Well, of course I am! It makes sense that I would take interest in my newest ally."

Anthony, who was about to take a bite of his food, suddenly dropped his chopsticks. His head remained at a downward angle, but his eyes scrolled up, partially concealed by the rim of his hat. "What," he said flatly.

"Well, why not? I mean, I certainly don't want to cause any trouble between us, and between your skills and my status, the both of us would be unstoppable!"

Anthony remained silent, and just picked up his utensils and resumed eating, with Kan'u answering for him. "Well, the problem with that is that we're already in an alliance with Go. You'd have to discuss the matter with Lord Renfa as well."

"Oh, I'm sure that she would agree," said Ensho. "Sonken and I have no bad blood between us, unlike a certain skirt-chasing shrimp in Gi. And the more alliances, the better, right? It helps prevent unnecessary bloodshed."

"Didn't stop you from sending Pairen to the Shadow Realm, did it!?"

Anthony finally spoke up, and what he said made both of Ensho's advisers gasp in horror, and her smile became strained. "Yes, well, that's in the past. Without the influence of those men in white, I've been much better off."

"And you just happen to have a change of heart when I win, and become famous throughout En!? Face it, Ensho, you just want to use me to boost your own popularity!"

Ensho began to frown at the onslaught of accusations. "Please, calm down."

"No, I won't! First you invade the territory of one of my friends, then you kidnap a little girl in order to blackmail her mother into helping you with your little ego boost, and now you want to use me as a means to an end to increase your own power!?"

"Enough!" cried Ensho, who stood up despite her advisers' protests. "You may have skills when it comes to Duel Monsters, but you clearly don't know anything when it comes to politics! In the real world, only the strong survive, and the weak die out! For years I've lived on nothing but my status, but now I'm much stronger than before!"

"Then prove it."

Anthony then reached into his satchel before he pulled out his Duel Disk and put it on. "Ensho Honsho, I challenge you to a duel between lords for our territories!"

Kan'u began to freak out. "Anthony, what are you doing!?"

"Don't worry, Aisha, I know what I'm doing."

"Ohohohohoho! Clearly not! In order to issue such a challenge, you must defeat all of my generals!"

"And the both of us did," said Anthony, pointing to Kan'u with his right thumb.

"What are you talking about?" asked Bunshu. "The only time that you guys beat us was in the tour…na…ment…oh crap."

"Shion left you, I beat Dokuro and Ishe, and Aisha beat Yokai and Toshi. That rounds out your peerage, or am I mistaken, and you have some other general you're gonna pull out of your ass, motherfucker?"

Ensho grimaced at the crude language. "Fine, but why don't we up the ante? The winner gains the loser's cards!"

Kan'u looked like she was about to have a heart attack, or at least a panic attack. "Please, Anthony, don't accept this challenge!"

"I feel like I'm already in too deep to back out now, Aisha," said Anthony. "I accept!"

Ensho smiled. "Follow me. I'll take you to my private arena." The five duelists then began to walk towards the arena, while Kan'u turned to her boyfriend, looking rather pissed.

"I can't believe that you did this!"

"Look, I know you well enough to know that you probably would have done the same. Besides, after everything that she's done, the bitch has it coming. And besides, Toshi herself said that Ensho sucks at this game."

"True, but with the amount of improvement that her advisers had over the past few months, it's not a stretch to assume that she's become better as well, right?"

Anthony shrugged. "You have a point. I'm just gonna have to be on my guard, and give her everything that I've got."

The five duelists soon arrived in a large arena, with gilded walls around the stadium and bleachers about half as spacious as the ones in the colosseum. Kan'u, Bunshu, and Ganryo wasted no time making their way to the bleachers, as the two lords began to shuffle their decks.

"So, would you like to go first, being the King of Games?"

"If you insist. Let's duel!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Ensho: 4000 LP).

"I draw! And I summon my trusty Overdrive to the field!"

As his assault vehicle drove onto the field (LV 4: ATK 1600), Ensho smirked. "Is that thing supposed to intimidate me?"

"Not really, just destroy your monsters. And to help it do so, I equip it with Machine Conversion Factory!"

As the Equip Spell materialized behind Overdrive, it began to rev up its wheels, the chain gun slowly rotating (ATK 1600-1900).

"And now I set one card and end my turn!"

Ensho smirked as she drew her card. "Is that it? Allow me to take care of the trash! I summon my Luster Dragon to the field!"

Her monster was a big blue dragon, with a body that looked like it was covered in sapphires (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"And now, I play my Heavy Storm, which destroys all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"

"Oh crap!"

The windstorm whirled across the field, destroying not only Machine Conversion Factory (ATK 1900-1600), but also the face-down Seven Tools of the Bandit.

"Now my monster can destroy yours! Go, Sapphire Spark!"

Her monster shot out a blue blast of fire, which blasted Overdrive to bits (Anthony: 4000-3700 LP).

"And now I set one card and end my turn."

Anthony drew, then smiled as he saw what he picked up.

"For my next move, I set one monster, and one other card!"

"Which you likely won't be able to use, seeing as I play my Royal Decree!"

The new card was a Continuous Trap, one with a crowd standing before a large castle, and a king peering down at them.

"Ohohohohohoho! As long as this card is out, the effects of all other Trap Cards are negated!"

"What's going on, Toshi? I thought that you said that Ensho wasn't very good at this game, but it looks like she's practically toying with Anthony!" shouted Kan'u.

"She wasn't that good, at least way back when…"

~KD~

 _(Ensho: 1800 LP)(Bunshu: 3000 LP)_

 _In the training room of the En palace, Ensho Honsho was in the middle of a duel with one of her advisers, Bunshu, while her other adviser, Ganryo, was observing from the sidelines. Bunshu had her Two-Headed King Rex on the field (LV 4: ATK 1600), while Ensho didn't have any cards out. But seeing as it was her turn now, that could certainly change._

" _Ohohoho! An impressive monster, but let's just see how it compares to my Luster Dragon #2!"_

 _But as she placed the monster on her Duel Disk, a buzzer sounded, indicating an error._

" _What? What did I do wrong?"_

" _That monster is level six, Reiha!" shouted Ganryo. "You need to tribute a monster in order to summon it! And since you made a wrong play, that card is banished, and your turn is skipped!"_

" _Tribute? Banish? What in the world are you talking about, Toshi?" asked the rather confused Ensho as Bunshu drew._

" _She means this! I tribute my Two-Headed King Rex in order to summon my Megazowler!"_

 _The purple therapod was soon replaced by the yellow Chasmosaurus (LV 6: ATK 1800)._

" _Now attack directly with Horn Ramming Charge!"_

 _Her monster broke into a charge, and rammed into Ensho, knocking her onto her back (Ensho: 1800-0 LP)(Winner: Bunshu)._

~KD~

"But after the Anti-Totaku Alliance was split apart after the defeat of Totaku, she became obsessed with one thing only: getting better at this game."

~KD~

" _I'm sick of being the laughingstock of the lords!" shouted Ensho, on her knees in her new throne room, banging her fist on the ground. Bunshu and Ganryo were in front of her, looking over her with concern as Ensho stood up, a determined expression on her face._

" _Well, no more! From now on, the three of us are going to be doing some serious training! We'll be so good at Duel Monsters, that the other lords will be begging for mercy when we take over!"_

~KD~

"We spent the next two months honing our skills, getting new cards, et cetera. And all three of us had major improvement to show for it, even Reiha. And then one day, THEY came. The White Clothes…"

~KD~

 _Ensho was on her throne, looking at the two men and their hooded friends with disinterest. "And how may I help you, peasants?"_

" _We are Dokuro and Yokai, wandering duelists who wish to join your cause," spoke Dokuro. "I can promise great results."_

" _Oh, can you? Well, talk is cheap!"_

" _Then what if we gave you something to change your mind?" asked Yokai, reaching into his cloak and pulling out three rare and powerful monster cards. "If you allow us to join you, we'll give you these, and don't worry, our own decks have enough power to match anybody."_

 _Ensho smiled. "As long as you make good on your promises, I shall accept! Ohohohoho!"_

~KD~

"And that brings us to here and now," finished Ganryo, as Ensho drew her next card, Anthony having ended his turn.

"Perfect! I activate my Dark Hole, in order to destroy all monsters on the field!"

The black hole appeared dead center in the field, and both Luster Dragon and Anthony's face-down monster, which was briefly revealed to be Blast Sphere, were helpless as they were pulled into the immense gravity, and crushed into oblivion.

"Now I summon my Divine Dragon Apocralyph!"

Her new monster looked like an Western dragon, with a pair of wings, a long tail, and four limbs all attached to a torso, and a long neck with a head that was covered in horns, with a long mane flowing behind it. The unusual part, however, was that it seemed to be made entirely out of fire (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Ohohohohoho! Attack directly with Divine Burn, my monster!"

Her monster spat out a wave of fire that struck Anthony, who grunted as he endured the direct attack (Anthony: 3700-2700 LP).

"That should do for now, hmm?"

Anthony silently drew his next card, and slipped it into his Spell & Trap Zone. "I activate my Soul Exchange, which lets me tribute one of your monsters for a Tribute Summon, like your Divine Dragon Apocralyph! And now I tribute it to bring out my mighty Machine King!"

The dragon soon left the field, and the massive robot of conquest replaced it (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"And since I can't conduct my Battle Phase the turn that I use Soul Exchange, I'll just have to end my turn."

Ensho smirked as she drew, then she opened up her Field Spell Zone, and placed a familiar card into it.

"I play my Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

The familiar mausoleum appeared on the side opposite of where the three spectators were watching the action, giving them a perfect view of the Field Spell.

"What does that card do?" Kan'u wondered aloud.

"Allow me to answer! This card allows both players to pay life points in multiples of one thousand, rather than tribute monsters, in order to Normal Summon high-level monsters! So now, I pay two thousand life points to Normal Summon a level eight monster!"

The fires in the sacrificial pyre burned much brighter, the offering being accepted (Ensho: 4000-2000 LP).

"You may call yourself the king, but I am the tyrant! Go, Tyrant Dragon!"

The new monster was definitely not one to be trifled with, as it rose to its full height, even taller than Machine King. It was a massive orange dragon, with muscular arms and legs, sharp teeth, long horns, a green gem in its forehead, and huge wings (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"Holy fuck," muttered Anthony, taking in the sight of the huge monster. He was definitely in trouble now.

"Attack, my lovely monster! Dragon Flame Attack!"

The dragon took a deep breath, then fired a massive inferno from its mouth, which consumed the Machine-type and blasted into pixels (Anthony: 2700-2100 LP).

"And that's it for now!"

"How is Anthony going to beat that behemoth?" asked Kan'u.

"Your guess is as good as ours, since Reiha hasn't lost with that thing out," said Bunshu.

"I draw! And I play my Nightmare's Steelcage, which will keep either of us from declaring an attack until two of your turns have passed!"

As the cage surrounded Anthony and his cards, Ensho began to laugh. "How fitting, you being trapped in a cage! Just like this duel, with you being unable to fight back against my awesome cards!"

"Whatever, Lord Ego. I end my turn."

Ensho let out a "hmph," at this insult, and she drew her next card. "I use the effect of my Mausoleum, and pay a thousand life points!"

The fire burned even brighter (Ensho: 2000-1000 LP). Kan'u was worried. 'Anthony may have the lead in life points, but with that Tyrant Dragon, and Royal Decree, he can't fight back.'

"Now I summon Luster Dragon #2!"

Her monster was a large green dragon with emeralds growing out of its legs, which let out a snort as it exhaled smoke from its nostrils, clearly ready to melt down some metal (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"That's enough for me!"

Anthony drew, and he couldn't believe his eyes. He had just drawn what he considered, hands down, to be his best monster. The only problem was that if he played it now, it could be destroyed later. He needed to wait, at least until Nightmare's Steelcage wore off.

"I'll pass my turn."

Kan'u bit her lip, as Ensho drew, and passed her own turn, with Anthony's Spell Card shattering as a result. The suspense was killing her!

"Come on, show her the strength of the Messenger from Heaven."

Anthony heard his girlfriend's request, and smiled. He then put on a neutral face as he put on his sunglasses, and placed his hand on top of his deck.

'It's all or nothing.'

He drew, and looked at his new card, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Perfect! I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Royal Decree!"

The storm from space ripped the card into pixels, as Anthony smirked. "Now I can use my Trap Cards again!"

"So what? Any Trap Card that would target Tyrant Dragon is destroyed."

"Then it's a good thing that this card doesn't target. I activate my DNA Surgery!"

His card flipped up, as Anthony continued to smile as he adjusted his shades. "Now every monster on the field becomes one type of my choice. And I select Machine-type!"

Suddenly, both of Ensho's dragons began to transform, their scales becoming metal, as they transformed into robots.

"Now I use Mausoleum of the Emperor's effect, and pay two thousand life points, in order to summon my ultimate monster!"

"Ultimate monster?" said Kan'u as the flames rose (Anthony: 2100-100 LP).

"Here comes the true master of the mechanical! It's bigger than Fiendish Engine Omega, made of stronger stuff than Metalzoa, has more firepower than Gatling Dragon, and has more authority than even Machine King! The metal overlord that will pave the way to the future! Perfect Machine King, arise!"

The new monster was absolutely massive, roughly a head taller than the already huge Tyrant Dragon. Like Machine King, Perfect Machine King was a humanoid robot, mostly gray in color, with the exception of its forearms, forehead, hips, and knees, which were a bright red. It had large shoulders, metal "wings," four antennae on its head, plates around its waist similar to armor, and blue eyes that briefly flashed (LV 8: ATK 2700).

"Whoa…" said Bunshu and Ganryo, with Kan'u being silent, as her jaw was open so wide that it threatened to disconnect. This was his ultimate monster? It was absolutely incredible!

"N-No matter," said Ensho, clearly a little intimidated by its size, although she would never admit it. "It's still weaker than Tyrant Dragon, so I'll just destroy it next turn."

"There won't be a next turn! Perfect Machine King gains five hundred attack points for every other Machine-type monster on the field! And I count two!"

Green electricity began to coat Perfect Machine King as its power spiked immensely (ATK 2700-3700).

"Now it's time to face the future! Perfect Machine King, destroy that Luster Dragon #2 and win this duel with your Automaton All-Out Assault!"

The monster had two doors on its shoulders open up, and a barrage of missiles shot out, which swiftly began to close in on the Dragon-turned-Machine, and proceeded to blast it into pixels, as Ensho could do nothing but look onward as her life points were completely depleted (Ensho: 1000-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"And that's how we do it in Kikai, bitch!" said Anthony, as the holograms faded. Bunshu and Ganryo went over to their lord's side, or former lord, as Kan'u ran up to Anthony.

"That was incredible, Anthony. But please, for the sake of my sanity, never pull off a stunt like that again."

Anthony gave his girlfriend a hug as an apology. "Sorry, I'll give you a warning next time." He then broke away from Kan'u, and the two of them walked over to Ensho.

"Well, I guess that this means that the En Kingdom is no more. You're officially members of Kikai now."

Ensho looked up, clearly trying to fight back tears. "So now what? Are you gonna gloat?"

"Actually, I was going to congratulate you. You put up a great fight."

Ensho was stunned. The same man who declared her to be a "motherfucker" not long ago was congratulating her? "Thanks? And, I suppose that these are yours now." She then pulled her deck out of her Duel Disk, placed the cards in her hand, field, and Graveyard into it, and handed it to Anthony. At first, he just looked at it, before he took it, looked through it for a minute, and removed a single card before giving the remaining cards back to her.

"I'll just be taking your Tyrant Dragon, if that's okay. I'm not just going to take all of your cards, Ensho. That's not how I roll. Besides, for better or worse, you're with me now, and you might need these cards."

Ensho didn't know what to say. Either he was the kindest man in the world, the most foolish man, or a combination of the two, but either way, he was giving her another chance, something that she had failed to give to those that she had beaten.

"You…you can call me Reiha."

"Okay then, Reiha. From now on, you, Ishe, and Toshi will work for me!"

The girls in question looked at each other worriedly, wondering what things would be like in Kikai.

* * *

 **Woo! The En Tournament Arc is done, and you know what that means! More filler chapters until we move into the Gi Arc!**

 ***crickets***

 **You're too kind. Anyway, this chapter not only unveils Anthony's best monster, one who you've all probably been waiting for since chapter one, but Reiha's deck. She uses Dragon-types, much like Shuri, but her main focus is on cards that either wipe out many of her opponent's cards or keeps them from using certain options, severely limiting them in battle. I was planning on having her still be bad at the game, having a deck that has only monsters, but I realized that doing that would make for a HUGE anti-climax, and as such I made her at a more reasonable skill level, as well as deviating from the source material by having the En girls join Kikai! Anyway, that should be all, and please remember to favorite and follow the story if you like it, leave a review telling me what you like or what can be improved, and please tell me whether or not you want Chosen in or not, as by the end of the Gi Arc, it will be too late. Starpion out!**


	36. Live, Lose, & Learn

As the dawn entered through the window of Anthony's bedroom, he slowly stirred from his slumber, and began to get ready for the day. Two weeks had passed since the En Kingdom Tournament ended, and the En Kingdom fell to Kikai, due to the duel between Anthony and Ensho. Needless to say, the country was shocked by the event, to say the least. With the title of champion, and having bested En, Anthony gained even more followers, and the reactions from his peerage greatly varied, from the immense shock of Shokatsuryo and Kaku, to the indifferent reaction of Ryofu, to Kochu, who had suspected that something like it would happen. As for the former members of En…

*CRASH*

"Dang it!"

Anthony left his room and saw Ensho, no longer in her armor and with a rag in her hand, standing before a marble column that once held a vase, as the ceramic shards on the floor could testify. As punishment for her previous actions, Anthony gave Ensho the position of servant, which was below maid on the pecking order, but still a paid position. And she wasn't the only one. Although Anthony had intended to make Bunshu and Ganryo generals, or at least lieutenants, they had insisted on having the same position as their former leader, which he obliged. But while they took their new positions in stride, Ensho was most unhappy with the downgrade from ruler of a kingdom, to someone who worked for one. And the combination of a distaste for her position, as well as little to no work experience, and the pieces of ceramic that Ensho was trying desperately to clean up spoke volumes of the typical results.

"How's the working life treating you, Reiha?"

Ensho dropped the pieces of the vase and spun towards Anthony, and flashed a smile so forced, Anthony could have sworn he saw sparks. "It's a little hard, but I'm sure it's nothing that I can't handle."

"If you say so. Later." As the Messenger from Heaven left, Ensho scowled as she slowly picked up the bits of ceramic.

~KD~

"I'm telling you, this is the absolute worst!"

Ensho was currently on her break, sitting with Bunshu and Ganryo and complaining about her job over tea. She took a sip, then practically slammed her cup down and groaned in frustration. "I used to be the ruler of a kingdom, with servants at my beck and call, more money than I knew what to do with, and complete authority over my subjects. And now, all of that is gone!"

"Well, look on the bright side, Reiha!" said Ganryo, trying to cheer her friend up. "You still get to live in this palace!"

"Yes, in the servant's quarters, rather than my large and comfy bed," said Ensho.

"With the two of us!" pointed out Bunshu. "It's like a big sleepover!"

Ensho didn't respond, but she looked over to the door as Totaku and Kaku entered, sitting down away from her. "Look at those two. I'm willing to bet that neither of them have any idea what it's like to lose it all." However, her volume was greater than she wanted it to be, and the two maids overheard the blonde.

"W-Well, I wouldn't say that," said Totaku.

"Oh really? I doubt it. Last time I checked, Anthony found you two in the old capital, when Totaku was still around. Being under her must be far worse than this, and considering the state the city was in before I took over, I doubt that you're missing living there. You're just a couple of nobodies who Anthony took pity on."

"Excuse you!?" responded Kaku, who got out of her chair and walked over to Ensho, glaring at the former lord. "Who are you to make such judgements? You don't know anything about us!"

"I know enough."

"No, you really don't! If you knew even half of what Yue went through, maybe you wouldn't be so haughty!"

Ensho just rolled her eyes and took a sip of her tea. "Please. There's no way she had any power to lose. Just look at her!"

Kaku felt something snap. "That's it! I challenge you to a duel. And when I destroy you, you better prepare to apologize to Yue!"

"Hold on, Ei. I want to duel her."

Kaku turned towards her childhood friend. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Kaku nodded, and Totaku got up, her Duel Disk already on her wrist. Ensho places her own Duel Disk on, and the two walked over to each other.

"Is it alright if we duel in here?" asked Totaku.

"No problem!" said Ensho, as a newcomer walked into the room.

"...what's happening…"

Bunshu, Ganryo, and Kaku turned to see Ryofu, who had been walking past the room when she heard the argument, and came to investigate.

"Reiha and Yue are gonna duel!" said Bunshu, as the two girls got into position.

"Yue is…gonna win…"

"We'll see," said Ganryo, as the duel began.

(Ensho: 4000 LP)(Totaku: 4000 LP)

"If you don't mind, peasant, I'll go first!" said Ensho, as she drew six cards while Totaku drew five. "And to begin, I summon my Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"

The monster was an ethereal Eastern dragon that was a very light shade of pink, seemingly made entirely out of energy, as a white mane and whiskers crackled (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I set one card and end my turn!"

Totaku drew, then almost immediately after, Ensho played her face-down, which turned out to be a Trap Card with a king in golden armor holding the head of a defeated imp.

"Ohohohohoho! During your Standby Phase, I can activate my Thunder of Ruler, preventing you from conducting your Battle Phase!"

Totaku didn't respond, instead looking through her hand, before she selected her card.

"I play my Lonefire Blossom!"

The monster was a flower with a swirling brown and yellow stem, two purple leaves, and a large bulb that looked like a cherry bomb (LV 3: ATK 500).

"If you think that puny plant can stop my monster, you've got another thing coming!"

"It won't, but maybe this monster could. I activate the effect of Lonefire Blossom, tributing a Plant-type monster to Special Summon a Plant-type from my deck! And I tribute Lonefire Blossom to summon my Gigaplant!"

Her monster suddenly had the bulb explode, and out sprouted the massive Gemini Monster (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"And now I end my turn by setting two cards!"

Ensho smirked as she saw the face-downs, and drew.

"I tribute my Ragnarok to summon Luster Dragon #2!"

The heavenly dragon was soon replaced by the emerald one, which let out a loud roar (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Not so fast! I activate my Pollinosis!"

The Trap Card was flipped up, showing Goblin of Greed with a germ mask, having a sneezing fit in a cloud of pollen. Gigaplant then began to transform into pollen, which surrounded the Dragon-type, which then exploded.

"By tributing a Plant-type, I can negate the summon of a monster, or the activation of a Spell Card or Trap Card, and destroy it!"

Ensho grimaced, but she smiled as she noticed one card in her hand. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

"Okay then, I draw! And I summon Lord Poison!"

The rotted ruler appeared on the field with a wicked groan (LV 4: ATK 1500), as Ensho groaned herself. "Ugh! What is with all of these disgusting monsters? First that ugly flytrap, and now this?"

"I'd be more concerned with the fact that you're open for a direct attack! Lord Poison, if you would!"

Her monster constricted Ensho with its tentacles and dealt a fair bit of damage (Ensho: 4000-2500 LP).

"Yue…is better…" said Ryofu.

"Well, it's too early to tell," said Ganryo. "Reiha still has a chance."

"I set one card and end my turn."

Ensho drew, and smiled. "Let's see how your Lord Poison does against my Luster Dragon!"

The blue dragon rose to its full height, sapphire scales shimmering (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Attack with Sapphire Spark!"

The dragon fired a blast of blue fire at the Plant-type, blasting it into pixels (Totaku: 4000-3600 LP). Totaku smiled as her monster was destroyed, as she played a face-down, showing a skeletal demon bursting from the ground.

"Thanks! When Lord Poison is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Plant-type monster from my Graveyard! And I activate Overdoom Line, which will increase the attack points of all Plant-types that are Special Summoned from the Graveyard by one thousand!"

However, Ensho simply smiled, and she activated her own Trap Card, showing two guards standing before a jail cell filled to the brim with prisoners.

"Ohohohohohohoho! I activate my Royal Prison, which prevents either of us from Special Summoning monsters from our Graveyard!"

Totaku bit her bottom lip, her plan having failed miserably, as Ensho ended her turn, still laughing obnoxiously. Totaku drew, then played a card that had a flower pot filled with a bubbling purple liquid, with the card Ivy Shackles being dunked into it.

"I activate my Magic Planter, which will let me send a Continuous Trap from my field to the Graveyard in order to draw two cards!"

The same planter on the card appeared below Overdoom Line, which slowly submerged itself in the purple goop, as Totaku drew her two cards, then put one of them into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"And now, I activate The World Tree!"

Behind her sprouted a massive tree, one that easily touched the ceiling.

"You'll see what this card does in a bit, but for now, I summon my Cactus Fighter to the field!"

Her new monster was a cactus with small, stumpy legs, large arms with curved needles for fingers, a wide mouth, and crazy yellow eyes (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Whoa, that thing looks pretty tough!" said Bunshu.

"It's the same strength as Luster Dragon," said Ganryo, "so if Yue tries to attack, both monsters will be destroyed."

"Not quite!" said Totaku, as she activated her Trap Card, which had an image of Gigantic Cephalotus eating Botanical Girl. "I activate Plant Food Chain, which equips to my Cactus Fighter and increases its attack points by five hundred!" Her monster suddenly became stronger as power surged through its body (ATK 1900-2400).

"Now attack, Cactus Fighter!"

Her monster ran over to Luster Dragon and struck it with a prickly arm, sending it sprawling back, and then crossed its arms, before sending out a shower of needles, which made the Dragon-type explode into pixels (Ensho: 2500-2000 LP). As soon as this happened, a needle fell down and plunged into the ground (LV 1: DEF 500).

"What is this?" asked Ensho, clearly confused.

"Whenever my Cactus Fighter destroys a monster in battle, you gain a Needle Token," elaborated Totaku. "But it won't be out for long, as I activate my Fragrance Storm!"

A card appeared showing a flower surrounded by a storm that had swept up various plants, including Horseytail and Dandylion. A storm filled with flower petals suddenly began to make its way over to the token, destroying it.

"With this card, I can destroy one Plant-type on the field, then draw a card, and if it's a Plant-type, I can reveal it to draw a new card!" Totaku then drew the top card of her deck, then showed her opponent that it was Botanical Girl, before drawing another card. As this happened, an orange flower suddenly bloomed on The World Tree.

"And as you can see, my World Tree gains one Flower Counter every time a Plant-type is destroyed! I end my turn."

Ensho drew, then smiled wickedly.

"Not good," said Kaku, with Ryofu nodding in agreement.

"I play Dark Hole, which will destroy all monsters on the field! Say goodbye to your cactus!"

The black hole soon pulled in the Plant-type and crushed it into oblivion, as Totaku sent both it and Plant Food Chain to her Graveyard. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't use the effect of Plant Food Chain to revive a monster from her Graveyard, as Royal Prison was still in play. On the flip side, since Cactus Fighter was destroyed, The World Tree gained a second Flower Counter.

"Now I summon my Hunter Dragon!"

A long and thin dragon with black scales, orange wings, tan and black limbs with sharp talons, and blades on its chin and tail appeared, moving in a serpentine pattern above the sky (LV 3: ATK 1700).

"Now attack directly with your Hunter Harpoon!"

The dragon suddenly flew straight towards Totaku and struck her with the blade on its chin, before arching backwards and returning to its original position (Totaku: 3600-1900 LP).

"It looks like Reiha is winning!" said Ganryo in excitement.

"Yeah, for now," said Kaku in response.

"And now, I end my turn!"

"Okay then, I draw! And I set one monster, then I activate the effect of The World Tree!"

The two Flower Counters suddenly dissolved into small green orbs of light. "By removing a certain amount of Flower Counters from The World Tree, I can activate different effects. By removing two, I can destroy one card on the field!"

The balls of light began to float over to Royal Prison like fireflies, before the Trap Card exploded.

"And that should end my turn."

Ensho drew, then snickered as she saw what she picked up. "I activate my Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon a high-level Normal Monster from my hand, like my most powerful monster, Tri-Horned Dragon!"

The tattered scroll materialized, and out came a large blue wingless dragon with an orange underbelly. It had sharp yellow claws and talons, and a line of spikes that were the same color running down its back. There were three curved horns on the top of its head, and it had orange eyes filled with malice that Totaku swore were staring into her soul (LV 8: ATK 2850).

"What do you think about this monster, shrimp?" said Ensho.

"Um, it's pretty cool, I suppose," said Totaku, being polite as always.

"Well now, it's about to become your worst nightmare! Tri-Horned Dragon, attack that face-down monster!"

Her monster let out a shrill cry, then brought down its claw, revealing the monster in question to be Botanical Girl. The monster was a woman in a skintight outfit seemingly made from leaves, with Venus flytrap over her breasts and flowers on the end of her sleeves. Rather than hair, she had a large pink flower on her head, and dangling behind her like a huge ponytail was a pitcher plant (LV 3: DEF 1100). She cried in agony as she was destroyed, and as The World Tree gained one Flower Counter, Totaku pulled her deck out of her Duel Disk and looked through it.

"What is she doing?" asked Bunshu.

"Whenever Botanical Girl is sent from the field to the Graveyard," explained Kaku, "Totaku can add a Plant-type with one thousand or less defense points from her deck to her hand."

"Hunter Dragon, attack directly!"

Her monster shot forward, then pierced Totaku before it returned to its place beside Tri-Horned Dragon (Totaku: 1900-200 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!"

Totaku slowly moved her hand towards her deck, shaking a little, which didn't go unnoticed by her opponent.

"Ohohoho! A little frightened, are we? Don't worry if you lose, it's just a game! Unlike me, you won't lose anything important."

Totaku looked up at Ensho. "I already have."

"Please! I was the leader of an entire kingdom before I came here! And now look at me, a servant girl! The shame of it! What could you have possibly lost!?"

Totaku then looked at Ensho, eyes filled with deep sorrow. "Before I came to serve under Lord Anthony, I was the ruler of all of China."

Ensho's eyes widened, as her former generals gasped. "But," said Ganryo, "that would make you-"

"Totaku Chuei? Yes. After I was the emperor for no more than a week, I was kidnapped by a wicked man in white, who left me in a dungeon to rot. As I was trapped, he informed me that vicious lies about me being a horrible dictator had been spread, and that a group of faction leaders had banded together to overthrow me. And once I was finally freed, I learned that three of my generals had lost their souls, whose comatose bodies are now in the infirmary, and that both me, and my closest friend," she said, gesturing to Kaku, "would have to go only by our secret names to protect ourselves."

"Yue…" said Ryofu, surprised that her friend was revealing all of this information.

"But do you know what was the worst thing about that experience? Not being able to do anything. Ever since I was young, my one true goal in life was to help people, and being locked in that cell, while my friends and subjects suffered? Absolutely heartbreaking. But Lord Anthony gave me another chance! By being his maid, I can still help people! I can make people happy! And it's that mentality that helped me overcome the loss of my empire."

Ensho, Bunshu, and Ganryo were silent. Whether it was the revelation of Totaku's identity, or the speech she gave, they were in awe nonetheless. Totaku then drew her next card, and with a smile, she placed it onto her Monster Zone.

"I summon my Phoenixian Seed!"

Totaku's monster was a seed that was mahogany in color, with a few red leaves sprouting from the top, thin roots on the bottom, and in the center, a single large eye with a yellow iris (LV 2: ATK 800).

"And now, I use the special ability of my monster, sending it to the Graveyard to Special Summon my Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from my hand!"

The monster then buried itself into the ground, and a piece of stone rose up, and out sprouted the new monster. A long green stem led to a cluster amaryllis that was mostly a deep red in color. There were also two blossoms that looked like wings, both of which were yellow in color, and one pink one in front that vaguely resembled an avian head, with a pair of red glowing eyes (LV 8: ATK 2200).

"And now, my Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis will attack your Hunter Dragon with Flame Petal!"

The crimson hurricane lily proceeded to unleash a flurry of burning petals, which torched the Dragon-type and blasted it into pieces (Ensho: 2000-1500 LP). Suddenly, the Plant-type spontaneously combusted, sending embers over to Ensho (Ensho: 1500-700 LP). As a second Flower Counter grew on The World Tree, Ensho was completely dumbfounded by what just happened.

"What was that just now!?"

"That was the power of Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis. Whenever it attacks, it destroys itself after damage calculation. And whenever Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its effect, Scatter Flame, activates, dealing eight hundred points of damage. But I'm not done yet! I remove two Flower Counters from my World Tree in order to destroy your monster!"

The two flowers transformed into green balls of light that accumulated around the Dragon-type, before it blew up, leaving Ensho's field empty.

"Now I end my turn, and during my End Phase, I can banish a Plant-type from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from my Graveyard in defense mode!"

Totaku then pulled both Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis and Gigaplant out of her Graveyard, and placed the former onto her Monster Zone before she slipped the latter into a pocket on her outfit. The flower of flame returned to the field, its petals a little closer together (LV 8: DEF 0).

"This isn't good. If that monster is destroyed, Reiha will lose the duel, no doubt!" said Ganryo, as Ryofu smiled.

"Yue won."

"Well, not yet!" rebutted Ensho, drawing her next card. "I draw! And I set one monster face-down! That's it!"

As Ensho's monster appeared on the field, Totaku drew, then switched her monster into attack mode (ATK 2200), and pointed at the face-down.

"Go, Flame Petal!"

Her monster once again attacked, and the monster was revealed to be Divine Dragon Apocralyph (LV 4: DEF 1500). As it was destroyed, Totaku smiled cheerfully.

"Sorry, but it looks like you lose! Scatter Flame!"

The Plant-type once again exploded, and as a result, the remaining life points of Ensho were depleted (Ensho: 700-0 LP)(Winner: Totaku).

"I…I lost…" said Ensho, falling to her knees. "Again…"

"Don't worry about it," said Totaku. "As you said, it's only a game."

Ensho then looked up with a weak smile, before it vanished. "I…I'm sorry…"

Totaku just smiled. "It's nothing. Just try to help a little more, okay?"

Kaku walked over to her friend. "You know, Yue, you and Lord Anthony are both way too forgiving sometimes."

"Maybe. But I don't see it as a bad thing."

The two then went back to work, as Ryofu left silently. Ensho then got up, and made a vow to improve herself, not just as a duelist, but as a person. After all, if she kept up her attitude, the next person she worked for may not be so forgiving.


	37. Take A Chance

"Hey Shuri, how are you today?"

Shokatsuryo looked up from her book and saw Anthony smiling over her, a smile on his face. The two of them were in a room that was designed for planning, with a large round table, and shelves filled with various maps of China. Shokatsuryo had made this place her third most frequent hideout, after her room and the library, of course. She placed her book down, and a small smile appeared on her face as Anthony took a seat across from her.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Um, how are things with Ensho?"

"Well, Reiha broke a vase yesterday while cleaning it, which makes the third thing she's broken since she got here. But recently, she's really improved her work ethic, and is doing much better! I'm actually kind of proud of her."

Anthony then remembered something, as he reached into his satchel and pulled out the blue box, which contained his extra cards, and pulled out Tyrant Dragon. "Oh yeah, I won this bad boy in my duel with her! You can have it, since it's way better with your cards than mine."

Shokatsuryo couldn't believe her eyes. "Hawawa! First Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, and now this!?"

"Well, if you don't want it, that's okay-"

"I didn't say that!" said Shokatsuryo, taking the card from her lord. "It's just, you've been giving me a lot of cards lately."

"Well, that one I can't really use, and the other one I couldn't use either, plus you were depressed. And I don't think that two cards qualifies as 'a lot.'"

"Well, have you given anyone else cards?"

"No," was the reply that she got.

"Not even Aisha?"

Anthony shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Shokatsuryo's eyes shot open. "What!? You've been dating her for this long, and you haven't even given her a gift yet!?"

"It hasn't been that long," said Anthony, but Shokatsuryo was having none of it.

"But you've been giving all of these gifts to me! What if she gets jealous?"

Anthony nervously scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I guess I never thought about that."

Shokatsuryo face palmed, and Anthony put his hand to his chin in thought. "You know, I don't really know what to get her for a gift. Should I ask her?"

"NO! You can't ask her, it needs to be a surprise!"

"Says who?"

Shokatsuryo pointed to herself. "Says the expert on romance!"

"Wouldn't that be Shion? I mean, she was married."

"THAT ISN'T THE POINT!" shouted Shokatsuryo, who had reached over the table and began to shake Anthony by his collar, before she let go.

"Okay, okay!" Anthony then had an epiphany. "What if I asked Rinrin? She and Aisha grew up together, so if anybody knows what to get her as a gift, it's her!"

Shokatsuryo smiled, seemingly satisfied with the answer that was provided. "That's perfect! She should be in her room right now, and Aisha's probably busy. The only hard part is keeping it a secret."

"I'm sure that Rinrin can keep this a secret. Well, I'm off," said Anthony, as he left the room in a hurry, and Shokatsuryo returned to her book.

~KD~

Chohi was simply looking through her cards, sitting on her bed while humming to herself, when she heard a knock on the door and gasped excitedly. She then ran over and opened it to reveal Anthony.

"Big bro! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to ask you about something," said Anthony, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Okay! Rinrin has time!" She then sat on her bed, as Anthony sat beside her.

"You see, I want to get a gift for Aisha, but the problem is, I don't know what to get her. And I can't just ask her myself, since it needs to be a surprise. Do you have any ideas?"

"Um…a card?"

"A Duel Monsters card? Are you sure?"

"Rinrin's super sure! I got big sis her big lightning knight for her birthday, and she was super happy! I'm sure that if you get her a really cool card, she'll be so happy with you, promise!"

Anthony smiled. "Okay then, I'll go into town and buy her a good one. Oh, and one more thing. Can you keep this a secret? I don't want Aisha to know about this."

"Rinrin promises!" She then held out her pinky finger, and Anthony locked his own with hers. And in the mind of Chohi, to break a pinky promise is an unspeakable act, so Anthony was positive that she would keep her word. He then left her room and made his way into town.

~KD~

'Okay, this is much harder than I initially thought.'

So far, Anthony had been wandering around the town for roughly ten minutes, and nobody he had seen so far sold cards. He would certainly have no trouble paying for an ultra rare card, as he still had a sizable portion of prize money left over, but the problem was actually finding a vendor.

"What does it take to find someone that's selling Duel Monsters cards in this place?"

"Ah, looking for cards, I see?"

Anthony turned to see a male vendor wearing a simple outfit that was pink in color, the same color as the Go insignia. He was roughly five-foot-nine, with short brown hair and a black bandana wrapped around his forehead. He had a wide smile, as he waved his hand over a display of cards.

"Fresh from Go, these are some of the best cards on the market! Come, take a good look!"

Anthony did so, looking at the selection carefully, but to his disappointment, none of the cards were ones that would fit Kan'u's deck. Dark Eradicator Warlock, Vampire Genesis, Infernal Flame Emperor: none of these were what he was looking for.

"You got anything better in the back?"

The vendor took offense to this. "Are you saying that these cards aren't quality?"

"No, they are, it's just, I'm looking for something really special, for my girl."

"Ah, I see. Well, I do have some very special cards in the back, but I don't show these to just everyone."

"Trust me, I can pay for it."

"That isn't what I meant," said the salesman, reaching below the counter and pulling out a Duel Disk. "If you want to look at my highest quality cards, you need to earn it by beating me!"

Anthony smirked as he pulled out his own Duel Disk and activated it. "No problem! Bring it on!" And with that, both duelists drew their first five cards.

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Vendor: 4000 LP)

"Is it okay if I go first?" asked Anthony, as the other shoppers either stopped to watch, or steered clear of the two.

"It's not a problem at all," said the vendor, as Anthony drew his sixth card.

"Alright, I draw! And I summon Mechanicalchaser!"

His six-armed robot entered the field, looking as fierce as ever (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"And now, I'll set two cards and end my turn!"

The vendor drew, and smiled. "I activate my Dicephoon!"

A card appeared, displaying a picture of a die being struck by lightning in the center of a vortex. A die then appeared, and was struck by a bolt of lightning before it began to roll in midair.

"Now if I roll a two, a three, or a four, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field, and if I roll a five, then I can destroy two!"

"And if you roll a one or a six?"

"Then I take a thousand points of damage, but I'm feeling lucky! Let's see just what I get!"

The die rolled at a high speed, before it finally came to a stop on a three, and a windstorm kicked up around it.

"Okay, I'll destroy your left card!"

The whirlwind lifted the card, Metalmorph, into the air before it shattered into pieces.

"And now, I activate my Dangerous Machine Type-6!"

A massive dark blue slot machine with an appearance similar to that of an eyeball appeared, with six slots in a circle and a golden nameplate with "Type-6" engraved on it at the bottom. "During each of my Standby Phases, I can roll these slots and activate an effect depending on the result! Maybe I'll draw a card, or maybe you'll discard one, or maybe it'll just blow up! Who knows? And now, I summon my Snipe Hunter!"

The new monster was a purple imp wearing a black skintight outfit complete with fingerless gloves and a mask, with crazed orange and green eyes, tiny wings, and a long tongue. In its left hand was a small laser gun, with a roulette wheel where the hammer usually went (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I discard my Blind Destruction to activate its effect! Now my monster will spin that wheel, and as long as the result isn't a one or a six, I can destroy one card that you control! So if I'm lucky, I can trash your Mechanicalchaser!"

His monster then spun the colorful wheel, and it spun round and round before it settled on the section that read, "5." The Fiend-type then pointed the gun at Mechanicalchaser, and squeezed the trigger, shooting a green and orange "5" at the Machine-type, blasting it to pieces.

"Alright, now we're talking! Snipe Hunter, attack directly!"

His monster fired a green laser at Anthony, which dealt quite a bit of damage (Anthony: 4000-2500 LP). Anthony remained calm and activated his remaining face-down card.

"I activate my Damage Condenser! With this card, I can discard one card, then Special Summon a monster from my deck with attack points less than or equal to the battle damage that I took!"

He then discarded his Weapon Change, and searched his deck, before he pulled out a card and placed it on the field, which turned out to be his Megasonic Eye (LV 5: ATK 1500).

"Interesting! I'll end my turn by setting a card."

As the face-down appeared, Anthony drew, then smiled.

"Perfect! I tribute my Megasonic Eye in order to summon my Blowback Dragon!"

His one-eyed robot soon faded out of existence, making room for the gun-headed robot (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"So, you like taking chances? Well so do I! Once per turn, I can select one card that you control and have my Blowback Dragon take aim, and if it's charged enough, it will destroy it! So let's see if your Snipe Hunter will last another turn!"

His Machine-type took aim, and slowly, one of the three bars filled up, which meant that the Proton Spark failed.

"Damn! Well, even if that was a bust, my monster can still attack!"

His monster got ready to shoot a proton blast at Snipe Hunter, but the vendor activated his face-down, and a red and blue checkered web appeared on the field, with six numbers around it, and a cartoony spider with a black and yellow checkered abdomen and a red arrow sticking out behind it landed on Blowback Dragon, delaying the attack for the moment.

"You've just activated my Roulette Spider! Now I'm gonna spin your monster around, and depending where it's facing, a different effect will be applied!"

The monster began to spin around like a top, which was beginning to make Anthony dizzy. Eventually, it came to a stop facing the "2," which also meant it was directly facing the vendor.

"Now your attack becomes a direct attack, so I may lose more life points, but my Snipe Hunter will be sticking around!" said the vendor, as he took the attack from Blowback Dragon directly (Vendor: 4000-1700 LP).

"I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And during my Standby Phase, Dangerous Machine Type-6 activates! What's it gonna be?"

Slowly, the six slots began to spin, before they finally came to rest at "4."

"Consider yourself lucky! Now, you get to draw a card!"

"Uh, thanks?" said Anthony, drawing a new card.

"And for my next move, I tribute my Snipe Hunter to summon my Maximum Six!"

His monster was an armless muscular humanoid with purple skin and a long blonde ponytail (LV 6: ATK 1900).

"And when this monster is Tribute Summoned, I can roll a die, and it gains two hundred attack points times the result!" A die then appeared next to the Warrior-type and began to roll, before it came to a stop, six pips on display. Maximum Six then let out a roar as six muscular arms burst from the sides of its torso (ATK 1900-3100).

"Perfect! Attack with Lightning Fist Attack, my monster!"

The six-armed warrior had its fists coated in lightning, as it ran up to Blowback Dragon and let loose a spate of punches which totaled the Machine-type (Anthony: 2500-1700 LP).

"And that will end my turn!"

Anthony drew, then smiled as he saw the cards that he had accumulated. "First off, I'll play my Enemy Controller, which will let me change the battle position of your Maximum Six!"

The monster then kneeled down, crossing all six arms over its chest (DEF 1600).

"And now, I summon my Pursuit Chaser to the field!"

His new monster looked like a white patrol motorcycle, with red sirens flashing in place of handlebars. However, for some reason, it didn't have wheels, and was floating in the air. In place of the frame were two mechanical arms with spotlights in the center of them, and three mechanical fingers per hand (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"But I'm not done yet! Now I equip my monster with the Equip Spell 7 Completed, in order to increase its attack points by seven hundred!"

The Machine-type had its sirens blare even louder as its headlight flashed (ATK 1400-2100).

"Now attack with Searchlight Flash!"

His monster fired a bright yellow beam of energy at the defending monster and blew it apart.

"And whenever a monster in defense mode is destroyed by battle, Pursuit Chaser deals five hundred points of damage!"

As he said this, the monster in question fired another blast of energy, which hit the vendor head-on (Vendor: 1700-1200 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!"

The vendor drew his next card, and he smiled. "First off, I activate my Dangerous Machine!"

The slots rolled once more, then stopped on "3," as the vendor smiled.

"Splendid, now I get to draw a card! Hmm, I'll set one monster. And then, I play my Summon Dice!"

The card had an image of a die bursting through the ground, as a die appeared on the field (Vendor: 1200-200 LP).

"By paying a thousand life points, I can roll one die, with the effect depending on the roll."

The die began to roll, before it came to a stop on a six, and the vendor began to jump for joy.

"Yes! By rolling a five or a six, I can Special Summon a level five or higher monster from my hand! And I pick my most powerful monster, Orgoth the Relentless!"

The die then vanished, and out came a powerful monster. It was a knight wearing purple and gold armor, with its upper arms, stomach, and thighs exposed, revealing that it had blue skin. A horned helmet hid its face, with only a bright pair of yellow eyes being visible. And in its left hand, it held a gleaming double-edged sword (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"And once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can roll three dice, and my monster gains attack points equal to the results times one hundred, until the end of your next turn!"

A trio of dice appeared on the field, and began to roll wildly. After a while, the results were one, five, and six, as his monster became much more powerful (ATK 2500-3700).

"Now attack! Diamond Blade Strike!"

His monster burst towards Pursuit Chaser with incredible speed and cleaved it in two. The monster was destroyed almost instantly, and Anthony's life points fell dangerously low (Anthony: 1700-100 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!"

Anthony slowly drew, then he smiled. He still had a chance after all!

"I summon my Giga-Tech Wolf!"

The monster leapt onto the field, then let out a vicious howl (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now I activate my Monster Gate, in order to tribute my monster and excavate cards until I find one that can be Normal Summoned, then Special Summon it to the field!"

Anthony then began to excavate his deck. He ended up sending his Night Beam, Time Machine, and Compulsory Evacuation Device to the Graveyard, before he finally found exactly what he was looking for.

"I summon my Barrel Dragon!"

The gun-toting robot soon entered the battle, letting out a loud shriek as it locked eyes with Orgoth (LV 7: ATK 2600). Anthony smiled as he put his sunglasses over his eyes.

"Now I activate its special ability, and if at least two of its barrels are fully charged, I can blast Orgoth into pieces! Fingers crossed, here we go!"

His monster suddenly began to spin all three of its proton cannons, and all three of them became fully charged.

"Perfect! It's time to face the future! Go, Proton Blast!"

His monster fired three beams of energy at the knight, blowing it to kingdom come.

"And now, I'll attack your monster! Take it down, Barrel Dragon!"

His monster took aim and fired, revealing the opposing monster to be a red and yellow hat with a pink face inside (LV 3: DEF 300). It then spat out two dice with the Millennium Symbol in place of the one, which began to roll on the ground.

"Ha ha! Now that you've flipped my good buddy Dice Jar, it activates its effect! Now we both roll one die, and whoever rolls the lowest takes damage equal to the result of the opposite roll times five hundred, unless the winner rolls a six, in which case the loser takes six thousand points of damage!"

"WHAT!? Are you fucking kidding me right now!? That's absolutely insane!"

"Well, maybe you'll get lucky!"

The two dice then came to a stop. The vendor had rolled a five, and as for Anthony…

"No way…no fucking way this can be right…I rolled a six!?"

It was true. Anthony had managed to roll a six, as Dice Jar then turned over to its master, who was stunned into silence, as it blasted him with a bright light (Vendor: 200-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony).

"Sweet! It looks like I won!" said Anthony, as the crowd began to cheer for the victor. As they dispersed, Anthony walked over to the vendor, still in shock over what just transpired.

"I lost…at chance…that's never happened to me before…"

"Hey, what about our deal?"

"Oh yes! Hold on a second!"

The man then ran into his tent, and pulled out a small wooden box before he opened it, revealing more cards, even rarer than the ones already on display.

"These cards are the best that I have in stock. I'm sure you'll find something in here that will impress your lady friend."

Anthony then scanned the cards, still not seeing anything that Kan'u would use. That is, until one card caught his attention. This one card was absolutely perfect for her. He picked it up and showed it to the man.

"How much for this one?"

"After you managed to beat me at my own game? It's on the house."

"What? I can't do that! Look, I could easily pay you for it, no problem!"

"I insist. Take it."

Anthony looked at the card, then smiled. "Thank you, sir. This is gonna make Aisha so happy!" He then slipped the card into his banished card pocket and took off, the vendor waving him goodbye.

~KD~

"Where is he?"

Kan'u had finished all of her work, and was looking for Anthony, but nobody knew where he was. She was beginning to worry that he was relinquishing his duties, but she then felt a tap on her left shoulder. Puzzled, she turned to her left, only to see nobody there. But when she turned to the right, there stood Anthony, a smile plastered across his face.

"Hey, Aisha. How are you?"

Kan'u smiled, a light pink tint coating her face. "Fine, thank you. But where have you been? I've been trying to find you for a good hour now."

Anthony simply smiled and pulled out the card he got, handing it to her face-down. "Just getting you something. I hope you like it."

"A card?" Kan'u was confused, but when she took the card from her boyfriend and flipped it over, she was dumbstruck. It looked like Black Luster Soldier, only it was an Effect Monster, unlike the Ritual Monster that she had.

"What…is it?"

"Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. An incredibly rare and powerful card. I thought that you might like it-oof!"

Anthony was then cut off by a bone-crushing hug and a passionate kiss from Kan'u. When their lips parted, he saw her smiling face. "It's perfect."

* * *

 **Yay, new chapter! So the vendor's design is partially based on Shin Koihime Musou's design for the Go footsoldier, and his deck is filled with cards that use dice because I figured it would make for a fun and interesting challenge. Also, I have some news. Due to school, I may not be able to write as much as I used to. However, don't get me wrong. I will try to write as much as I can. I'm still ahead, wrapping up chapter forty at the time of this chapter's upload, but compared to the past, that's much less production, especially considering the fact that I make it a goal of mine to write at least two thousand words a day. Still, don't expect month-long hiatuses, as I'm not going to do that to you guys, considering how much I enjoy doing this. Just try to be patient, as this story will most likely not be updated every day now. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 8/1/2019: removed Damage Polarizer.**


	38. Shiny New Toys

The day after Anthony gave Kan'u her newest card, she was busy admiring it while she walked through the hallways of the palace. Her new card was incredibly powerful, having the same strength as her Black Luster Soldier, with the added bonus of having an incredible effect, and being relatively easy to summon. She was chomping at the bit, eager to give it a test run, but who should she duel? As she made her way to the dining hall for her breakfast, she decided to issue a challenge to everyone, and see who accepted. She banged her fist loudly on the table, which succeeded in getting the attention of the others.

"Who here would like to feel the wrath of my new monster?"

Everyone at the table, which was the entirety of Anthony's peerage, himself included, looked at her with an odd stare.

"What?" asked Chohi. This prompted Kan'u to pull out Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and show it to everyone, with a select few like Chohi and Riri getting in close for a better look, oohing and ahhing at the powerful monster.

"Yesterday, Anthony gifted me with this card, and I'm desperately wishing to use it. Would anybody care to duel me?"

The girls were quick to request that they duel her, with the numerous offers blending together into a large uproar. Kan'u felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of her neck as the likes of Bacho, Bunshu, and Chohi loudly requested that they be selected to take her on.

"Come on, Aisha, let me take a swing at it!"

"No, me! I wanna duel! I've never dueled you before!

"Big sis, please!? Rinrin really wants to duel you! The two of us haven't dueled each other in so long!"

However, she then noticed Shokatsuryo nervously fiddling with her hands, evidently wanting to ask her, but to nervous to speak over the commotion.

"Is something wrong, Shuri?"

The other girls fell quiet as Shokatsuryo looked up, and pulled out a card with a "Hawawa." The girls gasped as they saw what she was holding.

"Whoa, what the hell is that!?" asked Bacho.

"That's Tyrant Dragon! But that's the card that I gave to Anthony! How did you get your hands on it!?" said Ensho.

"He g-gave it to me. And if it's okay with you, Aisha, I also want to test it out."

"Ah, two powerful cards having their grand debut in a single duel. How exciting!" said Kochu.

"Yeah, I wanna see, I wanna see!" said Riri, bouncing in place.

"Come on, Aisha, how can you refuse this?" said Anthony, sporting a look of glee. Kan'u smiled.

"Alright, we'll duel in the arena!"

"Okay! I'm ready!"

~KD~

The group soon made their way to the arena, with Kan'u and Shokatsuryo busy shuffling their decks as the rest of them were in the bleachers, looking forward to this.

"You know, arguably, Aisha and Shuri are the two best duelists in my peerage, so this should definitely be an amazing duel to watch," said Anthony, with everyone staring intently at the two duelists.

"I wonder who will win!" said Bacho, eagerly awaiting the action.

"Of course the shrimp will be victorious. After all, that's Tyrant Dragon that she's using! Ohohohoho!"

"Perhaps, Reiha," said Kochu, "but I've dueled both of them myself, and only Aisha was successful in surpassing me, although Shuri certainly put up a fight. Therefore, I'm inclined to root for Aisha."

As the spectators gave their own thoughts on who would win, the two duelists smiled as they shuffled their decks, then placed them into their Duel Disks.

"May the best duelist win, Shuri!"

"Got it! Let's duel!"

(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"If you'll allow it, may I go first?"

"Of course you may, Shuri."

Shokatsuryo then drew her sixth card, then began to carefully look over what cards she had.

"Hawawa, I summon my Fairy Dragon in attack mode!"

A new dragon appeared, being a small green snakelike dragon with a small pair of wings (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"And now I set two cards. And that will be enough for now."

"I wonder what Shuri is up to," said Choun. "Something must be going on in that brilliant mind of hers."

"Trouble for Aisha, no doubt," said Anthony, as Kan'u drew her next card.

"I draw! And I summon my Armed Samurai - Ben Kei!"

Her samurai appeared with a sly grin, twirling his polearms (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And now, I play my Lightning Blade, equipping it to my monster and giving it an extra eight hundred attack points!"

The high-voltage broadsword went into the group of weapons on Ben Kei's back, and his power went up (ATK 500-1300).

"And the best part? My monster gains an extra attack for every Equip Spell that it has! Now attack!"

Her monster began to rush towards the Dragon-type, when Shokatsuryo simply played one of her face-down cards.

"I activate my Burst Breath!"

"Uh oh," said Anthony, immediately recognizing the Normal Trap from his own duel with Shokatsuryo.

"With this card, I tribute one Dragon-type monster that I control. And then, I can destroy every monster on the field whose defense points are less than its attack points!"

Her Fairy Dragon took a deep breath, then shot a golden stream of fire at the approaching Warrior-type, destroying the monster. Fairy Dragon then exploded, and then Shokatsuryo activated her other set card.

"And now I play my Call of the Haunted, which will let me bring back my Fairy Dragon in attack mode!"

Her dragon then returned to the field, ready to battle (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"Okay then, I end my turn!"

"Man, Shuri is no slouch," said Kaku, clearly impressed. "It's no wonder that she beat me."

"I draw! And now I tribute my Fairy Dragon, in order to bring out my Different Dimension Dragon!"

Her smaller dragon then vanished in order to make room for the four-winged blue dragon, which let out a loud cry (LV 5: ATK 1200).

"I recognize that monster from my duel against Shuri. I never found out what exactly it did," said Kochu.

"Different Dimension Dragon, attack Aisha directly with your Rainbow Burst!"

The dragon unleashed the iridescent beam of chroma, and Kan'u closed her eyes and put up her arm in order to shield herself from the blast (Kan'u: 4000-2800 LP).

"And now, I play my Super Rejuvenation, which lets me draw one card during my End Phase for every Dragon-type that I discarded or tributed this turn!"

As the card appeared, Shokatsuryo declared her turn to be over, and she drew one card as a result. Kan'u put on a determined face, not about to let her opponent one-up her, even if she was a friend.

"I draw! And now I activate my Hammer Shot, which will destroy the monster on the field with the highest attack points! And since the only monster on the field is your Different Dimension Dragon, it's about to take a one-way trip to the Graveyard!"

Kan'u played her Spell Card, and the wooden mallet came down where the monster was, when suddenly, Different Dimension Dragon disappeared into a multicolored portal, and the hammer struck the ground of the arena harmlessly. After the mallet faded out of existence, the Dragon-type reappeared through the portal.

"Sorry, Aisha, but that card doesn't target a monster, it just destroys the most powerful monster. And Different Dimension Dragon can't be destroyed by a Spell or Trap Card that doesn't target it!"

"So that's what it does," said Choun. "Very useful against cards like Mirror Force."

"Or Burst Breath," said Ganryo. "Taking out her opponent's monsters, while leaving her own intact."

"Well, I may not be able to destroy it with that, but maybe this will have better results! I summon my Rocket Warrior!"

The fighter in green armor soon appeared on the field, sword and shield close to its body as it glared at the large drake (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"She used that on me…" said Ryofu, looking intently at the Warrior.

"Now attack, Rocket Warrior! Slay that dragon!"

Her monster nodded and activated its thrusters, blasting up into the air, then descending at a high speed, before it slashed downward, right through the center of Different Dimension Dragon (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3700 LP). As it landed, it looked up, expecting for the opposing monster to have been carved in two, but much to the surprise of the Warrior-type and its owner, Different Dimension Dragon was still on the field.

"Surprised? My monster has another effect, where it can't be destroyed by battle, unless the monster that it battles has at least 1900 attack points."

"Damn it! Well, I set one card and end my turn, Shuri."

"Then it's my draw, Aisha! And first off, I switch my Different Dimension Dragon into defense mode!"

Her monster brought its head down, and its wings a little closer to its body (DEF 1500).

"And now I set one monster, and one other card. I think that should do for now."

"Okay then, I draw! And I play Swords of Revealing Light, in order to flip up your face-down monster, and keep you from attacking me for three turns!"

The bright green swords of light fell from above and trapped the monsters, with one of them being revealed to be Golem Dragon, large arms locked together (LV 4: DEF 2000).

"Hawawa, what a card, Aisha. It's too bad that I'm about to destroy it! I play my Dust Tornado, which will destroy your Swords of Revealing Light!"

A large gray tornado began to rage around the perimeter of Shokatsuryo's field, picking up the Swords of Revealing Light and shattering them into tiny pixels. Kan'u remained unruffled, as she slapped a monster onto her Duel Disk.

"I summon my good friend Axe Raider to the field!"

Her monster entered the battle, swinging its golden axe in an arc before it and letting out a cry (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I end my turn!"

Shokatsuryo drew, and she smiled. It was finally time.

"I tribute my Different Dimension Dragon and my Golem Dragon, so that I can summon my newest monster! Its armor is like tenfold shields, its teeth are swords, its claws spears, the shock of its tail a thunderbolt, its wings a hurricane, and its breath death! Behold, Tyrant Dragon!"

Both of her defending dragons soon disappeared, and out came the massive king of the dragons, which let out a roar and shot a huge geyser of flame from its mouth into the air, which startled Riri and made her muzzle her mother, with Kochu calmly comforting the young child (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"Hawawa…I didn't think that it would be so big…" said Shokatsuryo, caught off guard by the size of her newest monster. It was even bigger than Red-Eyes Black Dragon, for crying out loud! And definitely more powerful as well.

"Ohohohohoho! Even if it isn't mine anymore, to see that card in action is truly incredible! And now, it's about to bring this duel to its end!" said Ensho.

"We'll see," said Bacho, watching intently.

"And now, I'll have my Tyrant Dragon attack your Rocket Warrior! Go, Dragon Flame Breath!"

Her monster stared at Rocket Warrior and opened its jaws, spewing forth a torrent of flame, when suddenly, Kan'u activated her face-down card, in hopes of taking down the mighty dragon. Almost immediately, stone spiky armor covered Rocket Warrior.

"Nice try, Shuri, but I activate my Sakuretsu Armor! I can only play this card when your monster declares an attack, and then this card targets that monster and destroys it! So Tyrant Dragon is done for!"

"Yes! It looks like Aisha is gonna win, hands down!" said Bacho excitedly, when Ensho began to laugh hysterically.

"Ohohoho! Ohohohohohohoho! Oh, you think so, don't you? But you're dead wrong!"

Suddenly, the green bead on the forehead of Tyrant Dragon began to shine brightly. The spiky armor began to crack, before it eventually broke into pieces, leaving the LIGHT monster once more unguarded from the FIRE monster's attack.

"What's happening?" said Kan'u, as suddenly, her monster became coated from head to toe in fire, and exploded into pixels (Kan'u: 2800-1400 LP).

"What just happened was the effect of my Tyrant Dragon. You see, this monster negates and destroys any Trap Card that targets it. It's a bit of a double-edged sword, as I can't use Trap Cards to make it stronger, but on the other hand, it can't be made weaker or destroyed by my opponent's cards. And what's even better? If my opponent still controls a monster after my Tyrant Dragon's first attack, I can have it attack again! Take down that Axe Raider with your Dragon Flame Breath, Tyrant Dragon!"

Her monster then spat a second stream of fire at the EARTH monster, and upon its destruction, there wasn't a single card left on Kan'u's side of the field (Kan'u: 1400-200 LP).

"What a brutal monster," said Totaku from the sidelines, watching as it finished burning Axe Raider to a crisp.

"And a powerful one," added Anthony.

"Come on, big sis, you can beat Shuri! You even beat big bro!"

Kan'u smiled at these words of encouragement, and she drew her next card, her eyes widening in surprise. She then looked towards Tyrant Dragon and Shokatsuryo, and decided that it was finally time to bring this duel to a close.

"First off, I Normal Summon my Battle Warrior!"

Her monster was a muscular brawler who had blue skin and pointed ears, and wore a blue outfit that included fingerless gloves with knuckle guards, and a mask that had a purple visor that was shaped like a crescent with a jagged inside (LV 3: ATK 700).

"Why would she summon such a weak monster to the field? It's obvious that Battle Warrior can't beat Tyrant Dragon by itself," said Kaku.

"She's obviously planning something. What exactly, I don't know," said Anthony.

"And now, it is finally time to bring out my monster. The thing about it is that it can't be Normal Summoned or set, only Special Summoned. And before it can be Special Summoned through other means, like Monster Reborn, I have to bring it out by banishing one LIGHT monster and one DARK monster from my Graveyard. So I banish my LIGHT-attribute Rocket Warrior, and my DARK-attribute Armed Samurai - Ben Kei!"

Both of these monster appeared on the field, before they both fell into different colored portals, with Rocket Warrior going into a white portal, and Armed Samurai - Ben Kei going into a black one. The portals then disappeared, and a new one appeared that was larger than the other two, black and white swirling together in a chaotic chiaroscuro.

"Here we go," said Anthony, on the edge of his seat.

"When the forces of dark and light combine, a new soldier is born, and comes to your defeat! Behold, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"

Her monster came out of the portal, head down, before it suddenly jerked up. He looked identical to the original Black Luster Soldier, with the same blue and gold armor, the same brown ponytail, the same shield with the dragon design on it, and the same scimitar (LV 8: ATK 3000). He then looked up at Tyrant Dragon with a dauntless expression, the difference in size not concerning the Warrior-type in the slightest, as he only tightened his grip on his blade in anticipation.

"Hawawa…"

"Man, this is gonna be awesome!" said Anthony, smiling like a kid in a candy store.

"Go big sis! Take her down!"

"Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning may look like the original Black Luster Soldier, but he can do so much more! And in addition, as you can see, he's more powerful than your Tyrant Dragon! Go, Luster Blade!"

The monster then jumped high into the air, even higher than the Dragon-type. Naturally, said monster wouldn't go down without a fight, as it spat out a massive blast of fire, intending to roast the Warrior-type. However, this proved fruitless as the monster just repelled the flames with his shield, then slashed clean through the dragon, pixels falling around it like snowflakes (Shokatsuryo: 3700-3600 LP). The black knight then landed on one knee right in front of a nervous Shokatsuryo, who took a step back as the monster rose to his full height, standing over her menacingly.

"Hawawa…why is your monster still on my side of the field?"

"Because when Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning destroys a monster in battle, it can immediately declare a second attack! Go, Luster Blade!"

Her monster then swung his sword directly through Shokatsuryo, dealing a massive amount of damage before he leapt back to his side of the field (Shokatsuryo: 3600-600 LP).

"And now, to finish you off! Battle Warrior, attack directly with Ultimate Battle Fist!"

Her monster leapt forward and sent Shokatsuryo sprawling backwards with a powerful punch to the face, with the strategist having lost the duel (Shokatsuryo: 600-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"And that is game!" declared Kan'u, before she ran over to help Shokatsuryo to her feet. The audience began to wildly cheer for the two of them, and they both smiled, welcoming the newest additions to their decks.

* * *

 **Edit 12/13/2018: fixed an** **error with Burst Breath by replacing Troop Dragon with Fairy Dragon.**


	39. Anything You Can Do

"Man, this shit is tedious."

After the excitement that had happened two days ago with the duel between Kan'u and Shokatsuryo, having to do paperwork wasn't exactly a thrilling follow-up, yet here Anthony was. After all, there were far more severe consequences that resulted if he didn't do it. Namely, his girlfriend being pissed. And that was not something that he desired. So he trudged through this monotonous task, when a rapid knock at his door tore him away.

"Who could that be?"

He slowly got up and opened the door, revealing Ensho, only she looked much more nervous than she usually did. Anthony was completely baffled by what could have possibly made her act in this way, rather than her proud self, when suddenly she fell to her knees and began to beg.

"Please, Lord Anthony, I need your help!"

Anthony could only stare in disbelief. Ensho, begging for help, and lowering herself so much? Either she had gotten hit on the head, this was all some bizarre dream, or there was something wrong.

"What do you need, Reiha?"

She suddenly looked up. "It's Ishe and Toshi. They're having a fight, and I don't know what to do! Please, help me make my best friends stop fighting!"

Anthony could see that she was on the verge of tears, and he knew that he had to help not only her, but his other friends as well. "Lead the way!"

~KD~

"Admit it, Ishe, I'm a way better duelist than you'll ever be!"

"Oh yeah, Toshi? Maybe in your dreams! Because this girl right here is the best duelist in En, hands down!"

It wasn't a pretty sight when Ensho had brought Anthony to the servant's quarters. Ganryo and Bunshu were usually as thick as thieves, and yet here they were, at each other's throats, apparently fighting over who was the better duelist.

"Yikes. They're almost as bad as you and Skull Loli. How did this start?"

"Well, when I awoke from my beauty sleep, the two of them were talking about how awesome the duel with Aisha and Shuri was. And somewhere in that conversation, one of them, I'm not sure which, bragged about being the better duelist. I was too tired to know who started the fight, but right now, I just want to end it."

Anthony simply walked slowly towards the former generals, who continued their quarrel.

"Face it, Ishe! I'm way better, and I have been all along! Remember how we both dueled back in the Anti-Totaku Alliance? Well, I came extremely close to beating Shuran, and you didn't even take out half of Shuri's life points!"

"Well, what about the tournament?"

"We both placed the same in the tournament, so there's no proof that you're better, while I just proved how I'm superior."

"But the guy that beat me went on to win the tournament! And I came close to beating him! Take that, Toshi!" Meanwhile, the guy in question was trying fruitlessly to get their attention.

Ganryo scoffed. "Well, my best monster is much stronger than yours, so HA!"

Bunshu looked like she was about to get physical, so Anthony stepped in between them with his arms outstretched. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's build bridges, girls, not walls!"

"Why? Building walls is all that Toshi's deck can do!"

"Well, all you can do is break down walls!"

"ENOUGH! Look, this is getting you nowhere! Tell you what, why don't the four of us go to the arena, and the two of you can duel each other to settle this score. The winner is the better duelist, deal?"

The two girls scowled at each other, and begrudgingly nodded their heads.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

Anthony let out a sigh, as he and his servants made their way to the arena.

~KD~

"I've never seen these two fight before," said Anthony to Ensho, as the former generals shuffled their decks, glaring at each other.

"Neither have I," said Ensho. "And I don't like it."

Anthony turned to Ensho with a smile, wanting to cheer her up. "Hey, maybe they'll be back to being besties after this duel is over! I mean, friends fight all the time, and the best friends always manage to make up. I mean, you've fought with your friends before, right?"

"Once. With Karin."

Anthony's eyes widened at this revelation. "You two were friends!?"

"Years ago."

Now Anthony saw why Ensho was so desperate to make them stop. The last time that she got into a feud with her friend, they became enemies, and still were to this day. Now she was worried that her two best friends would suffer the same fate.

(Ganryo: 4000 LP)(Bunshu: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" shouted Ganryo, drawing her sixth card. "I'll set one monster, then set two other cards! That should be enough for now, don't you think!?"

Bunshu rolled her eyes, then drew her next card, and smiled as she saw what it was. She slipped it into her Spell & Trap Zone, and the field, as well as the two cards that Ganryo had in her own Spell & Trap Zone, were covered in ice.

"I activate Cold Wave, which prevents both of us from activating Spell and Trap Cards, or setting them, until my next Draw Phase! And now I summon Sabersaurus!"

The red Triceratops appeared with a bellow, swinging its bladed tail behind it (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Attack, Sabersaurus!"

Her monster charged at the defending monster, which flipped up, revealing itself to be Mine Golem (LV 3: DEF 1900). With Sabersaurus's attack points being the same as Mine Golem's defense points, the attack bounced off harmlessly, and neither player took damage.

"That should be it! Bring it, Toshi!"

"Oh, trust me, I will! I draw! And I summon another Mine Golem to my field!"

A second of the explosive homunculi landed on the field, staring at Bunshu with its lone eye (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"And now I end my turn!" And as she did, the hoar frost that covered the field melted away.

"They seem to be at a standstill," said Anthony, "although now that they can use spells and traps again, that might change."

"I draw!" shouted Bunshu, but as soon as she did, Ganryo activated one of her cards, displaying two Mine Golems, and another one that was exploding.

"I play my Minefield Eruption, dealing one thousand points of damage for every Mine Golem on my field! The only downside is that I have to destroy all of my Mine Golems after it resolves."

Both of the Rock-types suddenly exploded, and Bunshu had to struggle to avoid being thrown backwards (Bunshu: 4000-2000 LP).

"You think that that's enough to take me down!? Think again! I summon my Mad Sword Beast!"

Her monster appeared with a bellow (LV 4: ATK 1400), when without so much as a warning, the ground collapsed beneath it, and it fell into a pitfall.

"Nice try, but by Normal Summoning a monster with a thousand or more attack points, you've let me activate my Trap Hole, destroying it!"

"So what? I still have my Sabersaurus! Attack directly!"

Her monster broke into a charge, and rammed Ganryo with its bladed horns (Ganryo: 4000-2100 LP).

"And now, I play my Sebek's Blessing!"

Her new card had an image of an anthropomorphic crocodile in a blue cape holding a golden staff with a red orb, based around the Egyptian god Sebek. The same creature from the card appeared on the field, and raised its staff into the air, bathing Bunshu in a warm light before it disappeared (Bunshu: 2000-3900 LP).

"Whoa, her life points are almost back to where they were!" said Anthony, with Ensho being surprised as well.

"That's the power of Sebek's Blessing. When a monster of mine attacks directly, I can play this card and gain life points equal to the battle damage that I dealt! Still think that you're better, Toshi? I end my turn!"

"Man, this duel is awesome!" said Anthony, watching the action unfold with glee.

"I suppose…" said Ensho halfheartedly.

"I draw! And now, I play my Smashing Ground, which will destroy the monster on your side of the field with the most defense points!"

The Dinosaur-type was suddenly smashed into the ground by an unseen force, before it exploded into a shower of pixels.

"And now I set one monster, and one other card, and that should do for now."

Bunshu grimaced at the loss of her monster and drew, with her frown being replaced with a smile when she saw what she had drawn.

"It's time to go big! I play my Polymerization, to fuse my Two-Headed King Rex with my Crawling Dragon #2, and Fusion Summon my Bracchio-Raidus!"

The two carnivorous dinosaurs were seen going into a portal, and out came a large blue sauropod with green eyes, its tail flailing behind it like a whip as it looked down at Ganryo (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Now attack, my monster!"

Rather than attacking with its tail or its feet as Anthony expected, the Dinosaur-type arched back its long neck, then proceeded to bring its head down like a hammer, as the defending monster turned out to be Stone Statue of the Aztecs (LV 4: DEF 2000). Acting quickly, Ganryo played her face-down, showing a man with a massive circular shield, as the defensive strength of Stone Statue of the Aztecs was bolstered more than enough to endure the attack (DEF 2000-2700)(Bunshu: 3900-2900 LP).

"Not bad, huh? With the power of The Reliable Guardian, my monster gains seven hundred defense points until the End Phase! And don't forget that any battle damage that you would take from attacking Stone Statue of the Aztecs is doubled!"

Bunshu frowned. "Whatever. I end my turn!" (DEF 2700-2000)

"Which means that it's my turn! I draw! And I set one monster and one other card, then end my turn!"

"Come on girls, give it all you've got!" cheered Anthony.

"Why are you cheering for them!? This fight is a bad thing!"

"Well, I know that, but the duel is entertaining."

Bunshu drew, then she smiled, light gleaming in her eyes.

"First off, I play my Fossil Dig, which will let me add a level six or lower Dinosaur-type monster from my deck to my hand!"

Bunshu then began to look through her deck before she found what she was looking for, and added it to her hand before she shuffled and replaced her deck.

"I summon my Giant Rex in attack mode!"

Bunshu summoned a red Spinosaurus to the field, with a red and green striped tail, a green sail on its back, and green eyes (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Well, I play my face-down card, Rock Bombardment, to send a Rock-type monster from my deck to the Graveyard and deal five hundred points of damage!"

Her Stone Dragon appeared directly above Bunshu, and it began to crumble, a rockslide burying the green-haired girl up to her knees (Bunshu: 2900-2400 LP).

"That won't slow me down, Toshi! Giant Rex, chew up that face-down monster!"

The dinosaur ran up to the monster with its jaws wide, as the monster was revealed to be Golem Sentry, which looked like a stone doorway with arms, legs, a head, and a spear in its left hand (LV 4: DEF 1800).

"Now my Bracchio-Raidus will smash that statue of yours!"

Her monster crushed the Rock-type under its front legs, reducing it to pixels.

"And now I end my turn!"

Ganryo drew, then immediately set her new card and ended her turn.

"That was fast," said Anthony. "This seems suspicious. Hopefully Ishe can figure out that something is up."

"I draw! And now I summon my Hyper Hammerhead to the field in attack mode!"

The new monster looked like a tan raptor, only it had a round bone growth on the end of its snout, making its head look like a mallet (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now my Bracchio-Raidus will attack directly!"

But as soon as her monster began to move forward, Ganryo activated her face-down.

"You never do learn, do you, Ishe? I activate my Mirror Force, which will destroy all of your monsters in attack mode!"

The clear force field blocked the attack, and three multicolored beams of energy blasted the three monsters into pieces, and with that, neither duelist had a card on their side of the field.

"Fine. I end my turn!"

Ganryo drew, then slapped her monster onto her Duel Disk.

"Get ready to be crushed under the might of my Destroyer Golem!"

The golem appeared on the field, throwing its arms into the air and letting out a cry (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, my monster will attack directly!"

The Rock-type ran towards Bunshu and slammed its fist into the ground in front of her, which knocked the Dinosaur duelist onto her butt (Bunshu: 2400-900 LP).

"Ishe!" screamed Ensho, obviously terrified. Anthony was more concerned about Ensho at this point, with this feud really getting to her.

"I'm fine, Reiha," said Bunshu, climbing back to her feet. "Which is more than I can say for Toshi!"

"Bring it on. I end my turn."

"And I begin mine! I draw, and I activate my Earthquake, in order to change the battle positions of all monsters on the field into defense mode!"

The Destroyer Golem then got down on one knee, and brought its head down (DEF 800).

"And now, I summon my Black Stego in attack mode!"

The monster, true to its name, was a Stegosaurus, with moss green scales, mahogany plates jutting out of its back, and five white spikes on the end of its tail (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now take down that monster!"

Her monster swung its tail and sent Destroyer Golem flying, before it shattered into pieces.

"That should do for now!"

Ganryo drew her next card, and she smiled.

"I play my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards!"

As she drew her other two cards, she then slipped one of them into her Spell & Trap Zone, and a fissure appeared on the field, swallowing Black Stego.

"My Fissure destroys the monster on your side of the field with the lowest attack points, which means that you're completely defenseless! And I have another card! I summon my Rock Ogre Grotto #1!"

A stone giant appeared, made of gray brick and having large arms, with red eyes looking down at Bunshu (LV 3: ATK 800).

"Attack directly!"

Her monster obeyed, as it clenched a stony fist and threw a powerful punch at Bunshu, bringing her life points incredibly low (Bunshu: 900-100 LP).

"I end my turn."

"Then it's my go! And I'm gonna take you down, Toshi! I play my own Pot of Greed!"

As Bunshu drew her two cards, she began to slowly look over them and smiled.

"First, I summon my Anthrosaurus."

Another dinosaur appeared, this one being humanoid with a long snout that looked like the head of a crocodile, and its scales were red and purple in hue (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"And while this monster does have enough power to take your monster down for the count, well, you know me, Toshi. I'm a risk taker, through and through. I activate my Monster Gate, tributing my monster and letting me draw cards and discard them until I draw a monster that can be Normal Summoned, then Special Summon it to my field!"

The Dinosaur-type then vanished, and a large blue magic circle appeared above the field. She then began to draw and discard cards, trying to find a monster. She ended up discarding her Fossil Excavation, Threatening Roar, Lightning Vortex, and Seismic Shockwave. Finally, she drew a monster, and boy, was it a good one.

"Perfect! I summon my Black Tyranno!"

The massive dinosaur came out of the mystic circle and landed on the field, lifting its head into the air and releasing a mighty roar (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"And now, my monster will destroy your hunk of rock with Rex Bomber!"

Her monster proceeded to crush Rock Ogre Grotto #1 into pixels under its foot, bringing Ganryo's life points almost as low as Bunshu's (Ganryo: 2100-300 LP).

"And I end my turn! Good luck beating the better duelist, Toshi!"

"I already told you countless times, Ishe! I'm better!"

"ENOUGH!"

Both duelists turned to Ensho, who had stood up and shouted at the two, eyes filled with tears which she was unable to stop from flowing. "Why are you two fighting like this? You're friends! And I don't want you to end up hating each other because of some stupid reason! So just stop it already!"

Anthony was impressed. Ensho was showing far more maturity as a servant than she ever had as a lord. The two advisers then turned and pointed at each other.

"She started it!" they said in tandem.

"I don't care! Maybe one of you started it, maybe the other did! But I just want somebody to end it, please!"

Bunshu and Ganryo suddenly felt guilty as they looked at the ground, as they suddenly looked at each other. Ensho was right: they couldn't keep fighting over this.

"Well, do you wanna keep dueling, Toshi?"

"Why not? I have a card that should end things rather quickly. I play my Tremendous Fire!"

The card in question displayed a massive inferno as a group of flame sprites danced around, and without so much as a warning, a massive pillar of fire consumed both duelists.

"With this card, I take five hundred points of damage, and you take a thousand, which will take both of us out!"

And true to Ganryo's word, both duelists lost all of their remaining life points (Bunshu: 100-0 LP)(Ganryo: 300-0 LP)(DRAW).

"Wait, did they both lose?" said Ensho, confused as the remaining holograms disappeared.

"Sort of. The duel ended in a draw," said Anthony, as the two of them got up and went over to the two girls, who had walked up to each other and locked each other in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Toshi!"

"Me too, Ishe!"

Anthony smiled as he walked over to them. "Well, it looks like they're still friends, thanks to you, Reiha."

But Ensho didn't respond to him, simply joining the hug herself. Anthony smiled and decided to give the three some privacy.


	40. Family Bonds

"Hi! Whatcha doin?"

Anthony almost dropped his cards, which he was flipping through while laying on his bed to kill time, as he heard a voice come from behind him. He sat up and turned around to see Riri with a large smile on her face, eyes bright and wide. Anthony's eyes darted to his door, which was open, him having foolishly forgotten to lock it. Not seeing any real reason to kick out the curious young girl, Anthony smiled and waved the hand that held his deck.

"Just looking at my cards."

"Cool! Can I see them? Please?"

"Sure! I don't see why not."

Riri then hopped onto the bed and sat next to Anthony, as he flipped through his deck while the seven-year-old looked at them with interest. She was very curious and often pointed at cards asking what they did, not being old enough to read yet. Anthony was happy to spend time with the little one.

"Hey Riri, have you ever dueled before?"

"Mm-mm," she said, vigorously shaking her head. "I don't know how. But mommy said that when I'm older, she'll teach me."

Anthony smiled, and got up. "That sounds cool! Well, I'm gonna go and check on how my generals are doing. Do you want to come with me? Your mom will be there."

Riri smiled. "Yeah, yeah! Let's go!" Anthony grinned, and the two of them made their way to the six generals.

~KD~

At the moment, four of Anthony's generals were busy on patrol, with the only two left being his newest recruits, Choun and Kochu, in the common room sharing a bottle of wine. The two of them were simply making small talk about their lives, when the conversation turned to Riri.

"So, it must be nice to have a daughter, right?"

"Of course. Riri has been nothing but a positive influence in my life ever since she came into the world."

"Oh really? Tell me more," said Choun, taking a sip.

"Well, she was the one who kept me going after the loss of my husband. Between her endless enthusiasm and her positive attitude, she's allowed me to keep a smile even when I feel like I'm at my lowest."

"And speak of the devil, and the handsome devil alongside her."

Kochu was confused until she saw Anthony waving at the girls, Riri tightly grasping his other arm. Choun gave a flirty wave in the direction of the lord of Kikai, while Kochu was more interested the other party.

"Riri? I thought you were in your room."

"Sorry, mommy, but I was bored, so I thought I would see Lord Anthony!"

'How come the seven year old can pronounce my name, but a thirteen year old can't?' mused Anthony, recalling his first encounter with Chohi.

"I suppose it's fine, seeing as you're safe, but don't go wandering around the palace without my permission!" said Kochu, walking over to Riri. "I don't want you to get lost, Riri."

"Yes, mommy."

"It's cool, Shion! I'm fine with spending some time with Riri!" Kochu smiled as Anthony brushed the issue off, a small hint of red staining her cheeks, which she chalked off as being flushed from the wine.

"Yeah! He showed me all of his really cool cards! Though yours are the best, mommy!"

"Oh really?" said Choun, while Kochu and Anthony were touched by the answer. "Well, in my opinion, my cards are the coolest."

Riri turned to Choun. "Hmm? May I see?"

Choun then had an idea. "How about you see them in action? Would you care to duel me, Lord Anthony?" she said, grabbing his arm. Anthony chuckled nervously, and Kochu decided to come to his aid.

"I'll take you on, Sei."

"Oh, you will? Perfect! Now Riri can see who truly has the cooler monsters in their deck!"

Anthony silently thanked the older woman for the save, while Riri was excited to see her mom duel.

~KD~

"This will be the best!" said Riri as she sat in the bleachers of the private arena next to Anthony. In the arena, Choun and Kochu were shuffling their cards calmly and quickly, both of them looking forward to their duel. After all, neither of them had dueled each other, and they were both looking forward to it.

"Are you ready, Sei?"

"Of course, Shion. Let's duel!"

(Kochu: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"If I may," said Kochu, "I would like the first move."

"I have no problem with this. I can beat you either way."

"We'll see! I draw, and then I summon my Keldo to the field!"

The Fairy-type appeared through a portal, blades at the ready (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And now, I set two cards and end my turn."

Choun drew, and as she looked over her cards, she smiled. Kochu wouldn't know what hit her!

"I summon my Killer Needle!"

The huge bee appeared on the field, hovering in place with a deafening buzz as its wings struck the air (LV 4: ATK 1200). Riri inched forward, fascinated by the Insect-type.

"It's pretty cool, huh? I'm a pretty big fan of insects myself," said Anthony.

"Yeah, I like it! But mommy's monster is a little cooler!" said Riri, turning her gaze to Keldo.

"Not bad, Sei, but I fear that you've overlooked something. My Horn of Heaven, letting me tribute my monster to destroy yours!"

The winged horn appeared in front of Keldo, who put the instrument up to its face and somehow managed to blow into it without a mouth, blowing up both monsters.

"This is just a minor setback. I activate my Insect Barrier, which will prevent your Insect-type monsters from attacking!"

As the card appeared on the field, Riri was confused.

"But mommy says that she only uses Fairies. Why is Sei doing that?"

"Because Sei has a number of cards in her deck that can change the type of monsters on the field to Insect-type. It's a very dangerous deck to be sure."

"And now, I end my turn by setting one card!"

Kochu drew, and she placed a card onto her field. "I summon my Harvest Angel of Wisdom to the field!"

Her new monster was made of green celestial energy, and was wearing bright marigold armor with winged feet, and had spiky blonde hair. In its hand was a war horn with wings, which resembled a smaller Horn of Heaven (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, my monster shall attack directly!"

But before her monster could execute its attack, Choun played her face-down card.

"I activate my DNA Surgery, which changes all monsters on the field into one type of my choice! And I select Insect-types, of course!"

The effect was almost immediate. Harvest Angel of Wisdom had its armor fuse with its body, becoming a crude exoskeleton. The large wings on its feet became less angelic, and more like that of a butterfly. Two antennae sprouted from its helmet as the bottoms of its arms became spiky. In no time at all, the transformation from Fairy to Insect was complete, as a grid of lasers prevented it from crossing the field to reach Choun.

"What happened to it?" said Riri.

"It became an Insect-type, just like all of the cards in Choun's deck. And as long as both Insect Barrier and DNA Surgery remain on the field, none of Shion's monsters can attack," said Anthony.

"Hmm, this could potentially cause some problems. I end my turn."

Choun drew, and when she saw what she had obtained, she was beaming in delight. She activated the card in question, showing a hand holding a green aerosol can, presumably filled with bug spray.

"I activate Eradicating Aerosol, which will destroy every Insect-type monster in play! And of course, that includes your Harvest Angel!"

The hand and can came out of the card, and the hand pushed the top, releasing a cloud of insect killer that began to cover the entire field, when Kochu activated a card that looked like a clear force field that was blocking an explosion, as a similar force field protected Harvest Angel of Wisdom from the toxic fog, as the can of spray blew up.

"Sorry, but I activated my Destruction Jammer in the nick of time, it seems. By discarding a card, like my Skelengel, I'm able to negate the activation and effect of a card that would destroy a monster and destroy it."

Choun didn't seem particularly bothered, however. "I summon my Leghul in attack mode!"

The spiky worm popped onto the field, letting out a screech as it did so (LV 1: ATK 300).

"And although it may be an Insect-type, only your monsters are affected by Insect Barrier, and my monster has the ability to attack directly!"

The monster in question curled up, then shot forward, clamping its mandibles onto Kochu (Kochu: 4000-3700 LP).

"And now I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play my Graceful Charity, which will allow me to draw three cards, at the cost of having to discard two."

Kochu drew three cards from her deck, then looked through her hand before she sent Silver Bow and Arrow and Majestic Mech - Senku to her Graveyard.

"Now I summon my Bountiful Artemis!"

Her new monster was another mechanical angel, made of a white metal with visible teal wiring. It had a face that was practically blank, two large wings attached to its back, a purple cape, arms with three clawed fingers, and a wide base that became thinner towards the bottom, ending in a sharp spike (LV 4: ATK 1600). Soon after it appeared, it began to change. Two more pairs of arms sprouted from its midsection, as its body became harder and more insect-like. Its wings became soft and translucent as a pair of compound eyes and a trio of ocelli appeared on its face, joined by a set of insectoid mouthparts and two segmented antennae, until it was no longer recognizable as a Fairy-type.

"I'll end my turn by setting one card on the field!"

"Alright, I draw! And I tribute Leghul to summon my Grasschopper!"

The worm was soon replaced by a large yellow and green praying mantis. The monster had large yellow eyes, and four of its legs ended in massive sickles, while he third pair, which it stood on, had two joints, a little like a grasshopper (LV 5: ATK 2350).

"Now attack!"

The monster bounded towards Bountiful Artemis, about to slice the monster into ribbons, when a vortex appeared in front of it and blocked the attack, saving the monster.

"I activated my Negate Attack," explained Kochu, "which negates your attack and ends the Battle Phase. And since a Counter Trap was activated, Bountiful Artemis lets me draw a card!" As Kochu drew, Riri began to bounce up and down in excitement.

"Go mommy! You can beat her, I know it!"

Choun smiled. "It seems that your daughter has a lot of faith in you. Let's see if you can justify it. I end my turn."

Kochu drew and chuckled. "Even if I lose, Riri will still have faith in me. But if I win, I'll make her day. I set one monster, and one other card. Then I switch my remaining monsters into defense mode!"

Both Bountiful Artemis (DEF 1700) and Harvest Angel of Wisdom (DEF 1000) got into defensive stances, as Kochu ended her turn.

"My turn! I draw, and now I equip my Grasschopper with my Laser Cannon Armor, increasing its attack points and defense points by three hundred!"

The Insect-type soon found itself wearing a gray piece of armor with red plates sticking out like wings and a laser cannon with three metal blades and a yellow tip (ATK 2350-2650). As soon as it was wearing its new gear, Kochu pushed a button on her Duel Disk, and her face-down was revealed to be a card showing a blonde woman with red eyes and a concealed face floating above a lake, almost completely wrapped in opaque white cloth with tattered "wings" that had large purple eyes on them, a little like a moth. A large windstorm was suddenly kicked up, as suddenly, Laser Cannon Armor, Insect Barrier, and DNA Surgery were all blown away, fracturing into pixels, as both of Kochu's face-up monsters returned to normal, and both players took some damage as a result (ATK 2650-2350)(Choun: 4000-3100 LP)(Kochu: 3700-2800).

"As you can see, Sei, my Fairy Wind destroys all face-up Spell and Trap Cards on the field, and we both take damage equal to the total amount of cards destroyed multiplied by three hundred!"

"Awesome! Now Shion can attack again!" said Anthony, pumping his fists as Riri bounced in her seat.

"No problem. I summon my Grasschopper!"

"What?" said Kochu, as the Insect-type let out a screech. "But it's already on the field."

"It's a Gemini Monster," explained Choun, "so it counts as a Normal Monster on the field or in the Graveyard, but I can Normal Summon it again as an Effect Monster! And now, it can attack all of your monsters, once each! Go, Chopping Incursion!"

The monster hopped into the air and landed in front of Harvest Angel of Wisdom, before it hacked it to pixels with its bladed tibia.

"A bit of a setback, but as they say, every gray cloud has a silver lining. When my Harvest Angel of Wisdom is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can return one Counter Trap from my Graveyard to my hand!"

As Kochu took a card from her Graveyard and put it in her hand, Riri tugged on Anthony's sleeve. "What did mommy take out?"

"It has to be a Counter Trap, and assuming that she didn't discard any when she played her Destruction Jammer or Graceful Charity, that leaves Horn of Heaven, Destruction Jammer, and Negate Attack. Only she knows which one she brought back, though."

Despite the destruction of one of Kochu's Fairy-types, the Gemini Monster wasn't satisfied quite yet, as it then turned towards Bountiful Artemis, then swiped its blades through it, cutting it to pieces, leaving only one monster left. It then drove one of its cards into the card, revealing Kelbek (LV 4: DEF 1800). As soon as the monster shattered, Grasschopper then disappeared, and Choun was confused as her monster popped off of her Duel Disk.

"What was that?"

"Whenever Kelbek battles a monster, that monster is returned to the hand after damage calculation."

"And of course, that leaves me open for attack," sighed Choun. "I end my turn."

"I draw! And I summon my Royal Knight!"

The celestial soldier hovered above the field, gladius tightly held in its grasp (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"Now attack directly!"

Her monster flew over to Choun and swung its sword, which put the older duelist into the lead (Choun: 3100-1800 LP).

"And now, I end my turn with a face-down."

Choun drew, then placed her new card onto her Duel Disk.

"I summon Flying Kamakiri #1!"

The giant dragonfly took to the air, hovering ominously above Kochu (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now attack! Sonic Slashes!"

The monster began to divebomb the Fairy-type, when a familiar vortex blocked the monster from completing the attack, and it flew back over to Choun.

"As you can see, I brought back my Negate Attack, so your Battle Phase is over."

"As is my turn."

"Then I draw, and I tribute my Royal Knight to summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!"

The heavenly lion took to the sky, as Riri smiled with her eyes sparkling in excitement, and Anthony put on his sunglasses as it released a bright flash of light as it roared (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Celestial Roar, my monster!"

Her Fairy-type unleashed a red beam of energy that blasted the WIND monster to pieces (Choun: 1800-800 LP). A green portal then opened up, and by the special ability of Flying Kamakiri #1, Flying Kamakiri #2 took to the field (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And I think that will do for now."

As Choun drew her next card, Riri began to bounce in place again, pointing at her mother. "Mommy is gonna win!"

"Don't be too sure, Riri. She may be in the lead right now, but duels are unpredictable. Sei still has a chance."

And with the card she had drawn, it seemed like the chance had just arrived. "I activate my Forest!"

As Choun placed a card into her Field Spell Zone, the field changed, as grass spread across the arena, and trees burst forth from the ground. They were still wide enough apart for Anthony and Riri to see what was happening, as Choun's monster let out a screech (ATK 1500-1700).

"With this Field Spell, all Insect-type, Plant-type, Beast-type, and Beast-Warrior-type monsters gain two hundred attack and defense points! Now I tribute my Kamakiri to bring back an old friend that you may recognize! Grasschopper!"

The massive insect leapt back into action, with its blades cleaving through a couple of trees in the process (LV 5: ATK 2350-2550).

"Now take down Ohka!"

Her monster then hopped above the trees, slicing the Majestic Mech in two and destroying it (Kochu: 2800-2650 LP).

"And that will end my turn!"

"Well, I draw, then I set one monster and end my turn."

"It looks like your mom isn't doing so hot," said Anthony. "Sei seems to have regained her momentum."

"But mommy can still win, right?"

"Of course. But both duelists have a fair chance."

"I draw! And I summon Neo Bug!"

A massive green dragonfly with huge, razor sharp mandibles and a bladed forked tail appeared on the field, letting out an unearthly screech (LV 4: ATK 1800-2000).

"Neo Bug, attack her monster!"

The insect flew over to the monster and clamped its jaws together, gripping a monster known as Shining Abyss, a monster with a thin cyan torso and arms, a round blue base, a brass head and wings, and brass balls all over it (LV 4: DEF 1800). The Fairy-type shattered, and Kochu was wide open.

"Grasschopper, attack directly!"

Her monster attacked with a series of slashes, which ended up putting Choun into the lead (Kochu: 2650-100 LP).

"And that ends my turn!"

Kochu slowly drew her next card, and when she did, she smiled. "I've had a lot of fun, Sei, but it's time to end this duel. I summon my Mudora!"

The masked warrior entered the field, swinging its sword in front of it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And in case you weren't aware, every Fairy-type in my Graveyard gives it an extra two hundred attack points!"

Choun gasped as ghostly images of Keldo, Skelengel, Majestic Mech - Senku, Harvest Angel of Wisdom, Bountiful Artemis, Kelbek, Royal Knight, Majestic Mech - Ohka, and Shining Abyss appeared, before they flew into the mouth of Mudora's mask, as it let out a cry of anguish, its fallen comrades giving it strength (ATK 1500-3300).

"Now attack that Neo Bug!"

Her monster didn't need to be told twice. It broke into a charge and thrust its sword into the thorax of the oversized insect, destroying it and bringing the curtain down on their duel (Choun: 800-0 LP)(Winner: Kochu).

"An excellent duel," said Kochu, as the holograms faded away, and the two spectators made their way down the stairs and over to the arena, with Riri wrapping her arms tightly around her mom.

"Mommy, you were so cool! Your cards really are the best!"

As Kochu chuckled and patted her daughter's head, Anthony walked up to Choun. "Hey, even though you lost, I still think your monsters are awesome."

Choun smiled. "Why, thank you, Lord Anthony. You're far too kind." The two of them then turned to Kochu playing with her daughter, and admired the adorable scene.

* * *

 **Alright, just one more filler chapter after this one, and then it's on to the Gi Arc! Also, please make sure to leave your thoughts on whether or not Chosen should be included, either through reviews or private messaging. Starpion out!**


	41. Duel of the Elements

Later that night, Anthony was in his bed, calmly reading a book he had borrowed from the library. Outside, a storm was raging, as rain poured from above and thunder roared from inside the black clouds. Despite the state of the weather, it was peaceful inside, as Anthony flipped the page and read in tranquility.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

A loud rap on the door broke Anthony's concentration, as the lord of Kikai turned his gaze to the direction of the noise.

"Who could be knocking at this hour? It's gotta be at least eight at night."

Anthony got out of his bed and began to walk towards the door cautiously, before he slowly opened it, revealing Kochu, whose usually calm face seemed a bit more jittery, as the corner of her mouth twitched for a second.

"Hello, Lord Anthony. May I stay in here for a while?"

"Uh, sure, I guess."

Anthony let her in, and she sat down on his bed, folding her arms under her breasts and rubbing her right hand on her left arm anxiously.

"Hey Shion, are you okay? You seem a little jumpy."

"I'm fine," she said, a little too quickly. "I just put Riri to bed, and I thought that I would meet up with you, one on one. I haven't really had a chance to yet."

However, the real reason was evident as soon as another roll of thunder boomed, and Kochu quivered at the sound, and Anthony walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder to calm her, her face turning red.

"Or maybe you were scared by the thunderstorm outside, and went to the first person that you thought of so you wouldn't be alone."

She nodded sheepishly. "Y-Yes…it's just, I've always hated it. Being young, and hearing loud noises, not knowing where they're coming from…I've never truly gotten over it."

"It's okay, Shion. Everyone has something that they fear. Take me, for example. I'm afraid of enclosed spaces."

Kochu turned to him. "Really?"

"Yeah, I hate the feeling of being trapped. That's a big reason why my duel with Kayu was so traumatic."

"Who is Kayu?"

Anthony then remembered that Kochu had no idea who she was. "She was one of Yue's generals."

"Yue was a lord?"

Anthony freaked, knowing that he had said too much. "Yue is…Totaku Chuei…it's a long story."

"You can tell me now."

"Well, first I should go over her generals. There was Kayu, Denki, Ketsugo…oh, and Ren!"

"Really? She was an imperial general?"

"Yep! Oh, and Shia."

"Who is Shia?"

"Choryo Bun'en. She and Ren guarded Hulao Pass, and now she works under Skull Loli." Upon the odd look that he received, he elaborated. "Lord Soso. I call her Skull Loli."

"What was she like?"

"She was a total Aisha fangirl! She also hates cheaters, and is really laid back. I wonder how she's doing."

As he moved on to going over the story of the Anti-Totaku Alliance, he still had the thought of Choryo in the back of his mind.

~KD~

"I need a drink something fierce…"

All the way in Gi, Choryo Bun'en was in the dining hall, her right fist holding her head, as an argument was going on further down the table. Jun'iku was one of the participants, while a younger girl was the other. She had brown eyes, and pink hair done up in pigtails with blue ribbons, and she had two purple brooches in each one. She wore a pink sleeveless top that exposed her midriff, a blue cuff on her right wrist, a pink-trimmed Duel Disk on her left, an unzipped pair of light tan shorts, and blue slip-on shoes. This girl, who was arguing while shoveling dumplings into her mouth, was the Gi general Kyocho Chuko, secret name Ki, and the youngest member of Soso's peerage, and one of two that wasn't in her harem.

"Come on, Keifa," she said in between bites, "I'm hungry!"

"Two things. One, you're always hungry, so that excuse is dead on arrival. Two, it's disgusting! Nobody wants to hear you gorge yourself like a pig, Ki!"

"Well, Shia isn't bothered. It seems like you're the only one with a problem."

"Or maybe she's trying to ignore you, which is something that I tried to do, but my patience has worn too thin!"

Choryo rolled her eyes, and saw Kakoen approaching with two cups and a bottle of wine, wearing her casual outfit rather than the battle one she had worn during the alliance. It consisted of a blue tunic, a pair of navy blue detached sleeves that were skintight, and a pair of thigh high boots with a plum chroma. She smiled as she saw Choryo, and sat across from her, setting a cup in front of her. She then opened the bottle and filled her own cup, before handing the wine to Choryo.

"How are you, Shia?"

Choryo grabbed the bottle, and rather than pour herself a cup, she proceeded to take a swig of the booze straight from its bottle, before she wiped her mouth with her arm. "Shitty. How about you? Where's Shunran?"

Kakoen blinked, mildly astonished by the action. "Oh don't worry," said Choryo, "I'd need about ten full bottles to get drunk."

"Well, anyway, Shunran is with Lord Karin. They're…busy."

"Ah. Remind me to steer clear of Lord Karin's room."

"Actually, I met with her earlier today." Kakoen sighed, her smile growing wider as her cheeks became flushed. "Karin is wonderful. She's so kind, so considerate, so…gentle…"

"Please stop. I don't wantcha to start drooling on me."

"Sorry. Anyway, why didn't you take up her offer of joining her harem? I promise, she treats all of us very well."

"Because unlike you, I like dudes."

"Well, so do I. I just so happen to like girls as well."

"Huh. Well, one guy in particular stands out."

"Oh really? Who?"

"That Lord Anthony guy. I mean, yeah, he's scrawny, and a little awkward, but he's super cute to me. Plus, he has my idol in his peerage! How cool is that!"

"Amazing…" said Kakoen, her cheeks once more becoming red, which Choryo noticed right away.

"Wait…aw man, don't tell me you like him too, Shuran!"

"I'm sorry, but it's true. Besides, from what I hear, he's already taken. Remember that tournament that Ensho held?"

"The one that Lord Karin just laughed at when she got her invitation?"

"The very same. Anyway, from what I heard, after he won the tournament in the final match against General Kan'u, the two of them kissed."

"Wait, he beat Aisha!? And he's DATING HER!?" Choryo suddenly went into her "neko mode" at this news. "That is so frickin' cool!"

Kakoen chuckled at her friends antics, before she turned towards Jun'iku and Kyocho, who were still having their dispute, although the topic had changed from Kyocho's chewing to Kyocho as a whole.

"Face it, Ki, you may be a good duelist, but outside of that? You're just a loud, gluttonous, carefree moron!"

"Okay, maybe I'm a little loud at times, maybe I like food, and maybe I'm not as smart as you. But I know when to be serious! When I'm dueling, I'm merciless!"

"Then prove it! Duel me!"

"No problem! Let's go to the main hall, since the arena is closed due to the rain."

"Fine by me!"

The two short girls then got up and began to walk over to the main hall, while Kakoen got up as well.

"This should be interesting to watch. Do you want to join me?"

"Eh, fuck it. Got nothin' better to do. 'Sides, it could be fun to watch. But if those two are gonna keep talkin' shit, I'mma need this." Choryo then grabbed the bottle by the neck, then stood up as the two of them went to watch the show.

~KD~

In the main hall, Jun'iku and Kyocho had taken their places a decent distance away from each other, and were currently shuffling their decks, as Shia and Kakoen watched the two of them from a distance.

(Kyocho: 4000 LP)(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared Kyocho. "And to kick things off right, I summon Darkfire Soldier #1!"

A blonde man with dark green shoulder pads and a curved sword appeared, with his lower body completely covered in fire (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now I activate my Ookazi, which will deal eight hundred points of damage!"

A card appeared, displaying an image of a building that was engulfed in flames, as a pillar of fire appeared below Jun'iku, the inferno consuming her (Jun'iku: 4000-3200 LP).

"And to end my turn, I set one card!"

Jun'iku frowned, then drew her next card. "Hmph. I summon my Psychic Kappa to the field!"

Her monster was a kappa, a mythical freshwater monster from Japan. It had green skin, webbed hands, a turtle shell, an orange beak, and purple hair with a bald spot that had an image of a skull (LV 2: ATK 400).

"And I end my turn by setting one card."

"She's definitely up to something," said Kakoen. "Why else would she summon a weak monster, then set one card?"

"Well, I draw! And I play Hinotama, which will deal another five hundred points of damage! Take this, Keifa!"

A card showing a group of falling fireballs appeared, and shot five fireballs into the air, which slowly reached their maximum height before they came crashing down on Jun'iku (Jun'iku: 3200-2700 LP).

"Now I summon Darkfire Soldier #2!"

Another monster entered the battle, a swordsman with auburn hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a robe of flame and wielding two burning swords (LV 4: ATK 1700). But once it appeared, Jun'iku activated her face-down, which had a massive geyser of water, as a high-pressure deluge shot out of it and doused all three monsters, destroying them.

"Apparently, the fire is making you lightheaded, Ki, because you failed to notice my face-down. By summoning a monster, you let me activate my Torrential Tribute, destroying all monsters on the field!"

Kyocho pouted, and ended her turn, as Jun'iku drew her next card.

"Looks like Keifa took control pretty fast," said Choryo.

"I know. She's improved greatly since the Anti-Totaku Alliance."

"I play my Turtle Oath!"

The turtle shell appeared, and inside of it went two monsters. One was Root Water, a blue fish man with spindly arms that had pink webbing, a pink fin like that of a sailfish, red eyes, and a wide mouth with sharp teeth (LV 3: ATK 900). The other was Deepsea Warrior, a humanoid creature with green scaly skin, blue and green armor that had plenty of fins, a helmet with a black visor, and a bladed trident (LV 5: ATK 1600). Both of them went into the shell, as cracks began to form (3+5=8).

"I Ritual Summon my Crab Turtle!"

The massive fusion of reptile and crustacean let out an unnatural cry as it opened and closed its pincers with sharp snaps (LV 8: ATK 2550).

"But if you think that it's powerful now, wait until I equip it with Steel Shell, which will reduce its defense points by two hundred, but in return, increase its attack points by four hundred!"

The green shell of the Aqua-type became replaced with a blue shell with large metal spikes sticking out (ATK 2550-2950).

"Now attack directly!"

As her monster scuttled over to Kyocho, she activated a Trap Card with a picture of a knight walking through a gate of fire, as a spiral of flame surrounded the young general, as Crab Turtle ceased its attack and she took Darkfire Soldier #1 out of her Graveyard.

"I activate my Firewall, which lets me banish a Pyro-type monster from my Graveyard any time that your monster declares a direct attack, and negate it!"

"Fine. I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And during my Standby Phase, I can either pay five hundred life points to keep Firewall on the field, or destroy it. And I think I'll keep it around for a little while." (Kyocho: 4000-3500 LP)

"Looks like Ki has this duel in the bag," put in Choryo, as she took a sip from her bottle.

"It seems that way, but one can't be too sure," said Kakoen.

"I set one monster, then I set one other card to end my turn!"

"Okay then, I draw! And I summon my Jellyfish!"

The blue jellyfish floated next to Crab Turtle, electricity running through its stingers (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Crab Turtle, attack with Crab Grab!"

Her monster did as it was told, opening its claws and pinching the monster, which was revealed to be Molten Zombie, a zombie made of magma that groaned as it was destroyed (LV 4: DEF 1000).

"And now, I can attack directly and have you banish another monster!"

"Not quite. I activate my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted, in order to bring back my Molten Zombie from the Graveyard!"

As the card flipped up, the lurching lava returned with a bubbling moan (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And when Molten Zombie is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I get to draw a card!"

As Kyocho drew, Jun'iku ceased her attack, ending her turn and prompting Kyocho to draw.

"First, I pay five hundred of my life points to keep Firewall on the field!" (Kyocho: 3500-3000 LP)

"At this rate, Ki is gonna take herself out before Keifa does!" said Choryo.

"I doubt that. Besides, that card has kept her in the lead," said Kakoen.

"Check this out, Keifa! I'm gonna burn you to ash! I banish my Darkfire Soldier #2 to Special Summon Inferno from my hand!"

The Pyro-type she just banished briefly appeared on the field, before an inferno swallowed it. Said blaze suddenly opened a pair of blue eyes, and began to laugh, revealing a mouth filled with skulls (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"And now, I tribute both of my monsters to summon my ultimate monster, one who will burn away everything that stands before it! Infernal Flame Emperor!"

Both Pyro-types were soon replaced by a massive beast that was entirely made of red and orange fire. Its body was similar to that of a centaur, with a long body that had four legs, and a pair of wings similar to that of a dragon. Attached to it was a torso with powerful arms, and a head that had a mane of fire behind it (LV 9: ATK 2700).

"And what can that thing do to my Crab Turtle? Make it a little too hot for its liking?"

"Much more! When this bad boy is Tribute Summoned, I can banish any number of FIRE monsters from my Graveyard, up to five, then I can destroy Spell or Trap Cards equal to that! So by banishing my Inferno, I can destroy your Steel Shell!"

Her monster formed a fireball in one of its hands, then launched it at the card, destroying it while Crab Turtle's gear dematerialized (ATK 2950-2550).

"But I'm not done yet. I play my Molten Destruction, which increase my monster's power by five hundred by decreasing its defense power by four hundred, and the same goes for my other FIRE monsters!"

The field changed around them, becoming the inside of a volcano, as Shuran took the time to step away from a crater full of lava that emitted a small bubble that burst, forgetting that it was all a hologram for a second. The FIRE monster suddenly burned brighter, surrounded by heat to fuel its power (ATK 2700-3200).

"Now destroy that Jellyfish with your Blaze of Destruction!"

Her monster created another fireball, even bigger than the last one, and lobbed it at the WATER monster, blowing it to cinders (Jun'iku: 2700-700 LP).

"And that should do for now!"

"Well, I draw! And I think that this scenery needs improvement. I play my Terraforming!"

A card appeared, displaying an image of Mars being terraformed to become similar to Earth, as Jun'iku took her deck out of its slot and began to look through it. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that you've never heard of this card before?"

"Yep."

"Didn't think so. It lets me add a Field Spell from my deck to my hand. I know, how thrilling. But this is certainly thrilling for me! I play my Umi!"

After she found the card that she wanted and slipped it into her Field Spell Zone, the volcano became replaced with the ocean, both duelists becoming submerged up to their waists.

"Now your card is sent to the Graveyard, and since you've probably never went to school in your life, you probably didn't know this, but water puts out fire."

As she said this, Infernal Flame Emperor, being a Pyro-type and losing its home field advantage, suddenly became weaker as its body began to flicker (ATK 3200-2500), while Crab Turtle became stronger, being an Aqua-type (ATK 2550-2750).

"Oh crap! Now your monster is stronger!"

"Brilliant observation. Crab Grab!"

The Ritual Monster swam over to the Effect Monster and proceeded to grab it in its claws and rip it apart (Kyocho: 3000-2750 LP).

"And that should do."

"It looks like Keifa intends to make a comeback," said Kakoen.

"Looks like it," said Choryo.

"I draw!" shouted Kyocho, "and I pay life points to keep my trap around!" (Kyocho: 2750-2250 LP)

"It's kind of sad when your opponent does more damage to themselves than you do. Takes the fun out of it."

"Shut it, Keifa! All I can do is set one monster and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I summon my Deep Diver!"

A diver in an orange diving suit came from below the surface, with red gloves, metal-toed boots, a red helmet, and a hammer in his hand (LV 3: ATK 1000-1200).

"As you can see, my monster gets stronger, due to being an Aqua-type. Crab Turtle, attack!"

Her monster let loose a series of slashes with its claws, which turned out to be a large wildfire with a sinister face, known as Invasion of Flames (LV 3: DEF 1200-1000).

"Deep Diver, attack directly!"

The diver was about to swing his hammer at Kyocho, when she was protected by Firewall, as she took Infernal Flame Emperor out of her Graveyard.

"I think that should do."

Kyocho drew, paying life points to keep her Continuous Trap active (Kyocho: 2250-1750 LP). At this point, she was completely stone-faced.

"I summon Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective!"

A strange new monster entered the battlefield, one that looked like a condensed explosion with one blue eye (LV 4: ATK 2000-1800).

"Now destroy that Deep Diver!"

Her monster then leered at the Aqua-type, who suddenly exploded into a fiery blaze, pixels flying (Jun'iku: 700-100 LP).

"Well, at the end of the Battle Phase, if Deep Diver was destroyed by battle, I can select one Monster Card in my deck and place it on top! So now, I'm guaranteed to draw what I want next turn!"

"It won't save you. I end my turn, and during the End Phase, my Gaia Soul is destroyed." As if on cue, her monster exploded, leaving only Firewall under Kyocho's control. "And I can negate three direct attacks at the moment, so take your best shot."

"Well, since you asked so nicely. I draw, and I summon my Lost Blue Breaker!"

A new monster surfaced, being a blue sea serpent with two heads. And since it was a Sea Serpent-type, it gained a boost from Umi (LV 3: ATK 1400-1600).

"And if I control another Fish-type, Aqua-type, or Sea Serpent-type, I can tribute my Lost Blue Breaker in order to destroy one Spell or Trap Card! Let's see how you operate without the crutch of your Firewall!"

The Sea Serpent-type spat out two jets of water, and as the Firewall rose up, the fire was put out by the high-pressure streams before Lost Blue Breaker exploded into light.

"It's time to end this duel! Crab Turtle, attack directly!"

Her monster waded through the briny deep, before it locked the general in its claws, ending the game (Kyocho: 1750-0 LP)(Winner: Jun'iku).

"I lost? Well, good game, Keifa," said Kyocho as the main hall returned to normal.

"And I suppose when push comes to shove, you can be serious. I suppose I owe you an apology, Ki," said Jun'iku.

"It's all good!"

"Well, that was easy," said Kakoen, as the four members of Gi then heard a loud knock on the palace doors. Jun'iku squinted at the door with suspicion, before she opened it, revealing three figures wearing brown cloaks standing in the pouring rain.

"Excuse me, miss," said the one in front, in a somewhat high and yet noticeably masculine voice, "but may the three of us gain entry into this palace? We wish to discuss some matters with your lord."

"My lord wants nothing to do with filthy men like yourselves. Enjoy the lovely weather." But before she could slam the door in his face, Kakoen ran to stop her.

"Keifa, just hear them out. Let's see what Karin has to say before we leave them out in the storm."

"Fine. You can come in, but don't touch anything. And if Lord Karin says that you have to go, then I expect you to go."

"Don't worry," said the man, removing the hood of his cloak, revealing purple eyes, a pair of glasses, black hair that went down to his shoulders, and most noticeably, a yellow tattoo on his forehead. A tattoo of the Millennium Symbol. "I'm sure that she'll listen to my request."

* * *

 ***points thumb at self* You thought that you would get another filler chapter, but it was I, the beginning of the Gi Arc!**

 **So yeah, two characters make their long-awaited debuts. First is Ki, who as mentioned way back in chapter twelve is thirteen. I gave her FIRE monsters to go with her hotheaded nature, and to help make her a foil for Keifa. Also, Ukitsu! He's 24, and his deck shall be revealed next chapter. Also, this is the latest chapter that's complete, meaning that I'm caught up. All later chapters will be updated the day that they're completed, and seeing as I'm pretty far into chapter 42, that might be soon. Also, I'm uploading an omake featuring Chosen today, set after my "Beginning of a Journey" omake, so feel free to check it out. Starpion out!**


	42. Dusk Over Gi

As the man removed his cloak, he was revealed to be wearing a long sleeve tan shirt under a black, white, and green robe with golden trim, as well as simple tan pants and black shoes. His associates took off their own cloaks as well, with one of them being one of the two White Clothes members who joined Ensho, Yokai. The other was somebody else, however. He had short black hair which had been meticulously combed so that there wasn't a single strand out of place, and he had piercing yellow eyes behind a pair of square-framed glasses which he pushed against the bridge of his nose instinctively. He wore an unbuttoned purple long coat which revealed a brilliant white shirt, and he wore black pants and shoes. All three of them had a Chaos Duel Disk on their left wrist.

"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Ukitsu, and my acquaintances here are Yokai and Hakeru. I'm honored to be able to speak with your lord."

While Jun'iku dealt with the three, Choryo pulled Kakoen aside. "I don't trust those three, Shuran."

"Why not?"

"You see that Ukitsu guy? He has a tattoo of an eye on his forehead, just like the guy in the white clothes who gave me and the other generals of To the power to create Shadow Games!"

Kakoen was stunned. "Do you think he might be the same man?"

"I dunno, his voice is different. But he might be in cahoots with that dude, so I'm gonna keep a close eye on him. I don't wanna get involved in that shit a second time, ya get me?"

"What's going on here?"

Having finished their "session" and hearing unfamiliar voices in the main hall, Soso and Kakoton had come to see what the commotion was about, while wearing their respective casual clothing. Soso was wearing her skull brooches, an indigo top with detached sleeves and a red collar, a short navy blue skirt with white trim, and tall blue boots. Kakoton had a red tunic with detached violet sleeves, and tall black boots.

"Ah, you must be Lord Soso!" said Ukitsu. "I've heard so much about your military strength, and your skills as a duelist. If I may, the three of us would like to join your peerage!"

"You three? Join Lord Karin? No way!" protested Kakoton, as Yokai stared at her with an aloof expression.

"You have beautiful eyes."

Kakoton was taken aback by the sudden compliment, but she scowled. "Hmph. I don't take compliments from men."

"Would they be more beautiful wide and trembling in fear, or welled up with tears of pain or sorrow?"

This unnerved Kakoton, who inched closer to an amused Soso, while Kakoen went up to the other side of her lover.

"And what can the three of you provide me?"

"I'm glad that you asked! First up is Yokai, who is perfect for the role of general. His demeanor intimidates his opponents, and their dueling skills are diminished as a result. Not to mention his powerful Spirit Monsters. Hakeru, however, is more fit to be a strategist. His logical mindset and vast intelligence make for a powerful combination, and his mill deck is incredibly difficult to counter. And as for me, while my cards are incredible, my greatest strength are my ability to remain calm and my intelligence, making me an ideal adviser."

Soso nodded, absorbing the words. "Interesting. Perhaps Lord Anthony or Lord Sonken could benefit from you."

Ukitsu blinked. "I fear that I don't understand."

"Ugly men like yourself aren't welcome in my peerage. Good day to you."

"That is highly illogical."

Hakeru, who up to that point was silent, finally began to speak in a smooth, monotonous voice. "To exclude a gender from joining your peerage is ignoring half of your viable options. Gender does not determine skill, nor is one preferable to the other. Letting your emotions and your biases control your executive decisions is a flawed system."

"And who are you to talk to me like that!?"

"Please forgive Hakeru, he tends to speak out of place if he disagrees with somebody. If I may, allow me to prove our skills with a duel. If I can beat you, will you consider us as candidates?"

Soso thought to herself. As much as she disliked men, these three could be valuable assets to her goals of conquest. And if they really were as good as they claimed, it would be preferable to have them on her side, rather than have to face them in the future. "I accept your challenge. Defeat me in a game of Duel Monsters, and you may join me."

"Thank you. Where shall we duel?"

"Go into the throne room through those doors, and wait for me."

As they did, her peerage members made their opinions known.

"What are you doing, Karin!?" asked Jun'iku.

"Why are you trusting these guys!?" asked Choryo.

"They're just a bunch of repulsive men!" said Kakoton.

"And creepy!" said Kyocho.

"I must admit, this is out of the ordinary for you, Karin," said Kakoen.

"Don't worry, everyone. I know exactly what I'm doing, and it's for the betterment of Gi." She then flashed a smile, but rather than her typical sneer, this one was genuine. "If I win, they'll get lost. But in the unlikely case that I lose, then we will gain powerful allies to aid us in our dreams of uniting the country."

Her fellow peerage members found it hard to argue with that, and they followed Soso into her throne room, where the three duelists were waiting patiently.

"There you are," said Ukitsu, moving to the side so that Soso could stand in front of her throne. "I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to show up."

"Don't count on it. I wouldn't pass up a duel for the world."

(Ukitsu: 4000 LP)(Soso: 4000 LP)

"I shall begin," declared Ukitsu, drawing his next card. "I shall set a single monster and one other card, which shall bring me to the end of my turn."

"That's it?" said Kyocho, confused by the action.

"I draw! And I summon The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams!"

The wicked ghost of dreams appeared, screeching its wicked howl (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And I'll attack your monster!"

The Fiend-type flew over to the monster and brought down its sword, only for it to be repelled by a tan woman in a black robe with green markings, and a black turban (LV 4: DEF 2000)(Soso: 4000-3300 LP).

"Sorry, but an attack like that isn't strong enough to get past a monster like this! And now, when it's flipped, my Gravekeeper's Spy lets me Special Summon a Gravekeeper's monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck! And I select my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!"

The new monster was a man with black hair in a black robe with green symbols, wielding a spear (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"I suppose for now, I'll just set three cards."

"Then it's my turn, Lord Soso! Let's see how you handle this monster! I summon Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Another person in a black robe appeared, this one being a tan man with black hair and a black robe with purple markings, holding a wooden staff that curved on the end like the staff of a shepherd (LV 3: ATK 800).

"And when it's summoned, it deals five hundred points of damage! Doomsday Purge!"

The monster began to twirl its staff, sending out a green haze, when Soso activated a Quick-Play Spell, showing a magician blasting a knight with a spell, and a massive purple amount of magic shaped like a skull coming out of the knight, as Ukitsu lost life points instead (Ukitsu: 4000-3500 LP).

"I played Spell of Pain just in time, which takes effect damage meant for me and deals it to you!"

"Hah! Ukitsu thought that he had managed to ambush Lord Karin, but it was him who was ambushed instead!" bragged Kakoton as Ukitsu smirked.

"Not a bad play, Lord Soso. I can see how you've earned so much respect. But now, I'll have my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier attack! Go, Lunging Spear Assault!"

But as the Spellcaster-type charged with his spear, Soso activated a Trap Card with a picture of a fleshy ghost whose body appeared to be melting, as well as a Trap Card with a dragon, two knights, and various other objects being pulled into a purple wormhole.

"I play my Dark Spirit of the Silent, negating your attack, and selecting another monster to attack! And I pick your Gravekeeper's Curse! And when an opponent's monster declares an attack, I can play my Malevolent Catastrophe, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"

Ukitsu's set card, Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley, was swiftly destroyed. The spearman stopped his attack, and the warlock sent out a green curse from his staff, which the Fiend-type simply deflected with its shield as the dark magic ended up doing in its caster (Ukitsu: 3500-3000 LP).

"And just like that," said Kakoen, "Karin had taken the lead."

"Go Lord Karin! Crush that creep!" shouted Kyocho.

"Hmm, not bad. I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play my Stop Defense, in order to switch the battle position of Gravekeeper's Spy to attack mode!"

The spy, who up until this point was crouching down with one hand firmly placed on the floor, then rose to her feet (ATK 1200).

"Now I tribute The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams to Tribute Summon Legendary Fiend!"

The specter was soon replaced with a new fiend, one that looked much more ferocious. It was a demon with pale blue skin, muscular arms with brown fur around the wrists and pink claws, brown legs that ended in talons, black wings, black ears like bat wings, and a noseless face with yellow eyes and sharp teeth (LV 6: ATK 1500).

"Legendary Fiend is impressive, isn't it?" said Kakoen rhetorically to Hakeru.

"It is, but I find it unlikely that it will last long enough to activate its effect."

"Oh yes it will!" retorted Kakoton.

"Legendary Fiend, attack Gravekeeper's Spy!"

Her monster let out a cry and flew towards the Spellcaster-type, swiping at it with its claws and tearing it apart (Ukitsu: 3000-2700 LP).

"And to round out my move, I set one card on the field."

"Mighty impressive, Lord Soso. I summon my Gravekeeper's Heretic to the field!"

The new monster was a tan man with long white hair wearing an Egyptian outfit with golden wrist guards underneath a tattered black robe with yellow symbols, and he held a staff with a golden tip shaped like the sun, and a blue orb in it (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now attack!"

As the monster fired a blue beam of energy from his staff, another Trap Card was activated, this one showing Dark Ruler Ha Des screaming loudly.

"I activate Bark of Dark Ruler, a card that can only be played when a Fiend-type monster of mine battles! Now I can pay life points and decrease the power of your monster by that amount! So I pay four hundred life points, making your monster just weak enough for me to destroy!"

A purple mist began to seep out of both Soso and Gravekeeper's Heretic (Soso: 3300-2900 LP)(ATK 1800-1400). The Fiend-type dodged the attack and slashed at the attacking monster, destroying it (Ukitsu: 2700-2600 LP).

"Not bad, not bad at all."

"Not bad!? That was a great move!" shouted Jun'iku, while Soso smiled.

'Hmm, it appears that it's time to get serious.' "I set one card, then switch my monster into defense mode. That should do for now."

As Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier crouched down (DEF 1000), Soso drew, and two draconic heads on long necks with extended jaws burst out of the shoulders of Legendary Fiend (ATK 1500-2200).

"During my Standby Phase," explained Soso, "Legendary Fiend gains seven hundred attack points. And now, I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!" And after she drew, she smirked before she slipped another card into her Spell & Trap Zone, showing a man screaming at the sight of three mummies.

"Now I play my Mirage of Nightmare, a card that will let me draw cards until I have four cards in my hand during your Standby Phase, but I have to randomly discard the same amount that I drew during my own Standby Phase. Legendary Fiend, attack!"

The two extra heads then fired purple beams of energy at Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, destroying it.

"And to end my turn, I set a card."

"Perfect! She has no cards in her hand, so her hand will be completely replenished!" shouted Kakoton as Ukitsu drew his next card, and Soso drew four cards of her own.

"There is a logical fallacy in that statement. She will only have one card in her hand once her Standby Phase is over," said Hakeru.

"Unless she plays a Quick-Play Spell, which will leave her with no cards left," said Yokai.

"Or I can do this! I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying my Mirage of Nightmare!"

Soso activated her face-down, and the blue tornado destroyed her card.

"This is perfect!" said Choryo. "She doesn't have to discard now!"

"Not bad. Not bad at all. But despite your skill, Lord Soso, I'm afraid that you're outclassed."

"What!? The power of the Gi Kingdom is unmatched! You cannot defeat my Fiends!"

"We'll find that out shortly! I discard my Gravekeeper's Commandant, in order to add the card known as Necrovalley to my hand!"

Ukitsu sent a monster with a helm that looked like a jackal to his Graveyard, before a card stuck out of his deck, which he took before he opened his Field Spell Zone and placed it inside.

"Welcome, Lord Soso, to Necrovalley!"

The field around them suddenly transformed, becoming a large canyon with a desert visible in the distance, a sunset staining the rocks orange.

"With this Field Spell, all of my Gravekeeper's monsters gain five hundred attack and defense points, plus cards cannot be banished from the Graveyard, and any card effect that would move a card in the Graveyard, other than itself, to a different place will be negated! And now I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

The new Gravekeeper's monster was almost entirely covered in a black cloak, with only her hands and eyes visible. Gripped in her right hand was a kris, which was held in a reverse stance (LV 4: ATK 1500-2000).

"And when Necrovalley is on the field when this monster declares an attack, I can change the battle position of one face-up monster that you control! Stealth Slice Strike!"

The monster then came at Legendary Fiend with her wavy dagger, and the Fiend-type crossed its arms as the monster prepares to stab it (DEF 1800). However, she stabbed right in front of it, before flipping the kris so that the blade was facing away from itself and stabbed the demon in the chest with a feint, destroying it.

"That should do for now."

"It looks like the tables have turned," said Yokai.

"What are you talking about? I don't see any tables," replied Kakoton.

"Shunran," said Kakoen, "it's an expression."

"Oh," said her sister, blushing in embarrassment, "I see."

"I draw! And I play my Zera Ritual, and to complete the ritual, I use my Three-Headed Geedo and my Twin-Headed Wolf!"

Two monsters appeared, one being a green and black humanoid creature with red hands and three heads which looked like mouthless gray aliens (LV 4: ATK 1200), and a green wolf with two violet tails and two purple heads with red eyes (LV 4: ATK 1500). Both of which became completely enveloped in purple smoke, and the two blobs of smog fused into one large one (4+4=8).

"Behold, my ultimate monster, one that will surely be the end for you! Come, Zera the Mant!"

As the massive gargoyle appeared (LV 8: ATK 2800), Choryo walked over to Kakoton.

"Hey, isn't this the monster that you and your sis…"

"It is, Shia. The one that we gave Karin the day we met her."

"But my monster could use some company, right? I summon my Malice Doll of Demise!"

A wooden doll in a baby blue shirt and purple overalls, and gray boots appeared, with blonde hair, huge purple eyes, a mouth filled with sharp teeth, and a huge axe in its hands (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Zera, attack that Assailant with Jagged Claw Attack!"

Her monster obeyed, looming over the Spellcaster-type before it tore it in half with its claws, the monster shattering into pixels (Ukitsu: 2600-1800 LP).

"And now my Malice Doll of Demise will attack directly with Cleaver Heaver!"

Her malevolent marionette swung its axe through the bespectacled duelist, who briefly considered playing his face-down, but decided against it, believing that it wasn't the right time quite yet (Ukitsu: 1800-200 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

"Oh, Lord Karin, you truly are the best," drooled Jun'iku, as Soso smiled.

"Why, thank you, Keifa."

"I draw! And I play my Gravekeeper's Stele!"

A card with a massive stele being observed by Gravekeeper's Descendant appeared, as the stone tablet rose from the earth, the hieroglyphs glowing yellow as Gravekeeper's Spy and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier came out, as Ukitsu added said monsters to his hand.

"With this card," he explained as the stele sunk back into the earth, "I can add two Gravekeeper's monsters from my Graveyard to my hand!"

"Wait just a second!" shouted Soso. "I thought that Necrovalley prevented you from moving cards from the Graveyard unless they move themselves!"

"Ah, but this card is immune to Necrovalley! My Gravekeeper's monsters have lived in this land for generations, and as such, have adapted to the harsh environment! I set one monster and conclude my turn!"

"Then I draw!" Soso was disappointed to see her card was The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler, which was useless with Necrovalley on the field. However, she could still fight.

"Zera the Mant, execute his monster with your Jagged Claw Attack!"

Her Ritual Monster then sliced the card apart, which was Gravekeeper's Spy (LV 4: DEF 2000-2500).

"And don't you forget now, I can Special Summon a Gravekeeper's monster with 1500 or less attack points if this monster is flipped! And I select my Gravekeeper's Descendant!"

A tan man with blonde hair appeared, wearing a black coat with yellow markings, a black tank top with a blue collar, a black headband, golden bands around his wrists, gold rings on his fingers, and a black, white, and gold sash. In his right hand was a golden staff that looked like a cobra (LV 4: ATK 1500-2000).

"Very well. I end my turn."

"This doesn't look good. Karin's lead is slipping away as we speak," said Kakoen, as Ukitsu drew.

"Of course. Her loss was guaranteed," said Hakeru.

"I activate my face-down, Rite of Spirit, to revive one of my Gravekeeper's monsters in the Graveyard! And of course, this card is immune to the mysterious powers of Necrovalley!"

The card flipped up, showing Cobraman Sakuzy being worshipped by Gravekeeper's Curse, Gravekeeper's Chief, and Gravekeeper's Guard, the former and latter brandishing the monster's sword and shield respectively. Slowly, a portal appeared on the ground, and Gravekeeper's Curse rose from below (LV 3: ATK 800-1300).

"And whenever it's summoned, you take damage! Doomsday Purge!"

The green curse enveloped Soso as her life points fell (Soso: 2900-2400 LP).

"And now, I tribute Gravekeeper's Curse to summon Gravekeeper's Chief!"

The warlock vanished in exchange for a tan man with a black beard who wore a purple shirt, a red sash, and green pants underneath a black and white robe, holding a golden staff that resembled a cobra (LV 5: ATK 1900-2400).

"When this monster is on the field, cards in my Graveyard are immune to the effects of Necrovalley, and when it's Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon a Gravekeeper's monster from my Graveyard! Rise up, Gravekeeper's Commandant!"

In a flash of yellow light, the two monsters were joined by a third, a man who wore an Anubis headdress, a blue scarf, a black coat with black markings over golden armor, a blue sash around his waist, and tan pants, while he twirled a staff with a golden tip in his hand (LV 4: ATK 1600-2100).

"Impressive. But none of your monsters have enough power to defeat Zera the Mant."

"I don't need to. I activate the effect of Gravekeeper's Descendant, tributing my Gravekeeper's Commandant to destroy your Zera the Mant!"

Soso could feel her eyes pop out of her skull, as Gravekeeper's Commandant soon disappeared, and the other Spellcaster-type pointed his staff at her Ritual Monster with a sinister smirk before he fired a golden beam of light which blasted the larger monster to pieces.

"No…she can't be about to lose, can she?" asked Kakoton, although it sounded more like she was pleading.

"Destroy her Malice Doll, Gravekeeper's Descendant!"

His monster was happy to follow out the order, destroying the Fiend-type with a blast from his staff (Soso: 2400-2000 LP). Without anybody noticing, the tattoo on Ukitsu's forehead began to glow.

"And now, for the final blow! Gravekeeper's Chief, attack directly with your Royal Rage!"

The Spellcaster fired a golden blast of energy with a loud yell, and Soso was knocked back and sent flying until she landed, her left arm hitting the ground as the force of the impact caused the wing on her Duel Disk to break off, effectively destroying it (Soso: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Ukitsu). With one of the Duel Disks broken, the holograms abruptly vanished, although there was no denying the victor.

"Oh, my apologies!" said Ukitsu, a look of worry on his face as Kakoton and Kakoen ran up to Soso, who was laying on the ground and groaning. "It appears that got carried away. Don't fret," he said as he walked over to her. "I have a Duel Disk that I was going to give you if you said yes."

Soso's eyes opened, a look of annoyance on her face. "It would have been more preferable for you to NOT break my Duel Disk, but fine." She then stood up, and took the Chaos Duel Disk from Ukitsu and took her deck out of the ruined Duel Disk before she noticed that there was already a card in the deck slot. She took it out and looked over it, the card in question being an unusual doll holding a damaged doll in its hands. She placed it into her deck before discarding her old Duel Disk and putting on the new one.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I lost. It looks like these three ugly men will be working with us from now on," said Soso, with various reactions. The three "ugly men" smiled, Kakoton and Jun'iku scowled, Kyocho and Kakoen were neutral, and Choryo was freaking out inside. Once was bad enough, but to get involved with these guys again? She didn't like it one bit.

"Ukitsu, come with me. If you're to be my adviser, then you need to be thoroughly informed about Gi and the current status. Shunran and Shuran, please take the others to their quarters." As the girls followed their orders begrudgingly, Ukitsu smirked as Soso led him to her study.

'Phase one, complete. And now, for phase two.'

* * *

 **And just like that, the plot thickens. So yeah, Yokai is back, and we have a newcomer named Hakeru (the Japanese word for "drain"), who I may have based on a certain cycloptic Cybertronian. He is 24, and has a mill deck, although you'll have to wait a bit to see it in action. As for Ukitsu, I gave him a Gravekeeper's deck mostly due to him being the dragon (the secondary villain), and the Gravekeeper's being seen as "evil" in the show, at least in GX. Plus, it's a good deck, befitting of an evil genius. Next chapter will bring the focus back to Kikai, although not necessarily Anthony. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 4/29/2019: fixed an error with Spell of Pain's activation timing.**


	43. Happy (& Unhappy) Reunions

Roughly a week had passed after the storm had hit, and Bacho was making her way through the palace to find Kochu. The reason? Changing of the guard, or something similar. Anthony had made a system where two of his generals were out on patrol at a time, and every hour, one of them switched, so that one general was still on duty. Of course, that meant the first person to switch out was the last person to tag in, to make sure everyone did an equal amount of work. Bacho had the first shift with Ryofu, which was rather boring, as Ryofu didn't talk much. She was the first to switch out, being replaced with Kan'u, although she wasn't in much of a talkative mood either, taking her job seriously. And now, it was Kochu's turn.

"Shion? Where are you?"

She then heard Kochu's voice coming from the courtyard, and went to see her and Riri sitting on a bench, with Kochu reading her a story. Bacho had a somber smile as she walked over to the two of them.

"Shion? It's your shift."

Kochu paused her narration and looked up at Bacho, her mouth making a small circle. "Oh, is it already time to switch? I'm sorry, I've been with Riri all day, and I lost track of time. Riri, I have to go, can you be a good girl until I get back!"

"Mmhm! I'll be the best I can be!"

"I'm glad to hear it," chuckled Kochu as she gave her daughter a small kiss on her forehead before heading off, Riri excitedly waving goodbye as Bacho waved halfheartedly, which Riri noticed right away.

"What's wrong, Sui? You look sad."

Bacho sighed as she sat next to her. "It's nothing, Riri. I just…well, seeing you and your mom spending time together, it kinda makes me miss my dad."

"What's this about?"

The two girls turned to Anthony, who had walked in on their conversation as he was passing by. Riri decided to elaborate for him. "Sui misses her daddy."

"Hm? Is this true?"

Bacho nodded. "I haven't seen him for so long, and seeing Shion and Riri doesn't help. I'd love to go and see him, even just for one day."

"Then why don't you?"

Bacho turned to her lord, who was smiling. "We've got things under control over here. Go on, he's not too far away, is he?"

"Um, no…just a few hours from here."

"Well, you can stay the night there! I'd rather you be happy than stay here miserable. You can take Silver Flash with you!"

Bacho could feel her cheeks flare up and her eyes become wet as she tackled the Messenger from Heaven in a tight hug, knocking the wind out of him. "ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOU!"

"Urk…no prob…" wheezed Anthony, feeling his ribs squeezing his lungs, and as Bacho let go of him and ran to the stables after a quick goodbye, he fell to his knees and began to greedily take gulps of oxygen, as Riri asked if he was okay. Over by the doors that led from the courtyard to the town, Kochu was watching the scene in amusement, with her cheeks turning a light pink. She also noticed how Bacho's cheeks became scarlet, and being a "master of love" as Choun had taken to call her, she knew a thing or two about signs of romantic interest. She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, however, as she made her way to Kan'u. After all, it wasn't nice to keep people waiting.

~KD~

Bacho was on cloud nine right now. Her hands were tightly gripping the hands of her trusty steed, who was racing across the land like a streak of light. Bacho loved riding horses. Between a combination of her love for animals, and the feeling of the wind in her hair as she raced through the land, riding on horseback was a greater thrill than even dueling! She often considered becoming an equestrian, if her dueling career or her life as a general went awry. But that wasn't what had her most excited, but rather, it was the town that was slowly getting closer, and by extension, her home, and her dad.

She pulled back the reins gently, and Silver Flash began to decelerate as Bacho became closer and closer to Ryoshu, her old home. She and her horse slowly made their way over to the front gate, and Bacho leapt off before tying the reins of Silver Flash to a post.

"Stay," she commanded, before walking into the bustling town. She smiled as she looked around the familiar city, having spent her whole life here up until a year ago. A few passerby even recognized the eldest daughter of Bato, and greeted her.

"Hey, Bacho! You're back!"

"Mommy, look! Bacho is here!"

"Bacho Moki! Now there's a sight for sore eyes!"

Bacho smiled, joy filling her heart as she gave greetings to friendly faces. But there was still no sight of…

"I'm telling you, Lord Bato, you won't regret this!"

"I'm sure I won't. This iron is far better than anything that we'd find here in China."

Bacho froze at the sound of a familiar voice, and turned to see a merchant trading iron from Europe in exchange for silk. The other member of the exchange was a man with violet eyes, brown hair in a bun, and somewhat thick eyebrows. He wore a regal black and white robe, with a green-trimmed Duel Disk on his left wrist. This was the lord of Ryoshu, and the father of Bacho, as well as her biggest inspiration: Bato Jusei.

As the two finalized their deal and Bato requested that two of his foot soldiers take the iron to the town blacksmith, Bacho broke into a sprint with her eyes beginning to tear up. "DADDY!"

Bato then turned to the noise, and had a brief look of shock that quickly morphed into one of joy. "Sui? Is it really you?"

Bacho didn't answer, choosing instead to tightly hug her father, who returned the hug gratefully. Bacho was bawling her eyes out, face red and creased as her eyes became stained red. But she didn't care. Right now, all that mattered was that she saw her father again.

"I haven't seen you in so long, Sui!" said Bato as he pushed her back, hands still on her shoulders. "I thought that you were going on a journey to become the best duelist that there was!"

"I still am, but I've got other things too," said Bacho, having regained the ability to speak. "I'm a general now!"

"You are!?" said Bato with surprise. "That's great! I'm sure you've been helping people, right?"

"Yeah! And I made a ton of new friends! There's Rinrin, Aisha, Shuri, Ren, Sei, Shion…"

Bato took his daughter's hand. "Let's head back to my office, and we can talk about it on the way."

Bacho nodded, then she remembered something. "Hold on! I forgot, I'm gonna stay the night! I should take Silver Flash and put him in a stable for the night!"

"You came here on horseback? Heh, it looks like no matter how much you've grown, you're still my little girl."

Bacho smiled, and the two of them made their way to the city entrance.

"So, what brings you back here? Come to see how your old man was doing, or did your lord ask for me, and sent you?"

"To see you, silly! I was starting to miss you, so Lord Anthony said I could visit for a day!"

"Lord Anthony? The man fabled to be the Messenger from Heaven, leader of one of the three major kingdoms, and the one who defeated both Emperor Totaku and Lord Ensho?"

"Yep. He's pretty cool, but you're still number one!"

Pretty soon, they reached Silver Flash, and Bato requested that one of his men escorted the steed to a vacant stable for the night, and to make sure that it was in prime condition when it was time for Bacho to leave the next day. As they headed for Bato's office, as the town wasn't quite big enough for him to have a palace, Bacho decided to ask about her sisters.

"So where are Ruo and So? Busy working on the farm?"

"Actually, both of your sisters went on journeys of their own. After all, who wouldn't be inspired by their great older sister going on the journey of a lifetime?"

Bacho smiled, although she was a little bummed that she couldn't catch up with her little siblings. But she shouldn't be greedy. After all, her dad was good enough.

"How about you? I came out all the way from Kikai just to see you, so I gotta know how you're doing, dad!"

Bato smiled. "Well, for a small town, things are going well. Economically, everything is stable, and the surrounding lords are on even terms with us, so we don't have to worry about invasion."

"Not even from Soso?" asked Bacho, knowing that the leader of Gi was rather close to where they were.

"Not even Lord Soso," said Bato. "The two of us are on good terms."

"I didn't think that she could be on even terms with anyone," muttered Bacho.

"I see you haven't learned manners in Kikai," said Bato.

"Sorry, dad, I just don't like her. She's a jerk. Back in the Anti-Totaku Alliance, she tried to force Aisha to join her, and it took Anthony beating her in a duel to get her to back off."

Bato's eyebrows rose as he learned that Soso had actually lost a duel, before he continued. "Well, she can be a bit arrogant, and proud, but then again, so can you."

Bacho scratched her arm nervously, knowing that he was right.

"But despite that, both of you always put your loved ones first. Your family, your friends…the two of you know what's important."

"Thanks, dad."

"Hey, you're my little girl," said Bato, tussling her hair. "It's my job to make you happy." The two of them reached the office, and both of them went in, where they spent the rest of the day catching up.

~KD~

Bacho woke up in a good mood. With a yawn and a stretch, she rolled off of her old bed, every bit as comfy as she remembered it, before she began to change out of her nightgown and into her usual outfit. As she was tying her headband, she flashed a toothy grin as she recalled the events of the previous day. Seeing her dad again was definitely awesome, although she would have to head back home soon. But hey, if she ever got homesick again, she was sure that Anthony would let her see him again. She headed out of her room with a smile, and saw her dad sitting down at a table, drinking tea. He turned to her with a friendly expression and lifted his steaming cup slightly.

"Want some?"

Bacho nodded, and Bato went to a cupboard and pulled out a second cup, before he walked back to the table. "Did you get a good night's sleep? We were both up rather late."

"Yep! Slept like a baby! I was out the second that my head touched the pillow!"

Bato smiled. "Odd. Usually, you're too energetic to fall asleep right away. Must have been in a good mood," he chuckled, as he began to pour a cup, when the door slammed open, causing him to spill a bit on the floor. He and his daughter looked to see one of Bato's soldiers looking scared out of his wits.

"What has you so shaken?" asked Bato, becoming serious at the slightest notice of danger.

"We're…we're under attack!"

Bato dropped the teapot and cup he was holding, the ceramic dishes shattering on the tiled floor. "An assault? But who is responsible?"

"It's Lord Soso! Her generals are blowing through our troops, and unless you duel her, she says that she'll level the place!"

"I thought you said that Lord Soso wouldn't invade!"

"She wouldn't, Sui. Something is wrong here. Do you think you can back me up? That is, if you can keep up with your old man."

Bacho smirked. "No sweat! This is what I live for!"

~KD~

As the two of them made their way outside, they saw several of Bato's men on the ground in pain, and they saw three figures ahead. One was Soso, Duel Disk extended. On her right was Kyocho, in her combat gear. In addition to her usual clothing, she wore light leather armor that was purple in color and protected her left shoulder and upper back, blue detached sleeves with wide ends, and a purple leather skirt with a baby blue strip of cloth behind it. Finally, on her left was somebody who made the blood in Bacho's veins run cold.

'That's Yokai…the White Clothes guy that Aisha dueled…' she thought.

"Hello, Bato," said Soso in her haughty tone. "I've been expecting you. Tell me, are you surprised by my arrival?"

"You could say that," said Bato coolly as he shuffled his cards. Soso grinned as she activated her Chaos Duel Disk, which made Bacho pull her father close.

"Dad, don't do this! Look at her Duel Disk!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"The last guy that we saw with a Duel Disk like that was a complete wacko who tried to send my lord and everyone in his peerage, including me, to this place called the Shadow Realm! And the guy on the left is in leagues with him!"

"Sui, I understand your concern, but you know how the Ba family never lets any injustice go. And I, for one, would rather die than continue to let my people suffer!"

"That could be arranged," said Soso. "Seeing as you lack a peerage, I'll just be dueling you, for the territory of the loser!"

"As long as you'll leave my people alone if I lose," said Bato.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Bato: 4000 LP)(Soso: 4000 LP)

"Good luck, dad!" shouted Bacho as her dad drew his sixth card, unaware of the purple aura that coated their cards.

"Thanks, Sui! I summon my trusty friend Vorse Raider to the field!"

The beastly barbarian appeared before Bato, letting out a roar as it hefted its mighty weapon (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"And now I set one card and end my turn!"

"Okay then, I draw! And I activate my Bait Doll!"

A card showing a straw effigy and a hammer appeared, as the face-down card was flipped up, revealing it to be Mirror Force, before it was destroyed.

"Nice try, but you see, my Bait Doll forces the activation of a face-down Trap Card, and if the timing happens to be wrong, it's destroyed! And after this card resolves, it's returned to the deck, rather than going to the Graveyard. Now I summon my Dark Jeroid!"

Her newest Fiend was a complete nightmare. Its body was covered in dark blue skin, and it had a muscular torso with an orange pulsing lump in the center, far too large to be a normal heart. It had two clawed arms, a mouth on its waist, and two stingers coming out of its shoulders. But that wasn't all. Fused to its torso, which lacked a head, was a second torso with two pairs of arms that bent the wrong way and a pair of legs, with a tail at the end, making it look like a crude centaur. Behind the first of these extra pairs of arms was a face with orange glowing eyes (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And when this monster is summoned, one monster on the field loses eight hundred attack points! So now, your Vorse Raider is weaker than Dark Jeroid!"

The Beast-Warrior-type suddenly slouched over as a purple haze seeped out of its body and was sucked into the top mouth of the Fiend-type (ATK 1900-1100).

"Now my monster will attack!"

The deformed monster spat out a purple beam from its lower mouth and destroyed the opposing monster (Bato: 4000-3900 LP).

"I end my turn with a face-down."

Bacho became concerned as her father drew, but as he chuckled, she smiled. It sounded like it was time to turn things around.

"I activate my Polymerization, in order to fuse my Battle Ox and Mystic Horseman into Rabid Horseman!"

Two monsters appeared, one being the familiar minotaur, the other being a centaur wielding what looked like a cross between a halberd and a scythe (LV 4: ATK 1300). Both monsters swirled together, and when they were done, the end result was the head and torso of Battle Ox, with its legs being replaced by the body of a brown-furred stallion (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Rabid Horseman, take down that Dark Jeroid with Battle Axe Swipe!"

The Fusion Monster broke into a gallop and slashed at the Fiend-type, destroying it (Soso: 4000-3200 LP).

"And that will do."

"Go get her, dad!" cheered Bacho as she pumped her fist into the air, while Soso drew.

"I set one monster, and one other card. That will be it."

"Then it's my turn again! I draw!"

"And I play my Spellbinding Circle, which will keep your Rabid Horseman from attacking or changing its battle position!"

The magical circle appeared beneath Rabid Horseman's hooves, trapping it, as Bato frowned before he summoned another monster.

"Well, you may have trapped my Rabid Horseman, but let's see how you deal with my Alligator's Sword!"

Joining the Beast-Warrior was an anthropomorphic alligator in red and black leather armor with metal spikes, and wielding a curved sword with a yellow hilt shaped like a dragon's skull (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Take down that face-down with your Supersonic Sword Slash!"

The Beast-type let out a low growl, before swinging its sword, sending a crescent wave rippling through the air until it sliced through the set monster with ease. Said monster was revealed to be Feral Imp, a green imp with small wings that was crouched on all fours like a gargoyle (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"That's all I can do for right now, so I end my turn."

"Well, I draw," said Soso, before she placed a card on her Monster Zone. "And I summon my powerful Opticlops!"

A large cyclops with orange skin and a sharp horn sticking out of its forehead joined the fray, leering at the lord of Ryoshu with its single eye (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Attack!"

Her monster sprinted towards Alligator's Sword and headbutted the Beast-type, impaling it on its horn, and lifted it into the air, before the reptilian fighter shattered into pixels (Bato: 3900-3600 LP). Bacho winced at this brutal display, while the other four remained unfazed.

"I end my turn. If you wish to surrender to the might of the Gi Kingdom, I won't hold it against you."

"I don't give up!" shouted Bato as he drew his next card. "I play my Synthesis Spell, and with it, I tribute my Garnecia Elefantis to Ritual Summon my most powerful monster, Lycanthrope!"

A purple anthropomorphic elephant wearing ornate combat gear and holding a rippled sword appeared (LV 7: ATK 2400), before it was surrounded by metal piping, and wires were plugged into it, as a yellow energy covered it completely (76). There was a blinding flash of light, and when it dimmed, a gray werewolf with metal plates in its chest connected to wires that went into its spine was on the field, snarling and baring its teeth before unleashing a howl (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Lycanthrope, destroy that Opticlops with the power of your Serrated Shadow Slash!"

The Ritual Monster got onto all fours and sprinted forward before it leapt into the air and tore through Opticlops with its claws, leaving an ebony trail (Soso: 3200-2600 LP).

"And since my Lycanthrope dealt battle damage, you now take two hundred points of damage for each Normal Monster in my Graveyard! Go, Shadow Dance!"

Shadows emerged from the ground around the blonde girl, which looked remarkably like the monsters in Bato's Graveyard, and they all closed in on Soso, dealing massive damage (Soso: 2600-1600 LP). As the shadows faded away, Soso looked at Bato with disinterest.

"Is that all?"

"For now, yes. Your turn."

Soso drew, and her face twisted into a wicked grin as she began to laugh. "Well, it seems like it's time to unveil my newest monster. One that will shake you to your core and send a chill down your spine! I banish my Dark Jeroid, Feral Imp, and Opticlops from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon a monster that dwells in the most horrific night terrors and feeds on the fear of its victims! Dark Necrofear, SHOW YOURSELF!"

A stygian portal appeared on the ground, and from it came an eerie tune, like one of an old music box, only slower. Slowly, a large blue doll emerged from the portal. Her face was remarkably human like, with no hair, and her yellow eyes were looking directly at Bato. She had a metal collar and shoulder guard on her right arm, and on her chest were two orange orbs, similar to breasts. Her lower left arm and legs were purple, and in her arms, she cradled a doll, or what was left of it, having one arm, no legs, and a huge chunk of its head missing (LV 8: ATK 2200).

"What the hell!?" shouted Bacho, as she recoiled violently. This new monster…she was absolutely petrifying. No monster she had seen before - Jinzo, Evil Dragon Ananta, Despair from the Dark - held a candle to the Fiend-type that stood motionless before Lord Soso. Kyocho bit her lip nervously as she saw Dark Necrofear, clearly not being a fan of the card herself, as Yokai flashed a wicked grin at the despair being felt by the Kikai general.

"Dark Necrofear, it's time to unleash your strength! Destroy Rabid Horseman with Doom Gaze!"

The yellow eyes flashed as they slowly rolled in the direction of the sealed Beast-Warrior, which began to let out a below of discomfort, which gradually grew louder and more pained as it dropped its axe and gripped its head, the noises it made becoming more and more strained as the smile on Yokai's face grew even wider, and Soso began to chuckle, and Bacho covered her ears, the sounds of pain becoming unbearable. Eventually, the monster shattered, and the Spellbinding Circle was destroyed as well, having served its purpose (Bato: 3600-3400 LP).

"And my turn is over with that."

Bato drew, and slipped a card into his Duel Disk, as a card appeared with Paladin of White Dragon being equipped with some sort of unusual weapon, which then appeared on Lycanthrope. On its left arm was a golden crossbow with a purple eye in the center, with the string and arrow being made of light blue energy (ATK 2400-3900).

"By equipping a level six or lower Ritual Monster with Ritual Weapon, it gains an extra 1500 attack points! Now attack with Crossbow Glint!"

But as soon as Lycanthrope aimed its weapon at Dark Necrofear, Soso activated her Trap Card.

"By declaring an attack, you've let me activate my Malevolent Catastrophe, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards in play!"

The Ritual Weapon shattered, and the power of Lycanthrope decreased (ATK 3900-2400). It was still strong enough to destroy Dark Necrofear, however, as it slashed through the Fiend-type (Soso: 1600-1400 LP). The shadows of the fallen Normal Monsters then struck Soso (Soso: 1400-400 LP), but when they faded away, Bacho saw that the petite warlord was smiling.

'Huh? Why is she smiling? She's way behind, and her best monster just got trashed. I don't like this…'

"I end my turn!"

But as soon as the leader of Ryoshu declared this, Dark Necrofear returned, only without her doll, and shrouded in a murky black fog. She stared at Lycanthrope as a soul that resembled a shrieking head floated out of the chest of the sinister monster, and it went into the chest of the Ritual Monster, which went limp, before it began to jerkily shamble over to Dark Necrofear, like a zombie. Or more accurately, a puppet. Once it reached Dark Necrofear, it turned towards its owner, blank expression on its face, as Dark Necrofear slowly wrapped its arms around the torso of Lycanthrope, hugging its victim. Bacho felt like she was about to wet herself in fear, while Bato was spooked himself.

"What have you done to my monster!?"

"During the End Phase of the turn that it's destroyed, it equips itself to an opponent's monster and lets me gain control of it! Your Lycanthrope is mine! And now, I draw! And I summon Skull Knight #2!"

The armored skeleton appeared, cackling as it swung its blade (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Attack, both of you!"

Skull Knight #2 swung its sword through Bato, who grunted (Bato: 3400-2400 LP). Dark Necrofear then released its grip on the Beast-Warrior, who then jumped over to Bato and clawed at him, ending the duel (Bato: 2400-0 LP)(Winner: Soso).

"I win. That means that your territory, as well as your soul, are mine!"

"My soul?" But as soon as Bato said this, thin strings wrapped around him, and he let out a cry of pain as he began to transform, becoming smaller and harder.

"Dad!" shouted Bacho as she ran towards him.

"No, Sui! It's too dangerous! Just…promise me something."

With tears in her eyes, Bacho nodded, as her father smiled.

"Make me proud, Sui. Please." He then finished his transformation, becoming a doll that was pulled into the hands of Soso.

"Hmph. What an ugly doll. No matter," she said as she held her Chaos Duel Disk to her mouth, as Bacho fell to her knees. "Ukitsu, I've captured Lord Bato. Send the twins and Shia to deal with Kikai now, if you would be so kind."

"Anything, Lord Soso," said Ukitsu from the other line, as Soso turned around, as she and her two generals began to walk away.

"Hey, wait a minute!" cried out Bacho. "I challenge you to a duel! I won't let you get away with this!" But Soso didn't react to her. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Still no response, as Bacho stood up weakly, her face red with rage as tears poured down her cheeks.

"GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME, YOU COWARD!"

Soso continued ignoring her, as Bacho turned away and began to run over to where Silver Flash was being held.

'I have to get back to Kikai. I have to warn everyone. I…I…I have to get even.'

~KD~

As Kakoton was walking towards the front doors of the palace to join her sister and Choryo, she found herself cut off by Ukitsu, who stood in front of the door. She grimaced. "I don't have time to talk to you, so get out of my way."

"I'm just offering to help you. You see, I can give you more power, Kakoton. Enough power to even best Lord Anthony. Does that sound intriguing?"

Kakoton continued frowning. "Fine, but make it quick. I don't want to delay the mission any longer."

"Don't worry, it will be. Just close your eyes and hold out your hand."

Kakoton did as instructed, although she was tense in case he tried anything funny. As Ukitsu put his hand on hers, unbeknownst to her, his tattoo began to glow, as a dark energy flowed into her, as she felt cold for a second, before she became warm once more.

"You may open your eyes now."

As she did, Ukitsu smiled. "At the beginning of a duel, place your hand on top of your deck and let the power flow through you. You will know how when the time is right. Good luck."

Kakoton brushed him off, and as such, as she went to meet up with her fellow generals, she didn't see Ukitsu smile as he walked away.

* * *

 **With that, the new signature monster of Karin has been revealed, and Bato finally appears! So as Sui said way back in chapter 22, he's forty, and I gave him Beasts and Beast-Warriors because, well, he's Sui's father, after all. Starpion out!**


	44. The Invasion

"And so after walking on the beach for a bit, we go to get our shoes from the boardwalk, and to our surprise, there was a crab guarding my sneakers!"

It was around eleven in the morning, the day after Bacho left to see her father in Ryoshu. Anthony and Kan'u were busy having a lunch date in the lounge, and Anthony was regaling Kan'u with a story that happened when he was on vacation, back when he was a kid.

"Really? What did it do?"

"Nothing! And that's why it was so weird to me! There was just this ghost crab, and no, it wasn't a ghost, it's just the type of crab," clarified Anthony, "standing in front of my shoes, just looking at me like, 'These are mine now.'" Kan'u chuckled, and the two of them heard a knock at the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," came Kochu's voice, "but it's your shift, Aisha. Rinrin is waiting for you eagerly."

Kan'u nodded, and gave her boyfriend a light peck on the cheek. "See you later?"

"No problem."

Kan'u smiled, then left the room to head out on her patrol duties, as Kochu walked in and sat in the now vacant chair. "I have to say, the two of you are just adorable."

"Hehehe, thanks," said Anthony, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment as he scratched the back of his neck. "Aisha is pretty awesome."

"She's rather fond of you as well," said Kochu, as she poured herself a cup of tea. "As a matter of fact, you seem rather popular with the opposite gender."

"Nah, not really. I mean, there's Sei, but she just kinda does her own thing," said Anthony, helping himself to a dumpling.

"What about Sui?"

Anthony swallowed the dumpling and cocked his head. "What about her?"

"I've seen the way she looks at you. The way she blushes, the way her eyes light up…"

"That doesn't mean that she's into me," said Anthony.

"Then what about that hug she gave you yesterday?"

"Weren't you supposed to be on patrol?"

"I lingered for a little bit when I heard Riri say that Sui looked upset."

"Well, she was just grateful that I let her go see her dad. Hugs can be platonic, you know."

"Perhaps, but you never know," said Kochu cryptically, her cheeks glowing red. Anthony noticed this and his eyes widened slightly.

"Shion, do…do you like me too?"

"Perhaps, but don't worry. I have no intention to separate you and Aisha."

Anthony leaned on his right hand, slightly pushing up his fedora as his forehead came to rest on his palm. "How come I'm the leader of one of the three biggest powers in the country, and so far, my love life is the biggest problem? It makes no sense."

"Well, there might be a solution."

"I'm all ears, Shion."

"Well, you are a lord, right?"

Anthony caught on right away. "No."

"Pardon me?"

"I'm not forming a harem, Shion. It's just a ticking time bomb, and when it blows, there will be a lot of broken hearts and damaged friendships to clean up."

"What do you mean? It's the perfect answer! This way, nobody will be left out."

"Look, Shion, plenty of people have fantasized about the idea of a harem, but the truth is, while it's a great idea on paper, in execution, things start to fall apart. I mean, if I had a harem, I would have to make sure that all of the girls were getting an equal amount of attention, that they were on good terms with each other, that they felt comfortable with the idea, et cetera. I mean, being in a relationship requires a lot of effort from both parties, and as more people are added to the equation, it just balls together into one big clusterfuck. I can't do that, okay?"

"Well, maybe you'll change your mind," said Kochu, as she then became stoic, her motherly smile becoming a tight frown as she looked out the window. Anthony stood up and walked over to his most recent general.

"Is everything alright, Shion?"

"No…something is wrong," she said, pointing outside. Anthony had to squint, but as he did, he saw a white horse sprint into town with Kan'u and Chohi getting it to stop, getting a serious case of deja vu. But when he saw the rider try to dismount from the horse, only to collapse onto the ground, he had to agree with Kochu. Something was definitely wrong.

"Come on, let's go!"

~KD~

A few minutes earlier, Kan'u had made her way outside, Duel Disk firmly clamped to her left wrist, only to find Chohi waving her arms as though she was directing an airplane (not that either of them knew what that was).

"Hey big sis! Where were you? Rinrin was waiting forever for you!" said Chohi as she called her sworn sister over. Kan'u went up to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry, but I was with Anthony, and then I had to get my cards," she explained, before she broke away. "Don't worry, I'm here now. Now let's make sure that our town is secure!"

"Right, big sis!"

The two of them began to check every nook and cranny, making sure that everything was secure. As they were going through the alleys, Chohi decided to talk with Kan'u, finding the silence to be boring. "When is Sui coming back?"

"She's coming back some time today, according to Shion," said Kan'u.

"So maybe Sui can play with Rinrin when she comes back! Ooh, maybe we can play with Ren's doggies!"

"Maybe," said Kan'u, while meanwhile, she was thinking over what she and Kochu were talking about. She didn't respond much, focused on her work, but she did listen. Kochu told her about how Bacho was going to spend the night in Ryoshu to visit her father, and explained how Anthony had given her permission, so nobody had to worry about her absence. However, she also made mention of the hug that she gave Anthony, and this had her thinking. Bacho herself had told Kan'u that she had feelings for her boyfriend, she had noticed the way that Ryofu, Kochu, and Kannei looked at him, and with Choun, the kiss she gave him when she left way back when they helped out Kosonsan was a dead giveaway. Now, she didn't want to be jealous. After what happened with Bacho when she and Anthony first started dating, she made a promise to herself, a promise to never become that. But still, she was a little worried about her relationship with her lord, not wanting a repeat of the incident with…

"Sui?"

Kan'u was taken from her thoughts by Chohi, who was looking towards the entrance. Kan'u heard a clopping sound, and turned to see Silver Flash and a visibly spooked Bacho galloping into town. Chohi was quick to sprint towards it, a smile on her face, while Kan'u tailed her, as the two of them got the horse to stop, as they then turned to Bacho.

"Hi, Sui! You're back early!"

Chohi's excitement was short-lived, however, as Bacho tried to get off of her saddle, only to fall onto the ground, face first. Chohi and Kan'u began to panic, as they ran up to her, with Kan'u noticing that she was shaking. She managed to get Bacho onto her back, before she started asking questions.

"Sui, what happened?"

"Ryoshu invaded…dad lost Shadow Game…"

Chohi dramatically gasped as she brought her hands over her mouth, and Kan'u became angry. "Who did this…" she demanded to know, intending to avenge her friend.

"So…so…" was all that Bacho was able to get out before she fell unconscious, with Kan'u beginning to panic.

"Sui!? SUI!"

"Aisha, Rinrin, what's going on?" shouted Anthony, as he and Kochu ran over to the generals, before they noticed the unconscious general.

"We'll explain later, but right now, we need to get Sui to the infirmary!"

~KD~

Anthony hated the infirmary. Not because he disliked the doctor's office or anything like that, but rather because of the unpleasant atmosphere that came as a result of the people that were in it. Two beds were occupied by the comatose bodies of Denki and Ketsugo. Between them was the statue that was once Kayu. And now, one bed was occupied by the unconscious Bacho, whom the doctor said just needed some rest, but that didn't stop the entirety of Anthony's peerage, including the girls from To and En, from encircling her bed.

"So Karin did this?" said Ensho, arms crossed.

"That's the last thing that Sui said before she fainted," said Kan'u, her trembling fists betraying her calm and quiet voice. "What happened to Sui, will not go unpunished."

"Hawawa! What are you saying, Aisha!?" said Shokatsuryo.

"Anthony, we have to strike while the iron is hot! If we don't stop Soso soon, more of our friends will suffer, if not the entire kingdom!"

"Loud and clear, Aisha," said Anthony, cracking his knuckles. "I warned Skull Loli about this, but she didn't listen! And now, we don't really have much of a choice."

"But we can't just rush into battle like this!" said Ganryo. "Remember when Lord Anthony challenged Reiha to a duel? You looked like you were about to kill him, Aisha, but now you're siding with him!"

"There's a large difference between starting unnecessary fights," said Kan'u, "and avenging a wrongdoing."

"But we don't even have a plan!" shouted Shokatsuryo, pulling on her hat.

"We duel. We win," said Ryofu, with Bunshu agreeing.

"Yeah! Those jerks from Gi won't know what hit them!"

"We can't just rush in blindly!" shouted Shokatsuryo.

"STOP!"

Everyone turned to Chohi, who had been unusually quiet up until this point. Her eyes were filled with tears that threatened to fall, as she spoke slowly.

"Rinrin doesn't want you to fight. Please, stop."

Kan'u softened up in an instant and went to comfort her sworn sister, feeling guilty as a result. How could she be so inconsiderate? Chohi was surely already feeling awful about what happened to Bacho, and this squabble was only making things worse.

"I'm sorry, Rinrin. I promise, Sui will be okay, and until then, we'll stop fighting."

"Thanks, big sis," Chohi whimpered, before one of Anthony's men burst into the room.

"Lord Anthony! We have some urgent news!"

Anthony tightened his brow. "Let me guess. Gi?"

"Three generals, sir! They've managed to break through our defenses!"

"Shit," swore Anthony, as he turned to Shokatsuryo. "Okay, you're right. We need a plan, and fast."

"W-Well, we need some of us to protect the palace, hawawa. And we should probably split our remaining forces into two groups and sweep the village."

"Alright, you heard her! Shuri, you, Ren, and Sei will head away from the entrance, and I'll take Aisha and Shion with me to the front lines. Rinrin, I'm guessing that you want to stay here with Sui?"

"Right, big bro."

"Okay, everyone else, do you think you can guard the palace?"

"Leave it to us, Lord Anthony!" shouted Totaku.

"Alright, everyone move out!"

~KD~

As soon as Anthony's group made their way out, a soft chuckle got their attention. As they looked in the direction of the laugh, they saw Kakoen sitting on the edge of the roof of a nearby building, before she jumped off and landed gracefully on her feet, before she brushed her hair out of her face. "I've been expecting you."

"Well, we're here," said Anthony as he tipped his hat, which made Kakoen blush slightly as she brushed her bangs again to attempt to conceal it, which wasn't unnoticed by Kan'u. The bluenette then lifted her Duel Disk and smirked.

"So who shall be the first to fall to my Harpies?"

"Allow me to take care of this," said Kochu. "You two go ahead and intercept the others!"

"Thanks, Shion!" shouted Kan'u as the lord and general sprinted further into the city, as Kakoen began to shuffle her cards.

"I don't believe that we've had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Kakoen Myosai."

"Kochu Kansho. The pleasure is all mine!"

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Kakoen: 4000 LP)(Kochu: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared Kakoen, drawing a card before she examined her hand. "And to begin, I summon Harpie Lady 1!"

A harpy with long magenta hair, green wings, and a black and purple bodysuit took to the sky with a shriek (LV 4: ATK 1300-1600).

"Oh? It seems that your monster became stronger as soon as it appeared," said Kochu.

"That's my monster's effect. All WIND monsters gain an additional three hundred attack points as long as this monster is on the field. And to end my turn, I set two cards on the field!"

"Then I draw. Hmm…I set one monster in defense mode."

"That won't last much longer," said Kakoen as she played a Trap Card that showed a pair of blue eyes. "I activate my Shadow of Eyes, which can only be played if my opponent sets a monster. Now it switches into attack mode, and any Flip Monster effects aren't activated!"

The monster was soon revealed to be Kelbek, which hovered about two feet above the ground (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Ah, it seems like you tried to have me send one of my monsters back to the hand, while your monster was safe. But your plan didn't account for my Trap Card!"

"Perhaps," said Kochu, "but I have a backup or two. I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I summon Harpie Lady 2!"

A second harpy appeared, wearing the same leotard as Harpie Lady 1, the only difference between them being their hairstyles. The new monster had bright vermilion hair, with a chunk in front of her left eye, similar to her owner (LV 4: ATK 1300-1600).

"Harpie Lady 2, attack that Kelbek with Scratch Slash Deux!"

Her monster flexed her talons, before ascending, and dropping towards Kelbek at a high velocity, before a vortex stopped her in her tracks.

"Negate Attack, not bad," said Kakoen as the Winged Beast-type returned to her original position. "Now I can't even attack with my other monster. I end my turn."

"Alright, I draw! And I tribute my Kelbek to summon my Majestic Mech - Ohka to the field!"

Her EARTH monster disappeared, and in its place rose the majestic winged lion, which let out a mighty roar as it rose into the air until it was level with Kakoen's monsters (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Now destroy that Harpie Lady 1 with your Celestial Roar!"

As Ohka fired a blast of red energy, Kakoen simply played her other face-down. "I activate my Mirror Wall, in order to cut the power of your attacking monsters in half! So now, your monster is weaker!"

"Then it's a good thing that I have this!" countered Kochu as she activated a Quick-Play Spell, showing a blue force field driving back a group of ghosts. "By discarding a card," said Kochu, slipping a card into her Graveyard, "my Malice Dispersion can destroy all Continuous Traps on the field, including your Mirror Wall!" And sure enough, the card in question shattered, and the attack was interrupted as Harpie Lady 1 was blown to bits (Kakoen: 4000-3200 LP). And without the boost of her sister, Harpie Lady 2 became weaker (ATK 1600-1300).

"I end my turn."

Kakoen smiled, impressed by her opponent, before she drew her next card, and when she saw what it was, she couldn't help but smile. But first, she put her newly acquired card into her hand, selected a different card, and placed it on her field.

"I summon my Harpie Lady 3!"

Another Harpie Lady appeared, the only difference in her appearance being her hair, which was blue and spiky (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And now," she said, playing her newly drawn card, "I activate my Monster Reborn, to bring back my Harpie Lady 1!"

The long-haired harpy rose from the ground in a flash of yellow light, joining her two sisters (LV 4: ATK 1300-1600). And with her presence, her sisters could feel more power flowing through their hollow bones (ATK 1300-1600)(ATK 1300-1600).

"A lovely family reunion, but I'm afraid that Ohka is stronger than all of them, even with all of your WIND monsters becoming more powerful," said Kochu.

"No need, for as you see, I have a card that will certainly turn things into my favor. Did you know that each of my monsters count as Harpie Lady?"

"I must say, that's news to me," said Kochu.

"And because of that, I'm able to play my Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!"

A card appeared showing a brown circle with various runes around it, and in the center was an image of a large blue phoenix. Suddenly, all three Harpie Ladies began to fly into the air, before the trio was wreathed in blue flames, which melded together to create the appearance of a massive phoenix, which dove towards the Majestic Mech, before it tore through it, the Fairy-type shattering upon impact, as the flames spread and enveloped the buxom general (Kochu: 4000-1600 LP).

"This card can only be used if I control three or more Harpie Ladies or Harpie Lady Sisters. Then I can destroy monsters that you control, up to the number of monsters that fit the description, and you take damage equal to the highest original attack points among the destroyed monsters! However, all of that power comes with a cost. Now I can't conduct my Battle Phase, nor may I Special Summon monsters from my deck or Fusion Deck. I end my turn!"

Kochu drew carefully, before she smiled and played her newly drawn Spell Card. "I activate my Dark Hole, which will destroy all monsters on the field!"

A black hole appeared, which pulled in all three Harpie Ladies, destroying them. She then played her own monster card afterwards.

"I now summon my Keldo to the field!"

Her unusual Fairy-type appeared before the purple-haired woman (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now attack directly!"

Keldo then flew towards Kakoen and slashed at her with its blades, before returning to Kochu's side of the field (Kakoen: 3200-2000 LP).

"I end my turn with that."

Kakoen drew, then looked at her cards as her visible eye widened. "I end my turn with one face-down."

"Interesting! I draw! Now I set one monster, and have my Keldo attack directly a second time!"

But as it tried to get in close, Kakoen activated a Trap Card, with an image of multiple Harpie Ladies on it, as she sent her Triangle Ecstasy Spark to the Graveyard.

"I activate my Hysteric Party! Now by discarding a card, I can Special Summon as many copies of Harpie Lady from my Graveyard as I can!"

All three of her Harpies suddenly burst through a wall of light before flocking together in the air above both generals (LV 4: ATK 1300-1600)(LV 4: ATK 1300-1600)(LV 4: ATK 1300-1600).

"Keldo, stop your attack!" shouted Kochu with her right hand outstretched, as her Fairy-type slowed down until it was still. Kochu put her hand on her heart and let out a sigh, before she ended her turn.

"I draw! And now, I tribute my Harpie Lady 2 and my Harpie Lady 3, in order to summon my Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

The two harpies left the field as quickly as they appeared, and in their place came the huge red and black dragon (LV 7: ATK 2000).

"And it gains three hundred attack points for every Harpie Lady that I control, plus an additional three hundred points for being a WIND-attribute monster!" And true to Kakoen's words, the power of the Dragon-type spiked (ATK 2000-2600).

"This can't be good."

"I'm afraid you're right! Harpie's Pet Dragon, Fearsome Fire Breath!"

Her monster spat out a stream of fire that cooked Keldo to a crisp (Kochu: 1600-200 LP). Two red orbs then floated over to Kakoen, and went over her Graveyard.

"When Keldo is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I send two cards from your Graveyard back to your deck and shuffle it. I pick your Harpie Ladies, so that it will be harder to bring them out," explained Kochu, as Kakoen did as she was instructed, before pointing at the set monster.

"And now, for your remaining monster! Harpie Lady 1, Scratch Slash Un!"

Her monster slashed at the set monster with her claws, only to reveal Marshmallon (LV 3: DEF 500)(Kakoen: 2000-1000 LP).

"What on earth…"

"This is my Marshmallon. Rather cute, hmm? When it's attacked when it's face-down, you take a thousand points of damage, and in addition, it can't be destroyed by battle."

"No matter! It's only a matter of time before I draw a card like Raigeki! I end my turn!"

Kochu drew, and with a smile, she slipped her new card into her Duel Disk, revealing it to be a Normal Spell showing two men in armor collecting coins that were falling from the sky, as she removed Marshmallon from the field, and set both it and the Book of Taiyou in her hand aside.

"I play my Card of Sanctity, which has me banish all the cards in my hand and on the field in order to draw cards until I have two in my hand." Kochu drew two cards and looked at them, then her smile grew a little wider as she placed one onto her field. "And now I Special Summon Watapon!"

A new fairy appeared, best described as a little pink puffball with two antennae that were as thin as string with tiny puffballs on the end, huge blue eyes, and a mouth with a curved smile like a cat. It let out an adorable chirp as it hovered on the field (LV 1: DEF 300).

"When Watapon is added to my hand from my deck by the effect of a card, I can Special Summon it," explained Kochu. "Next I play my Pot of Greed to draw two more cards," she added as she drew twice more, now having two cards in her hand. She then played one, revealing it to be another Normal Spell with an image of a white, gold, and purple crest, as she sent the other card in her hand, Horn of Heaven, to the Graveyard while retrieving a different card from it.

"And now I play Monster Reincarnation, which allows me to discard a card in order to add a monster from my Graveyard to my hand. The monster in question being the one that I discarded in order to play my Malice Dispersion! I tribute Watapon to summon Majestic Mech - Goryu!"

The tiny ball of fluff and cuteness was soon replaced by the divine dragon, which let out its heavenly cry (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"With its effect, I can Tribute Summon this monster with only a single monster, provided that I send it to my Graveyard during the End Phase. But my End Phase won't come to pass! Aether Stream!"

Her monster spat out a golden beam of light that vaporized Harpie Lady 1 (Kakoen: 1000-0 LP)(Winner: Kochu).

"It seems like you've lost. That's one down, at least," said Kochu, as her opponent slowly backed away before running away from the victor, who made her way in the same direction, seeing if she could run into any other generals that the young couple may have missed.

~KD~

Around the same time that the duel between Kochu and Kakoen began, Kan'u and Anthony were tearing their way through downtown, trying to find the other two generals.

"Think maybe Shuri is having better luck?" said Anthony.

"We can only hope."

"Aisha, Anthony, it's awesome to see you!"

The two of them stopped in their tracks, then turned to see Choryo in her "neko mode," giggling like a schoolgirl. "Aisha, you look awesome! Ready to take on the world! And Anthony, cute as always!" she added, a faint rose color on her cheeks.

'Oh, dammit,' thought Kan'u, not because she was displeased to see her number one fan, but because this made for yet another admirer of her boyfriend. This was getting out of hand!

"Aisha, think you can handle this? I'll see if I can find the last of them."

"Be my guest," said Kan'u with a smile, giving him a quick kiss before he grinned and ran off, while she turned back to Choryo, who was back to normal and shuffling her deck, although not without a huge smile on her face.

"I'm about to duel my idol! This is gonna be the best, I guarantee!"

"I'll try to make it the best, but still, I won't allow you to harm this city, or its people!"

(Choryo: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"Alright, I draw! And I summon my buddy Hayabusa Knight to the field!"

The falcon knight appeared, brandishing its weapon before bringing it to its side (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"And now, I set a card and end my turn. Go on, Aisha!"

"Right, I draw! And I summon my Armed Samurai - Ben Kei!"

The hooded samurai entered the battle with gusto, spinning his polearms (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And now, I equip him with my Lightning Blade, in order to increase his power by eight hundred points!"

The electric broadsword soon joined Ben Kei's wide arsenal, as he snickered in delight (ATK 500-1300).

"And now, I'll attack!"

As soon as Ben Kei took charge, however, Choryo played her face-down, which caused the sword to glow yellow and fly into the talons of Hayabusa Knight (ATK 1300-500)(ATK 1000-1800).

"Sorry, but my Collected Power gives one monster on the field every Equip Spell on the field, and now my Hayabusa Knight is stronger than your samurai! Go, Falcon Slash!"

Her monster slashed both of its swords in a cross, cutting the other Warrior-type down to size (Kan'u: 4000-2700 LP).

"Well, I set two cards and call it a turn!"

"This is awesome! I'm actually dueling Kan'u Uncho! I draw!"

"And I play my Lightforce Sword, which will banish a random card in your hand until your fourth Standby Phase!"

As Kan'u explained the effects of her Normal Trap, a sword loomed above Choryo, before it pierced her Gaia the Fierce Knight and plunged into the ground.

"Well, shit. That sucks. Lucky for me, I have plenty of other good cards! Like Reinforcement of the Army, letting me add a level four or lower Warrior-type monster from my deck to my hand!"

She then had one card stick out of her deck, which she eagerly grabbed before slapping it onto her Duel Disk. "And now I summon my favorite monster, Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

The knight in shining armor leapt onto the field, letting out a powerful cry as it did (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now attack! Metal Forearm Thrust!"

As the Warrior-type ran forward with its sickle arm ready to strike, Kan'u played her other Trap Card, which had Freed the Brave Wanderer blocking an attack from Giga Gagagigo with his shield, as a green force field deflected the attack (Kan'u: 2700-4500 LP).

"Nice move, but it appears that my Draining Shield came in handy! With it, I was able to negate your attack, and gain life points equal to the attack points of your monster!"

"Wow, great move, Aisha!"

"Um, thanks?" said Kan'u, unsure how to react with her opponent giving so much praise.

"Okay, Hayabusa Knight, attack directly!"

Her monster did as commanded, slashing through Kan'u with Lightning Blade (Kan'u: 4500-2700 LP).

"But it gets better! Ya see, Hayabusa Knight can attack twice per turn! Go, Falcon Slash!"

The Warrior-type delivered a second slash, this time courtesy of its saber (Kan'u: 2700-900 LP).

"Okay, you can go now!"

"With pleasure!" shouted Kan'u as she drew, then slipped a card into her Spell & Trap Zone. "I play my Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two new cards!" And as she did that, she smirked.

"Oh man, you look like you're about to do something totally awesome!"

"Right, Shia. Seeing as you control two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber from my hand!"

The Warrior in gold emerged, and let out a quick flurry of jabs in anticipation (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And to join him, I summon my Freed the Brave Wanderer!"

The blonde warrior appeared, sword and shield at the ready (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I play The Allied Forces!"

A new card appeared behind her Warriors, showing Warrior Dai Grepher and some other warriors protecting some citizens from Fiend Skull Dragon, as both Megacyber and Freed became stronger before bashing their forearms together in camaraderie (ATK 1700-2100)(ATK 2200-2600).

"Now for every Warrior-type or Spellcaster-type that I control, my Warriors gain two hundred attack points! Freed, attack Gearfried with your Brave Sword Attack!"

Her Brave Wanderer swung his sword right through the ironclad knight before her could defend himself (Choryo: 4000-3700 LP).

"Now my Fiend Megacyber will attack your Hayabusa Knight with his Cyber Swipe!"

One swipe of the clawed knuckles was all it took to take down the sword swinging bird of prey, as Kan'u sent her Lightning Blade to her Graveyard (Choryo: 3700-2900 LP).

"And that shall be it for the time being! Your move!"

Choryo drew, and smiled. "Perfect! First off, I play The Warrior Returning Alive, to add a Warrior from my Graveyard to my hand!"

As she slipped one card out of her Graveyard and her spell in, Kan'u began to wonder what exactly her biggest fan had brought back, before the answer was made abundantly clear as Choryo Normal Summoned her Gearfried, who was ready to rumble (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"You are aware that my monsters are stronger, right?"

"I know, but Gearfried isn't quite ready yet. I play my Release Restraint!"

A Spell Card appeared, showing Gearfried the Iron Knight in the background, and before it was a man trapped in a purple bubble of energy, known as Gearfried the Swordmaster. Cracks began to appear on the armor of Gearfried, as Choryo pulled a card from her deck, and removed Gearfried the Iron Knight from her Duel Disk, replacing it with another card.

"And now, by tributing Gearfried the Iron Knight from my field, I can shatter his bonds and let him access his full power! From my deck, I Special Summon Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

The armor shattered completely, leaving a new figure standing before Choryo. He was a tall and muscular man with long, wild black hair. He wore a pair of boots and a loincloth with a blue sash, and a leather belt with a gold buckle. His hands were wrapped in bandages, and he held a katana that gleamed in the light (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Pretty cool, huh? I got him from Lord Karin, and he's easily my best monster, even more so than my Gaia the Fierce Knight. And now, I equip him with my Raregold Armor!"

Soon, the master of blades was decked out in white plate armor with gold trim, consisting of armor over the torso, large shoulder plates, pieces over the forearms that reached the wrists and partially covered the back of his hands, and a helmet with a nose guard, a long blue cape flowing behind him, recognizable as the armor worn by Paladin of White Dragon. Gearfried then placed his katana on his side, and was soon equipped with the weapon of Paladin of White Dragon, a rapier with a golden handle shaped like Blue-Eyes White Dragon and having a hand guard.

"What does this card do?" said a curious Kan'u, noticing that the attack and defense points of Gearfried remained unaltered.

"It makes it so that the equipped monster is the only monster I control that can be targeted for an attack. But that's not important. What is important is that whenever Gearfried is equipped with an Equip Card, I can destroy one of your monsters! So it looks like The Fiend Megacyber is about to be down for the count, Aisha!"

Kan'u felt her heart skip a beat in panic as Gearfried let out a primal cry before he stabbed her DARK monster with his rapier, shattering it, and making her LIGHT monster lose a bit of its strength as a result (ATK 2100-1900).

"Now cut Freed down to size, buddy! Mega Slash!"

Her monster didn't stand a chance against the larger and much more skilled swordsman (Kan'u: 900-200 LP).

"Pretty cool, huh, Aisha? I end my turn!"

Kan'u drew, and then smiled. "I thank you for showing me your strongest monster. Now allow me to return the favor, and show you one of mine."

"Really!? AWESOME! Oh, please oh please oh PLEASE be Black Luster Soldier!"

"Not exactly. I banish my LIGHT-attribute Freed the Brave Wanderer, and my DARK-attribute The Fiend Megacyber, in order to Special Summon something that has the power of both darkness and light at its disposal!"

Both monsters briefly appeared before becoming monochrome balls of light that swirled together to form a vortex of black and white light.

"When the forces of dark and light combine, a new soldier is born to come to your defeat! Behold, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"

The newest addition to Kan'u's deck walked out of the chaotic gateway, resting his sword on his shoulder with his shield at his side (LV 8: ATK 3000-3200).

"Holy shit, that monster is awesome! It's like your best monster got an upgrade!" raved Choryo, in her "neko mode."

"That's exactly what it is," said Kan'u. "And now I'll attack your Gearfried with Luster Blade!"

Her monster burst towards Gearfried the Swordmaster with incredible speed, and with a single slash, destroyed the opposing monster (Choryo: 2900-2300 LP).

"And when Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning destroys a monster in battle, it can declare a second attack!"

With a swing of his saber, the mighty knight of chaos ended the duel (Choryo: 2300-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"So…awesome…" said Choryo.

"Now that you're taken care of, I should see if Anthony was able to locate the last of the generals," said Kan'u, before Choryo went up to her.

"Hold on, I have a request first!"

"I'm sure that there are more important things right now than you acquiring my autograph."

"That's not what I meant! I wanna join you guys."

"What?" asked Kan'u, tilting her head.

"Look, you beat me fair and square, Aisha, and I wanna help you guys, like you helped me turn my life around. Plus, Gi isn't exactly the best place to work for right now," she said, shuddering. "So whaddya say? Got room for another general?"

Kan'u thought about it for a second, and decided that Choryo seemed genuinely helpful. "Alright, fine."

"Sweet! Anyway, Shuran went ahead of me, so that means that Lord Anthony's probably up against Shunran! C'mon, let's go!" The first general of Kikai, as well as the newest general of Kikai, soon headed towards the entrance.

~KD~

As Anthony reached the entrance, he found Kakoton standing there, a frown on her face and her arms crossed. Her frown only seemed to tighten as she caught a glimpse of the Messenger from Heaven.

"The man who humiliated my Karin, as well as the man who bewitched my sister and made her less devoted to Karin. I've been waiting for this moment."

"What's cracking, Kakoton?" said Anthony, trying to lighten the mood despite the circumstances.

"Preferably, your skull," countered Kakoton, and while Anthony wasn't sure if she was being clever or just literal minded, the threat did its job and put him on edge as he activated his Duel Disk.

"You know, I've always wanted to duel you, after hearing about your Amazoness cards way back when."

"Spare me your talk, you bastard," said Kakoton as she finished shuffling her own deck. "Let's duel!" And as she said this, she closed her eyes and recalled the instructions that Ukitsu gave her.

"At the beginning of a duel, place your hand on top of your deck and let the power flow through you. You will know how when the time is right."

She did this, and felt a surge of power flow from her fingertips into her cards, as a chill ran down her spine, before she drew her cards. Anthony didn't notice his own cards turning purple briefly, as he drew five cards.

(Kakoton: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" announced Kakoton. "And I summon my Amazoness Paladin to the field!"

The amazon appeared before Kakoton with her sword at the ready (LV 4: ATK 1700-1800).

"And I end my turn with one card face-down!"

Anthony drew his next card, and with a grin, he placed it onto the field.

"I summon KA-2 Des Scissors!"

The large robot towered over both duelists, letting out a loud moan (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Is that the best you can do? Your monster is far weaker than my Paladin."

"Oh yeah? Not for long! I play my Limiter Removal, which will double its attack points!"

Blue electricity danced around the Machine-type as its power increased (ATK 1000-2000).

"And the best part? Whenever Des Scissors destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to that monster's level times five hundred! Blast that Amazoness with Toxic Haze!"

As his monster opened its mouth and began to emit a sea green cloud of deadly neurotoxin, Kakoton played her Trap Card, which had five amazons unleashing a flurry of arrows.

"I activate my Amazoness Archers, making your monster lose five hundred attack points and forcing it to attack!"

A barrage of arrows soon shot out of the card and embedded themselves into the Machine-type's body (ATK 2000-1500). One arrow, by sheer chance, missed the massive metal crustacean and whizzed past Anthony, and he swore he felt something on his right. He turned his head to the right, and saw nothing. He then looked down, and saw a few strands of long brunette hair floating towards the ground. Strands of his hair. He slowly turned to look behind him, and regretted his actions instantly.

Lodged into the wall of a nearby building was the offending arrow, which soon disappeared, leaving only a hole in the wall where the tip had pierced it. Anthony snapped back towards Kakoton, his eyes filled with fear. He wasn't expecting a Shadow Game! Still, one thing was certain: he couldn't afford to lose. Unfortunately, as Amazoness Paladin slashed apart his monster, things didn't look too good for the King of Games (Anthony: 4000-3700 LP).

"I set one card and end my turn, Kakoton."

"Excellent! I draw! And I summon my Amazoness Scouts to the field!"

Two teenage amazons appeared on the field beside the Paladin, who became stronger as a result (ATK 1800-1900). One had short red hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing a yellow top and skirt over an orange bodysuit, with a fur cape, wooden wrist guards and greaves attached by black belts, and a yellow headband with a black feather, while wielding a short sword. The other had blue hair, olivine eyes, and for her clothes, she had a gray bodysuit underneath a blue top and skirt, wrist guards, bandages wrapped around her feet, a red feather in her hair, and a quiver on her back, as she drew an arrow on her shortbow (LV 2: ATK 500).

"You know, those two kind of remind me of you and your sister, in a weird way," said Anthony.

"I've been told. Now I'll have my Amazoness Paladin attack directly!"

"Not quite," said Anthony, as he played his face-down card, and a floating explosive appeared. "I play my Widespread Ruin, destroying the strongest monster that you control!"

"That won't happen, because by tributing my Amazoness Scouts, all of my Amazoness monsters can't be destroyed by card effects until the end of the turn!"

The two scouts disappeared (ATK 1900-1800), and the bomb exploded, with Amazoness Paladin jumping out of the inferno with her sword above her head. Anthony yelled and dodged out of the way, as the blade struck the ground where he once stood, leaving an indent in the soil (Anthony: 3700-1900 LP).

"Hmph. You were far better against Karin and General Kayu, so why are you holding back?"

"I'm not holding back, I'm just getting warmed up!"

"I don't have the time for your excuses. I end my turn."

"Okay, I draw! And I play my Ancient Rules, letting me Special Summon my Slot Machine to the field!"

The tattered parchment appeared, as the golden robot marched out, slots spinning as it glared at Kakoton with its singular eye (LV 7: ATK 2000).

"And to give him some backup, I summon Oni Tank T-34!"

The possessed tank rolled into battle, and its weapons were soon pointed at Kakoton (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Slot Machine, open fire with your Plasma Laser Cannon!"

The laser cannon began to spin as it charged up energy, before a blue laser blasted the Warrior-type into pixels (Kakoton: 4000-3800 LP).

"And now, you're open for a direct attack! Oni Tank, fire!"

His monster unleashed a broadside on Kakoton, who had to cover her face with her arms as the shells exploded on either side of her (Kakoton: 3800-2400 LP).

"And that should be enough punishment for now."

"Hmph! I draw! And now, I activate The Dark Door!"

As the card appeared, Kakoton smirked. "With this card, only one monster can attack per Battle Phase. And now I summon my Amazoness Fighter!"

A muscular woman with spiky black hair done in a ponytail appeared, wearing a green strip of cloth over her breasts and a loincloth of the same material, connected by a leather corset. She also wore a black headband, bands around her wrists and thighs, and had bandages around her hands from her wrists to her knuckles (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now attack with Amazoness Killer Kick Dance!"

Her monster delivered a powerful flying kick to Oni Tank T-34, smashing it into oblivion (Anthony: 1900-1800 LP).

"And I end my turn with that."

"Okay, I draw! And I summon my Mechanicalchaser to the field!"

The six-armed hunter robot entered the battle, blades as sharp as ever (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Slot Machine, attack!"

His monster obeyed, firing a second blue laser, but although there was soon nothing left of Amazoness Fighter but a few yellow shards of light, Kakoton took no damage.

"Hey, how come your life points didn't take a hit?"

"I take no damage from battles involving Amazoness Fighter."

"Okay then. I end my turn!"

"I draw, and I set one monster, as well as one other card. Your move."

"Sweet! I draw, and then I summon my Cyber Raider!"

As the blue and yellow robot appeared (LV 4: ATK 1400), Anthony flipped down his sunglasses. "And now I'll have Slot Machine send your set monster to the Graveyard with Plasma Laser Cannon!"

A blast from the oversized casino attraction revealed Kakoton's monster to be a tan woman with long hair in a ponytail, wearing an outfit that appeared to be a bikini made from the pelt of a blue tiger. She also was holding a long bronze chain with three spikes on the end (LV 4: DEF 1300).

"I abstain from activating the effect of my Amazoness Chain Master," said Kakoton.

"Suit yourself. I set one card and end my turn!"

"Very well. I draw, then I summon my Amazoness Archer!"

Her new monster was a woman with short, dirty blonde hair and red eyes. She wore a brown jacket trimmed with red fur, and a brown piece of cloth wrapped around her legs, while wielding a green bow (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And it's about to go right back to the hand!" shouted Anthony eagerly, as he played his set card. "Thanks to my Compulsory Evacuation Device!"

"Why, thank you, Lord Anthony."

Anthony was confused as the woman who declared that she hated him not that long ago suddenly thanked him. "What for?"

"For letting me win. I play my Dramatic Rescue!"

A card appeared with a woman tied to a tree, two guards standing nearby, as a hand reached out to rescue her, as Amazoness Archer returned to the hand.

"Whenever an Amazoness monster is targeted by an effect, I can use this card to return the targeted monster to my hand and Special Summon a monster from my hand! Like Amazoness Queen!"

The queen emerged from a portal, stepping off of her throne and hefting her sword over her shoulder (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"And now, I equip her with my Axe of Despair!"

Anthony was horrified, as Amazoness Queen traded her heavy sword for the battle axe (ATK 2400-3400).

"Now end this duel, and attack that Cyber Raider with your Femme Fatality!"

Lifting the huge blade, Amazoness Queen chopped Cyber Raider in half clean down the middle, and all that its controller could do in response was watch (Anthony: 1800-0 LP)(Winner: Kakoton).

"Game over," said Kakoton, as the holograms faded, and Anthony slowly began to back away, before he heard something behind him. He turned around, and saw a massive purple portal, and he broke into a sprint, only for two chains to wrap around his wrists, and drag him towards the portal as slowly as possible.

"Please, Kakoton, have mercy!"

"After what you've done, this seems fitting."

"No, please!"

Then he heard them. The voices. Dozens of them, blending together in a chorus of screams, indistinguishable, but one thing was certain. They were cries of despair, and soon, his voice would be among them. Anthony lost his ability to speak, and so he screamed. He screamed in terror, in anguish, and in desperation, as Kakoton couldn't help but avert her eyes. The scene folding before her was much less pleasant than she had expected, and although she would never admit it, she actually felt bad for the leader of Kikai. Perhaps when she got back, Soso would help her overcome the guilt.

"ANTHONY!"

But she then turned back, and saw Kan'u, and…Choryo?

"What do we do, what do we do!?" shouted Choryo, panicking almost as much as the man who was inches away from an eternity of despair, when Kan'u grabbed his right wrist and began to pull.

"Shia, grab his other wrist! Come on, if we keep him from entering the portal, we might be able to rescue him!"

Choryo nodded, and grabbed his left wrist, as both generals struggled to save their screaming lord. The chains slowly began to creak, before the immense strength of the two succeeded in snapping the chains, as they fell backwards.

"Anthony, are you alright?" said Kan'u, but Anthony didn't respond, only breathing heavily. Kan'u removed his glasses, exposing his eyes, filled with primal fear, and they both rolled upwards, as the lord of Kikai passed out. Kan'u began to panic, before she checked his pulse, and determined that he was merely unconscious.

"Traitor!"

The two of them turned around to see Kakoton marching towards them. "Shia, you dare betray Karin? Allying yourself with that bastard who is unconscious in the arms of Kan'u!?"

"So what if I did! Better than dealing with Shadow Games a second time!"

Kakoton was furious, and began to approach her new target when Kakoen ran up to her.

"Shunran, we have to go."

"Why? I beat their lord! We can crush them!"

Kakoen turned to the fallen Messenger from Heaven in surprise, before she saw the enraged Kan'u stand up.

"Leave now, or I will unleash the full power of the Kikai Kingdom!"

Kakoton grimaced. "Fine. It's clear that we're outnumbered, especially with the betrayal of Shia. But hopefully, with the defeat of their leader, we've sent a message." The twins then retreated, with Kan'u unwilling to follow them, lest she abandon Anthony. "We'll be back for you, Kikai! Karin always gets what she wants!"

As the two of them left, Kochu came over to the two of them, before she noticed the fallen lord. "Oh dear, what happened?"

"A Shadow Game," growled Kan'u. "We were able to save his soul, but he's passed out. I'm more concerned about the mental effects, if anything," said Kan'u. "We have to take him to the infirmary right away. Shion, Shia, go round up the others and inform them of what happened."

It was then that Kochu turned to Choryo, just now noticing the former To, and now former Gi general. "And you are?"

"A friend," said Kan'u, as she took her unconscious lord to the infirmary.

* * *

 **Well, that can't be good, can it? Anyway, I've put up a poll on my profile to vote whether or not you want Chosen in. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 10/15/2018: fixed an error with Watapon, thought that if it was drawn during a "draw until you have so-and-so cards in your hand" effect, it ws summoned, and you kept drawing. I was wrong, and I should feel bad.**

 **Edit 10/25/2018: added effect of Keldo.**


	45. Wake of Rage

"So, I see that one of you didn't come back."

Kakoton and Kakoen were kneeling before their lord, who was sitting on her throne with Ukitsu by her side. Her face was completely neutral, and her voice calm, as she slowly tapped her index finger on the arm of her throne.

"Would either of you like to explain why General Shia is absent?"

"She betrayed us," said Kakoton. "She serves Kikai now."

"Hmm. How tragic. She was useful to our goals. And what of the two of you?"

"I was able to beat their lord!" shouted Kakoton with a grin on her face.

Ukitsu grinned. "Excellent. With him gone, Kikai is-"

"Well, he didn't exactly, well, disappear."

"What?" asked Soso.

"That traitorous bitch Shia, as well as General Kan'u, managed to rescue him. But if it's any consolation, seeing as he was unconscious after the rescue, it seems like he's traumatized by the events."

"Good work," said Soso, although her tone and expression remained apathetic, before turning to Kakoen. "And how did you fare?"

"I…am afraid that I lost."

Soso's neutral expression morphed into one of annoyance. "You lost?"

"Yes, to a new general, one that we had no information on. But I shall put in the effort to improve and make up for-"

"You lost, and yet you had the gall to come before me?"

Kakoen rose weakly. "I'm sorry, Karin, I will do better next time!"

"If you don't, it will be your last time! Dismissed!"

"But Karin-"

"DISMISSED! If you want to remain a general, or even a member of Gi, then you WILL obey my instructions! Now go to your damn quarters!"

Kakoen slumped forward, and left the throne room somberly, with Kakoton gaping at Soso in shock. She had never treated her sister like that before! Something wasn't right.

"And one last thing. Don't call me 'Karin'. I am to be addressed as Lord Karin."

"Yes, Lord Karin," said Kakoen, her voice cracking as she shuffled back to her quarters. Once she arrived, she spent the next twenty minutes crying into her pillow, her heart crushed by Soso's actions.

~KD~

It had been a full day since the invasion of both Ryoshu and Kikai, and both Bacho and Anthony were still passed out, side by side in their beds in the infirmary. And ever since, Kan'u and Chohi refused to leave their sides. They wouldn't leave the room, even to eat or sleep. The only excuse was to go to the bathroom, and even so, only one of them would go at a time, with the sworn sisters refusing to leave them alone for even a second.

"Big sis, when are Sui and big bro gonna wake up?"

Kan'u hugged Chohi tightly, refusing to cry. "I…I don't know, Rinrin. I don't know."

"Hawawa, is this a bad time?"

Kan'u looked up to see Shokatsuryo holding two trays of food, before she walked in and set them on an empty bed. "I got you these, and earlier, I sent out a message to Go, informing them of Gi's attempted invasion. Hopefully, they'll respond and send reinforcements. Hawawa, this is a mess…"

"Thank you, Shuri. Please set them over here."

Shokatsuryo began to walk towards them, when suddenly, an audible groan came from Bacho, and Shokatsuryo dropped the dishes, although Kan'u quickly caught them and set them aside, before she turned towards the stirring girl.

"Sui is waking up! Quick, Shuri, go get everyone!"

"Hawawa!"

As Shokatsuryo ran out of the room, Chohi began to bounce for joy. "Sui is waking up! She's waking up! Maybe big bro will wake up really soon!"

Bacho began to stir a little longer, weakly moaning, before finally, her eyelids slowly lifted, revealing her violet eyes, before they slowly blinked to help her adjust to the light…and she was then shocked awake as Chohi wrapped her arms around her chest with enough force to turn a watermelon into red and green chunks.

"Sui! You're okay! Big sis, she's okay!"

"C-Can't…b-breathe…"

Chohi gasped and let go. "Oh no! Rinrin is sorry!"

"I'm fine," said Bacho, although her voice was raspier than normal. "Just…need water…"

"Will this do?" said Kan'u, supplying a large jug of water, which Bacho greedily grabbed. She was about to chug the whole container when Kan'u put her hand on her wrist. "Drink it slowly, though. I don't need you throwing up."

Bacho nodded, and she slowly tipped the jug, the liquid slowly sliding down her throat and wetting her dry mouth. She then set it down after roughly drinking half the jug, roughly a quart of water, before she then noticed Anthony, sleeping on the bed to her left.

"Lord Anthony? What happened to him?"

"It's a long story. We'll tell you once Shuri comes back with everyone. I'm assuming that you're hungry?"

Bacho's rumbling stomach told them everything that they needed to know, as Chohi grabbed her plate of food and handed it to her friend, much to Kan'u's surprise. "Here, have Rinrin's!" And she did gladly, scarfing down the food as if she had been unconscious for a week, rather than a day. It was around the time that she finished that Shokatsuryo returned, followed by Choun, who was followed by Ryofu, then Kochu and Riri, before somehow, everyone had managed to squeeze into the infirmary.

"She's awake already! It's a miracle!" said Totaku, and Bacho smiled as she slowly scanned the room of happy faces. Then she came to Choryo, and her eyes lingered, her smile slowly faltering.

"Hmm? What is it?" Choryo then put her hand to her cheek. "Is there something on my-ACK!"

Like a cat pouncing on its prey, Bacho sprung out of her bed and clamped her hands around the neck of the former Gi general, knocking her down and kneeling on her chest, preventing her from escaping. Most of the girls who witnessed this scene were too shocked to respond, not expecting Bacho to attack Choryo on sight, but Ryofu was quick to react, especially seeing how the one under attack was her friend. She reached over Bacho and managed to pry her fingers loose, then locked her arms around Bacho's shoulders, pulling her back while Choryo managed to crawl onto her knees, breathing heavily. Bacho was kicking and pulling, trying to break free, but Ryofu was simply too strong.

"Let me go, Ren!"

"No. You're not going to hurt her."

"The hell I'm not! She's with Gi!"

"Not anymore," said Choryo as she struggled to reclaim her footing. "I'm with you now."

"Bullshit! I don't buy that for one second!"

"Sui, please, calm down!" said Choun.

"Why are you mad at me?" asked Choryo. "I never did anything to you."

"Yes you did! Your lord sent my father to the Shadow Realm!"

"And I'm sorry. Look, I don't like this Shadow Game crap any more than you do, and I promise that I'm gonna help you get him back."

"Shut it! Soso is gonna pay for what she did to my dad, and what you and your buddies did to Anthony! I may not be that smart, but I know that the reason why he's here has something to do with you!"

Nobody responded, and in Bacho's mind, that was some pretty damning evidence. "I'm right, aren't I? AREN'T I!? You, or at least another one of Soso's lackeys, sent his soul to the Shadow Realm too!"

"Sui, it isn't like that!" said Kan'u, but Bacho wouldn't hear it. She wouldn't stop until she felt that justice was served, and it started with Choryo.

"I challenge you to a duel. And I'm gonna make you regret everything you've done!"

Choryo knew that there was no reasoning with her. "I accept. Meet me in the arena in five minutes, but you gotta promise that you won't attack me again!"

"Whatever," was all that Bacho said. This seemed to be a good enough answer for Ryofu, because she dropped Bacho unceremoniously, as Bacho brushed herself off, and a good number of the members of Kikai went to their rooms, unwilling to see the fight unfold, while a few curious souls decided to follow Choryo and Bacho, the latter of which having snatched her Duel Disk from the stand by her hospital bed. Soon, the only two in the room, or at least those who were conscious, were Shokatsuryo and Kan'u.

"Hawawa," said Shokatsuryo, before she looked over at Kan'u. "So are you coming?"

"No," said Kan'u, as she grabbed the hand of Anthony. "I'm staying here, until Anthony wakes up."

"Okay then. I'm going to watch, if that's okay with you." Shokatsuryo then left the room and headed towards the arena, as Kan'u looked at her lord.

"Please, get up soon," she said, squeezing his hand tightly.

~KD~

"Sui…" said Chohi from the stands, sitting between Shokatsuryo and Choun, with Ryofu and Kochu behind her, as Choryo and Bacho shuffled their decks. "Rinrin doesn't like seeing her so sad."

"Nobody does," said Choun, patting the younger girl on the shoulder. "Hopefully, Shia can knock her to her senses."

"I'm gonna make all of Gi pay for what they've done," said Bacho, as she placed her deck into her Duel Disk. "Starting with you!"

"You said that already," said Choryo as she drew five cards. "Now let's cut to the chase!"

(Choryo: 4000 LP)(Bacho: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" shouted Choryo. "And to start off, I summon my Familiar Knight!"

A man with steel armor, a red cape, and a helmet in the shape of a dragon appeared, wielding a sword and shield (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"And now I set one card and end my turn!"

"Alright, I draw!" shouted Bacho. "And I summon Chiron the Mage!"

The centaur appeared and twirled his scepter, before he banged the tip onto the ground with a loud crack (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And I use his special ability! By discarding a Spell Card, like my Sogen, I can destroy a Spell or Trap Card that you control! Mirror of Truth!"

Chiron then tucked his scepter into his armpit as he put his hands together, forming an oval, as a beam of yellow light came out and blasted the set card, which turned out to be Sakuretsu Armor.

"And now, I can attack!"

Chiron then fires a red beam from his scepter that destroyed Familiar Knight (Choryo: 4000-3400 LP).

"Well, by destroying Familiar Knight in battle, we can both Special Summon a level four monster from our hand!"

Both duelists grabbed a card and placed it onto their Monster Zones. "I Special Summon…"

"Exarion Universe!"

"Dark Blade!"

The armored centaur appeared next to Chiron, spinning his blade in his hand (LV 4: ATK 1800). Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, there was a knight in black armor with many curved metal spikes, and a red cape flowing behind him. In his hands were a pair of short curved swords with concave edges (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now I set one card and end my turn!"

"Both duelists are certainly giving it their all," said Choun. Ryofu nodded, her gaze solely fixed on Choryo.

"I draw! And now, I play my Banner of Courage, which will increase the power of all my monsters by two hundred during the Battle Phase!"

As the banner appeared on the field, Choryo placed another card on her field.

"Now I summon my Absolute Crusader!"

A man appeared in white, gold, and blue armor, complete with a cape, wielding a huge sword with a bladed hilt and a branch on each end of the blade (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Pretty sick, huh? Absolute Crusader, take down that Mage!"

With the Battle Phase having begun, the power of the Warrior-types increased (ATK 1800-2000)(ATK 1800-2000). But as the crusader swung his sword, the power of the centaur increased as well, much more drastically (ATK 1800-3300).

"Nice try, but I'm not gonna let you beat me! I play my Rising Energy, discarding my Battle Steer in order to boost the power of my monster by a whopping 1500!"

Chiron the Mage proceeded to swing his scepter like a mace and club Absolute Crusader on the side of the head, destroying the Warrior-type (Choryo: 3400-2100 LP).

"It seems like poor Sui is letting out all of her frustration onto Shia," said Kochu, hand just below her mouth.

"Hawawa…" was all that Shokatsuryo could say in response, as Choun crossed her arms and exhaled loudly through her nose, and Chohi was unusually quiet.

"Damn. Well, I can still have my Dark Blade take out your Exarion Universe with his Dark Sword!"

Dark Blade leapt into the air and landed on the horse part of Exarion Universe, evading the spear of the Beast-Warrior in the process, before slashing it from behind, destroying it, and landing on the ground as pixels fell around it (Bacho: 4000-3800 LP).

"And now I end my turn!" And as she did, the power of Dark Blade returned to normal (ATK 2000-1800).

"Well, I draw! And now, I play my Forbidden Lance!"

A card appeared with a picture of a woman with brown hair and a white dress in some heavenly area, holding a golden spear with a platinum and ether tip. Dark Blade sheathed his swords, and soon found himself holding the spear in question (ATK 1800-1000).

"Now until the end of the turn, your monster loses eight hundred attack points, but is unaffected by other Spell and Trap Cards. So now he's wide open for an attack!"

Chiron then blasted the dark knight, with only bits of light remaining (Choryo: 2100-1300 LP).

"I will win this duel, mark my words! I end my turn!"

"Sui…" said Chohi solemnly, with Choun lightly patting her back.

"I draw! And now, I set two cards on the field!"

As the face-downs materialized, Choryo grinned. "And now, I Normal Summon my Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

On the field was a monster that looked exactly like Gaia the Fierce Knight: purple horse, green rider in blue armor, wielding red lances (LV 7: ATK 2300).

"What the heck? How could you Normal Summon a monster with such a high level? You must have cheated!"

Choryo scowled. "I never cheat, and hate anybody who has the balls to do so. If you must know, I can summon my Swift Gaia without tribute if he's the only card in my hand. And now I'll have him take charge, and destroy your Chiron the Mage with his Spiral Lance Thrust Attack!"

The horse let out a whinny before it began to gallop towards the opposing monster, as the knight pointed his spears at the Beast-Warrior, the banner behind him filling him with vigor (ATK 2300-2500). Swift Gaia then impaled and subsequently destroyed Chiron (Bacho: 3800-3100 LP), and afterwards, the power of the Warrior returned to normal (ATK 2500-2300).

"And that should do for now!"

Bacho growled as she drew, then slipped her new card into her Duel Disk.

"I play Soul Charge, which lets me Special Summon any number of monsters from my Graveyard, at the cost of a thousand life points for every monster!"

Suddenly, three monsters came out of a yellow portal. One was a brown minotaur with gold cuffs, a red cape, and a trident as his weapon, a monster known as Battle Steer (LV 5: ATK 1800). The other monsters were Exarion Universe (LV 4: ATK 1800), and Chiron the Mage (LV 4: ATK 1800). And as soon as they appeared, Bacho's life points fell to a mere one hundred (Bacho: 3100-100 LP). But now, she had the means to potentially turn things back into her favor.

"I tribute all three of my monsters to summon my most powerful card, and the one thing that I have left of my father thanks to you Gi scum! Rise from the ground and rule the earth, Beast King Barbaros!"

All three of Bacho's Beast-Warriors were soon removed from the field, and in their place came the mighty king of the beasts (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"And by tributing three monsters to Tribute Summon him, I activate his effect, destroying every card that you control, Choryo! Go, Crag Spike!"

Beast King Barbaros let out a roar worthy of the king of beasts, then plunged his drill-like lance into the ground. There was a slight tremor, before four huge stalagmites burst from the arena floor, destroying Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, Banner of Courage, and both of her face-down cards, which were revealed to be Collected Power and Release Restraint.

"That's all I can do, lucky for you, because I can't battle the turn I play Soul Charge. But trust me, your time is coming!"

"We'll see about that," said Choryo as she drew. She saw what she had collected, and placed it onto her field.

"I summon my Valkyrian Knight!"

A female knight arrived, wearing red and gold armor with a winged helmet, shoulder plates that resembled shields, a feathery girdle, and an indigo cape. She had long blonde hair, and wielded two swords with golden handles (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"I think that will be all!" she said, smiling.

"Hawawa! Why would she do that!? She's leaving herself open for an attack!" shouted Shokatsuryo, putting her hands on her head.

"Perhaps she's simply using it as bait for Sui to attack?" suggested Kochu.

"It seems likely," agreed Choun.

"Ha! You've signed your own death warrant! I draw! And I summon my Hitotsu-Me Giant!"

The cyclops appeared, flexing its huge fingers in anticipation to strike (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Beast King Barbaros, attack with your Crag Spear!"

Stone pieces covered the huge weapon, and Beast King Barbaros charged Valkyrian Knight, running through her (Choryo: 1300-200 LP). But suddenly, Absolute Crusader appeared, and both of them threw a sword into the ground before vanishing, the sword crossing in the ground before suddenly, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight burst out (LV 7: ATK 2300).

"Surprised? If Valkyrian Knight gets destroyed in battle, I can banish her, and another Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard, in order to Special Summon a level five or higher Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard! And guess who fits the description?"

"Grr…whatever! I end my turn!"

"Sui lost," said Chohi.

"I draw! And now, my Gaia will win this duel for me by attacking that Giant!"

One quick strike with a lance later, and sure enough, Bacho was out (Bacho: 100-0 LP)(Winner: Choryo). As Bacho fell to her knees, Choryo sighed in relief before walking up to her. Maybe now she could try to talk some sense into her.

~KD~

Kan'u looked at her unconscious boyfriend solemnly. Things were not going well for them right now. Sure, they gained Choryo as an ally, but the Gi Kingdom was getting stronger by the minute, Bacho was hostile towards the new general, and worst of all, they couldn't do anything about it, not until their lord woke up-

"Mmmmm…"

A groan from the adjacent bed got her attention in a flash. "Anthony?" Was he going to wake up!? He then made another sound.

"N-No…Aisha…"

Kan'u suddenly realized that he was having a nightmare, and she shook him. "Anthony, don't worry, I'm here! And I won't leave you!"

Slowly, his sapphire eyes opened, and met the tear-filled amber eyes of Kan'u. He slowly managed to let out a quiet, "Aisha?" Her response was to lock lips with him, while hugging him tightly, as if she was the only thing keeping him awake. Anthony slowly returned the kiss, but when they broke up, she noticed that he wasn't as cheerful as he usually was. He nervously rubbed his bicep while averting his eyes, and he made as much effort as possible to avoid looking at the fallen To generals.

"Anthony? Are you okay?"

"I…I don't know…what happened, after I passed out? What happened to Kakoton?"

"She and Shuran managed to get away, but Shia joined our forces. Sui woke up about an hour ago." It then hit Kan'u like a brick to the head. "Oh my god, the duel!"

"D-Duel?"

"Sui flipped out when she saw Shia, because she used to be with Gi, and they should be dueling right about now! Come on, we should do something, as well as let everyone know that you're okay!"

Anthony weakly nodded, grabbed his hat and sunglasses from the nearby table, and tried to get out of bed, but ended up stumbling and eating shit. Kan'u freaked out and helped him up, before slinging his right arm over her shoulder and proceeded to walk him to the arena, while taking note of his behavior. He may still have his soul, but clearly, that Shadow Game took something.

~KD~

"What do you want? Here to gloat? To rub in my face the fact that I lost?"

"It ain't like that," said Choryo, shaking her head. "Look, I'm not with Gi anymore, okay? I'm a general of Kikai, whether you like it or not."

"I don't."

"And I want to help you stop Lord Karin, okay? Shadow Games ain't my forte, and I'm not gonna stand for what happened to Anthony, or your old man for that matter."

"You should feel bad! My dad was the greatest person in my life!" shouted Bacho, managing to find her footing as her bangs fell into her face, which was drenched in tears and stained red in rage. "And now he's in the Shadow Realm, and so is my lord, the one that you claim to serve now!"

"Okay, the fuck are you talking about!? Lord Anthony was just unconscious, because Aisha and I saved him!"

Bacho had to forget her anger to let this revelation sink in. It did make a little sense. After all, nobody had said that he was sent to the Shadow Realm, she just assumed it. "You…saves him?"

"Yeah. I did. Shunran, or Kakoton to you, was the one who did that, and trust me, I'm just as pissed, considering how she was the one who convinced me to join Gi in the first place when we dueled months ago. I'm not gonna justify what Lord Karin did to you, okay? I just want you to give me a chance. A chance to stop an upcoming disaster. And unless we get along, that shit ain't gonna happen. So whaddya say? Friends?"

She slowly approached Bacho and held out her hand, as Ryofu leaned forward, ready to jump into action if need be. Fortunately, that never came to pass, as Bacho, albeit with some hesitation, accepted the handshake with the purple haired woman. "I guess, if you're willing to make up for what your old lord did. Plus, you helped save somebody else I care about."

"Thanks! But until he wakes up, we can't do much."

"Until who wakes up?"

The masculine voice caught everyone off guard, and all the girls in the room turned to face Anthony, who was being supported by Kan'u. Everyone took no time at all to rush over to him and see how he was doing, as he slowly managed to balance himself without his girlfriend carrying him, a weak smile on his face, as the girls bombarded him with questions, mostly "Are you alright?"

"Please, everyone, calm down! He just got up, and all of this noise is just going to make him miserable," said Kan'u, waving her hands in front of herself to make everyone stop. And sure enough, the questions stopped, and while Anthony was patting his sworn sister on the head, Choun came up to him.

"So what's the plan on beating Soso?"

Anthony stopped in his tracks, hand an inch above the head of Chohi. He then slowly got up, twitching a little, before he turned to his only strategist.

"W-Well, we need to make one. Shuri, could you come with me? I want to see if I can find Yue and Reiha to help out."

"Of course!"

"Thanks," he said. "The rest of you can do whatever. Oh, and one more thing. Shia?"

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to the team."

With a faint blush, Choryo smiled brightly as Anthony and Shokatsuryo headed towards the servant's quarters to locate Totaku and Ensho, with Kan'u keeping an eye on him as long as he was within her range of vision.


	46. The Gi Conspiracy

The meeting took quite a while, with the sun beginning to set once the four of them had wrapped up, and afterwards, Anthony ordered his peerage to meet with him in the throne room, where they would be briefed on their orders. Anthony sat on his throne, looking nervously around the room, as Ensho, Totaku, and Shokatsuryo stood beside him, as the others were standing before him.

"Okay, so I have a plan to stop Skull Loli. Shuri here came up with the plan to split our forces into two groups, one to remain here and defend the capital in case she sends another onslaught, and one to return the favor, and take the fight to her. Now if I call your name, you're a member of the strike force. Aisha, Rinrin, Shuri, Sei, Sui, Ren, and Shion."

"Hold on, what about Shia?" said Choun. "She's a general, and I notice that everyone that you're sending out is either a general or a strategist."

"I can answer this question," said Totaku. "Shia lives by her own code of honor, one of the rules being that she doesn't duel against those who she used to serve, in this case being Gi."

"Yeah, if I went with you guys, I'd just be dead weight," agreed Choryo. The others were okay with this, but Kan'u noticed that something else was up.

"What about you, Anthony? You didn't list yourself, and we need you! You're needed to challenge Soso to a duel between lords!"

Anthony tensed at this, before he nervously looked over to Ensho. "Well, not exactly. Reiha?"

"Of course. As you know, not too long ago, I had begun my own conquest, which was going swimmingly for the most part, despite the fact that I never dueled any of those other lords. After all, to duel a weak opponent is beneath me! So I had Dokuro and Yokai take care of them."

"But that shouldn't work," said Anthony, "unless, of course, they happened to be, er…"

"Shadow Games," finished Shokatsuryo, noticing the hesitation. "Prior to Emperor Reitei forming a system where duels can decide the outcome of a war, a lord's territory could be conquered in two ways: the surrender of a lord, or a lord being either captured or slain in combat."

"And those laws must still be in place," said Anthony. "So when the lords are…sent away…it counts as them being captured or killed. And since Skull Loli is using, well, you know, then if any of you beat her…"

"Then she'll be sent to the Shadow Realm, and we'll have conquered Gi!" finished Kan'u, catching on.

"Exactly. Plus, I should probably stay behind, as a secret weapon," said Anthony, a little too quickly. Kan'u immediately noticed this, and realized that he was lying. But considering how much he hated lying, why would he do it to those he trusted more than anyone? What was he hiding? Was he…afraid to face Soso? Afraid to run the risk of another Shadow Game? Kan'u didn't like this. Winning a Shadow Game made him nearly unresponsive, and it took Kakoen slapping some sense into him and a duel for fun to snap him back to his senses. But to lose one, and come so close to having his soul trapped in a world where only pain and suffering exist, possibly for an eternity? This would take more effort and time, the latter of which was in a limited supply.

"Is everyone satisfied with the role that they've been given?" asked Anthony, with everyone present giving various forms of saying yes, be it verbal or a simple nod. Anthony nodded, not having it in him to smile. "You will be leaving in fifteen minutes. That should give you just enough time to say your goodbyes and gather whatever supplies that you'll need for the journey, including your decks."

Everyone scrambled to get what they needed, with Bacho and Chohi raiding the kitchen for food and water, in the case that they would have to set up camp, and Kochu saying goodbye to her daughter, who wished her a happy return, which Kochu couldn't say no to, not like she planned on it. However, after grabbing her cards, Kan'u made her way right to Choryo. "May I ask something of you in my absence?"

"Anything for you, Aisha! What's up?"

Kan'u looked around, and after determining that the two of them were alone, she spoke. "Ever since Anthony lost his duel against General Kakoton, he's been acting differently. He's jumpy, nervous, quiet…I'm worried about how that Shadow Game affected him mentally."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Simple. I want you to try to get him back to normal. Please, not just for my sake, but his as well, and the good of Kikai. A kingdom is nothing without a king."

Choryo nodded, filled with determination. "I won't let you down!"

~KD~

"Your mission is simple, Keifa. Seeing how you're a strategist, there is nothing to lose from your loss, and with your skill, one can only hope that you can bring forth victory. Am I clear?"

"Quite, Lord Karin. I'll be sure to make you proud," drooled Jun'iku as she left towards Kikai.

"You had better," said Soso, as she got off of her throne and made her way towards her quarters, asking Ukitsu to leave her be, which the bespectacled man did. As she was walking to her bedroom to get some much-needed rest, she happened to cross paths with Kakoton, the twin who hadn't disappointed her, wearing her casual outfit. As she walked into her bedroom, she was intrigued as she saw Kakoton follow her in.

"May I help you?"

"W-Well, I thought that you might be a little, stressed, after what happened. So I thought that I could relieve that stress." She then closed her eyes and went in to kiss Soso, who frowned and blocked the puckered lips with her hand.

"You can relieve my stress by letting me sleep, Shunran. It's been a long day, and right now, I need some sleep."

"What? But, you've never refused any of our advances before. In fact, you've never let us refuse them either, not like we'd want to."

"Your point, please."

"Something's wrong, Karin. You've been acting strange."

"Lord Karin. I specifically told Shuran to call me Lord Karin earlier today, and unless I'm mistaken, which I never am, you were also present."

"I'm sorry, Lord Karin. But that brings me to something else. Why did you treat Shuran so poorly?"

"She failed in her mission, and talked back to me. She was lucky that I didn't strip her of her position."

"But she's Shuran! The two of us are your closest friends, Karin! Don't you remember the promise that we made to you eight years ago, the day we first met?"

*SMACK*

To the horror of Kakoton, Soso's palm came in contact with her cheek, striking her hard and causing a large red spot to form. Soso was scowling at this point. "What did I just tell you about not calling me by my proper title!? Unlike your sister, you're still of use to me, Shunran, so don't screw it up! Now please leave me alone, before I have to add a migraine to the list of problems I have right now."

Stunned into silence, Kakoton bowed before running out of the room, and with the door closing behind her, Soso began to prepare for bed, having another day of conquest ahead of her. Meanwhile, Kakoton ran into the courtyard, and came up to the fountain in the center before sitting against it, knees to her face as she silently sobbed, not wanting anybody to see her in a moment of weakness as she remembered the day that she and her sister first met Soso.

~KD~

" _Come on, Shuran, we have to get there before all the good cards are gone!"_

" _I'm going as fast as I can, Shunran!"_

 _Two girls were running through town, one with black hair and magenta eyes, wearing a red outfit with a purple sash, and one with blue hair and orange eyes, wearing a blue outfit with a similar purple sash, while the one in red held a small bag filled with bronze coins that jingled as they clinked together. These two were Kakoton and Kakoen, age ten._

" _Well, go faster! If you don't hurry, then all of the good cards will be gone!"_

" _I'm sure that the vendor will have plenty of cards when we get there, Shunran."_

 _The twins had been given money from their parents as an allowance, and they decided to spend it on the newest craze: Duel Monsters, the mysterious game that just appeared one day. Both of them were just getting into the game, and were eager to acquire some new additions to their arsenals._

" _Leave me alone, you jerks! I'll have you know, I'm a member of the esteemed So family!"_

" _And that's really doing well for you, huh, shrimp? Now give me your cards!"_

 _Kakoton froze, and held out her hand to make Kakoen stop as well. "Is something wrong?" asked the younger sister. "I thought that the two of us were trying to get to the card vendor!"_

" _Well, it can wait. Someone is in trouble." The two girls then ran to see a group of older kids, about twelve, surrounding a smaller girl. She was wearing a periwinkle top with thin strings and white frills, with a bronze marking on it that resembled a heart, as well as socks that went halfway up her calves and baby blue shoes. She had blue eyes that were filled with fear, and blonde hair with long wavy pigtails and brooches with purple bows and gray skull ornaments. In her shaky hands was a deck of Duel Monsters cards. This was Soso Motoku, age eleven._

" _I already told you, they're my cards! Go buy your own!"_

" _Well, who's gonna stop me from taking them?" said the leader, backing the girl against a wall as she smiled deviously, the other kids snickering. "You?"_

" _No, us!"_

 _The ringleader turned around, only to be greeted by a foot to her face, as Kakoton kicked her backwards as she fell onto her back in a daze. The others tried to rush her, only for one to be knocked onto his face due to a sweep kick from Kakoen, and another of the prepubescent thugs tripping over her fallen comrade, taking both of them out of the fight. One of the kids threw a punch at Kakoton, which she easily foresaw and dodged before grabbing his arm and throwing him into the wall next to Soso, face planting into brick, before she uppercutted a girl who tried to tackle her. The final member of the group was soon brought to his knees due to a punch to the gut from Kakoen. After they had all been beaten, the six would-be thieves ran away with wounded bodies and pride, as Kakoton blew a raspberry behind them. Kakoen went up to Soso and asked, "Are you alright?"_

" _I'm fine," muttered Soso, putting her cards away. "Just who are you two?"_

" _I'm Kakoton!" declared the younger sister as she walked towards them, lightly tossing the bag of coins in the air and catching it. "And this is my little sister, Kakoen. We're twins, and the best of friends since birth!"_

 _Soso felt a little envy at this statement, seeing how her relationship with her family, especially her cousins, was rather rocky, to say the least, not to mention that her best and only friend, Ensho Honsho, was no longer her friend after the two of them had a falling out. Still, she could at least introduce herself to her saviors. "Soso Motoku. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."_

" _So what did those kids want from you?" asked Kakoen, not hearing the conversation unlike her big sister._

" _My cards," said the oldest of the three. "I was looking through them when those six ganged up on me, wanting to take them."_

" _Hey, I think I know how to make you feel better!" said Kakoton, snapping her free hand. "The two of us were just on our way to go buy some cards. Why don't you join us?"_

 _Soso decided to go along with it, while also being confused. These two saved her, then offered to buy her more cards? But why? She was the one who needed help, so if anything, she should be buying them cards! There was no way that these two didn't want something, ANYTHING in return._

 _Once they reached their destination, the younger girls stared in awe at the selection. There were shelves that were completely stocked with paper packages of cards, with writing stating the amount, but not the content, leaving that as a surprise. Behind a glass display, however, were single cards, which were much more pricey, due to their strength and rarity. The merchant who ran the stand was a man in gray robes lined with beige fur, and on the left breast of his outfit was the insignia of the Kan Empire._

" _Anything interest you, girls? I promise only the highest quality."_

 _Soso was scanning the selection, until something caught her eye. A blue card, one which had heard was called a Ritual Monster, depicting a large blue skeletal gargoyle, reading "Zera the Mant." It was perfect for her deck, but unfortunately, she didn't have any money on her. Perhaps if she asked her parents…_

" _How much for that one?"_

 _Soso turned to see Kakoton pointing at the card that she had her eyes on._

" _Ah, looks like you have taste. It's twelve copper, and I'll even throw in the Ritual Spell that it needs," said the man, as he pulled out the card known as Zera Ritual. Kakoton then emptied her bag into her hands, and proceeded to count how many coins she had, with a total of twenty copper._

" _The packs of nine are four copper a piece, so we can buy those two, and get a pack for each of us!" said Kakoen._

" _Perfect! We'll take it, and two packs of nine!"_

 _The man gleefully gave them the cards, after accepting the money, and bid them good day. Kakoton then gave the packs to Kakoen for safekeeping, and handed the two cards to Soso, who just looked at them at first._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Giving them to you. I saw that you wanted this card, so I got it for you."_

" _What!? Why!? Why are you being so nice to me?"_

 _Kakoton and Kakoen were confused. "What's wrong with being nice to you?"_

" _It just doesn't make any sense! First you save somebody that you barely know, then you offer to cheer them up, and then you get me a gift!? There's no way that you don't want something in return! What, do you want, to leech off of my status? Of the wealth of my family!?"_

 _The accusation was baffling to the sisters. "No, nothing like that! We just want to be friends to you, that's all!" said Kakoton. "We're just being nice, well, to be nice!"_

" _Wh-What?"_

" _Look, I promise, I'm not trying to do anything. And I promise that I'll always be here to help you. That's what friends do for each other, right?"_

" _And I promise the same," said Kakoen, closing her eyes and putting her hand over her heart. Soso began to tear up, truly touched by the sheer amount of selflessness that these two had, and from that day forward, she was honored to call them her friends._

~KD~

Ever since that day, Kakoton and Kakoen, especially the former, devoted themselves to Soso. And over time, their relationship only grew stronger, from the three of them confiding their secret names in each other, to the twins falling in love with Soso, as well as vice versa. And no matter how bad Soso could seem at times, no matter how much her arrogance or her pride got to her, she would never treat Kakoton or Kakoen badly. That is, Kakoton realized, until those three men arrived. Kakoton growled as she came to the conclusion that her lord, her lover, her dear friend, had been manipulated by those bastards in white. And speak of the devil, as she looked up, her magenta eyes locked paths with the tired brown eyes of Yokai.

"You…What are you doing here." she said, less of a question and more of a demand.

"I overheard your crying, and I decided to indulge myself. Very few things in this mortal plane bring me joy like the pain of others, especially pain that I give unto others. But I suppose I must ask, what are you doing here? What brought you to such wonderful sorrow?"

Kakoton didn't answer the sadist's question, instead springing to her feet and pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I know that you did something to her, I just know it!"

"To whom?"

"Karin, you scum! Ever since you and your friends joined Gi, she's been acting weird! There is no way that this is a coincidence!"

"Oh? A bold claim, from someone that, up until this point, I believed to be a dumb bitch with blind loyalty and irrational anger. Would you care to provide some evidence?"

"The promise, the one that Shuran and I made years ago. The one to always be at Karin's side. She forgot it, and more importantly, she's done things that she would never do! Casting us aside, hitting us!"

"And how does this directly connect us with her behavior?"

Kakoton growled before she held out her left arm, Duel Disk at the ready. "Well, how about your testimony! If I can defeat you in a duel, then you'll tell me everything that I want to know!"

With a dark chuckle, Yokai activated his own Duel Disk, the "blade" extending to its full length. "I accept. But I hope that you realize that this won't be your average duel," he said as a purple mist covered the cards, as well as surrounding the field completely, until all that surrounded them was the purple fog. "And now, nobody can hear or see us. Just the two of us, in a battle of wits, which I have no doubt I will win."

"No, I must win! For Karin!"

(Kakoton: 4000 LP)(Yokai: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I summon my Amazoness Chain Master to the field!"

The Warrior-type appeared, swinging her chain in her hands as she got ready for battle (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And I also equip her with my Amazoness Heirloom!"

Amazoness Chain Master suddenly found a wooden idol with a green pearl in it appear on her outfit, by her hip.

"A monster equipped with this card cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn, and any monster that it attacks is destroyed after damage is dealt. And now, I end my turn by setting two cards!"

Yokai grinned as he drew his next card. "For my first move, I play my Soul Taker, which will destroy one of your monsters, at the cost of giving you another one thousand life points!"

The soul of Amazoness Chain Master was forcefully removed, as she was destroyed, letting out a shriek of pain as she did so (Kakoton: 4000-5000 LP).

"And now, I summon my Nikitama to the field!"

The new monster could only be described as a small green creature inside a green flame (LV 4: ATK 800).

"And during the turn that I Normal Summoned or flipped this monster, I can Normal Summon or set another Spirit Monster! So I tribute my Nikitama, in order to bring out my Fenghuang!"

One Spirit Monster was traded for another, this one being an ethereal phoenix with red and green feathers, blue feathers behind its head, long yellow plumage growing around its face, and beads dangling from its wings (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"And when this monster is summoned, it destroys all of your set Spell and Trap Cards!"

A blazing hot wave of wind proceeded to decimate the set cards, which were revealed to be Amazoness Archers and Queen's Pawn. And sure enough, Kakoton felt herself getting warmer.

"So, it seems like your Shadow Games are identical to mine."

"No, this is just the most basic form of Shadow Game. Not worth putting in any extra effort."

"Excuse you!? I'm Karin's best general! I beat Lord Anthony!"

"So you did, but who is to say that I could not do the same? But that is for another time. Right now, I shall have my monster attack directly!"

Kakoton tried her best to stay on her feet as warm winds were blasted in her direction (Kakoton: 5000-2900 LP).

"And now, I end my turn, with Fenghuang returning to my hand." As the Chinese phoenix returned to the hand of the White Clothes admin, Kakoton drew, and smiled.

"To start things off, I play my Hand Destruction, forcing both of us to discard two cards, then draw two cards!"

A card showing Sasuke Samurai slashing at four cards appeared, as Kakoton sent her Amazoness Scouts and The Unfriendly Amazon to her Graveyard, while Yokai discarded Sword of Kusanagi and Izanami, before they both drew two new cards. Kakoton wasted no time playing her new cards.

"I summon my Amazoness Swords Woman to the field! And then I equip her with Megamorph, doubling her strength as long as I have less life points!"

The sword swinging woman appeared, with the stone circle behind her, increasing her height (LV 4: ATK 1500-3000).

"Now attack directly with your Amazoness Slash Attack!"

As Amazoness Swords Woman brought down her sword, Yokai managed to dodge it, on account of being faster than the massive woman, who began to shrink to half of her size after the attack was finished (Yokai: 4000-1000 LP)(ATK 3000-750).

"And now, I end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn," said Yokai, drawing. "And I summon my Fushi no Tori!"

A bird that had a purple body appeared, wings and tail feathers made from orange flame (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And whenever this monster deals battle damage, I gain life points equal to the amount! So attack, my monster!"

As the Winged Beast tore its way through Amazoness Swords Woman, Yokai was surprised to find out that he took damage, rather than his opponent (Yokai: 1000-550 LP).

"I see that you have discovered my monster's ability," said Kakoton with a sly grin. "Now you don't gain life points."

"No matter, I have other ways of making you squirm. I set one card and end my turn, with Fushi no Tori returning to my hand." As the card went back to his hand, Kakoton drew, and swiftly played her next monster.

"I summon Amazoness Archer!"

The monster appeared before Kakoton, notching an arrow on her bow (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now attack directly and end this duel!"

But the second that the arrow went flying, it disappeared into a Magic Cylinder.

"Ha! Now, thanks to my Trap Card, the attack is negated, and you take damage equal to the attack points of your monster!"

The arrow then flew out of the other cylinder. Too fast to dodge, as Kakoton found out the hard way as the arrow made contact (Kakoton: 2900-1500 LP).

"AAAAAUUGGGGHHHHH!"

A pained primal cry was released from the mouth of Kakoton as she put her hand over her left eye, or what was left of it. The arrow had lodged itself into her eye, destroying it as a small trail of blood began to trickle down her cheek like crimson tears, with a clear stream joining it on the right cheek. The end of the arrow stuck out, between the gaps of her middle and ring finger as she looked down, excruciating pain ebbing through her blinded eye, reaching every nerve in her body.

"Hahahahahahaha! Oh my, that seems like it hurts a lot! Tell me, what hurts more, the pain of Lord Soso rejecting you and your sister, or the loss of your eye!? Bwahahahahahahaha, fuhahahaha!"

Kakoton didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer. "I…end my turn."

"You still duel, even with such a grave handicap? You are either incredibly tenacious, or ridiculously stupid."

"I…must win…for Karin…"

"Karin, Karin, Karin. It seems like she's all that you care about, even more so than your own flesh and blood! Don't you realize that she doesn't care about you anymore? Does that thought have the capability to penetrate that thick skull! Even the arrow lodged in your eye was unable to do that!" Yokai then had a malicious grin spread across his face. "Hmm, perhaps I could end this Shadow Game and spare your soul, if you do one of two things for me."

"What?"

"The first option is simple. Rip out your own eye and eat it." As Kakoton stared in horror after hearing this ghastly request, Yokai began to chuckle, tilting his head down so that his eyes were cloaked in shadows. "The pain, the disgust, I can already feel it flowing through you. It would be magnificent, like ambrosia."

"The other option?" Kakoton spat out, her working eye becoming fierce.

"It's simple. Pledge your allegiance to my lord, my true lord, who unlike your precious Soso, shall be the one to rule this land. Do either of these, and you shall be spared, at least, for the time being." Kakoton didn't need to think twice, as she grabbed the shaft of the arrow and tugged.

It was horrendously painful. The arrow had hooked into her eye, and as she pulled it, she felt the eyeball be ripped out, sending another shockwave of pain through her entire body. She then stared at the bloody eyeball, before she placed it into her mouth and removed the arrow, beginning to chew. The texture was both crisp and mushy, and combined with the metallic taste of blood, she felt her stomach churn every time the eye was crushed between her molars. Although her body was highly against it, she forced herself to swallow, and as soon as the thoroughly destroyed eyeball entered her stomach, she flashed a determined glare at Yokai with her remaining eye, her left eyelid being closed permanently. "The only way that I will ever abandon Soso, is by death. I will always remain loyal to her."

Yokai began to chuckle softly as Kakoton finished saying this, before he threw his head back in uncontrollable laughter. And despite the damage to her vision, Kakoton swore that she could see a golden mark briefly appear on the forehead of the sinister man, the same mark forever etched into the forehead of Ukitsu. "Yes, yes, yes! The pain, the disgust, the fear! All so beautiful! Hahahahahahaha! Fuhahahahahahahahahaha!"

"We have…a deal!"

"And I shall gladly oblige it, after the satisfaction that you have bestowed upon me. End Shadow Game!"

The purple fog disappeared, as well as the arrow which Kakoton had dropped before her, returning both duelists to the courtyard.

"And now, I draw! And I summon my Rasetsu to the field!"

The new monster was a spirit that had murky brown skin, with long horns coming out of its forehead, red eyes with white marks around them, a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth, and long scarlet hair that flowed behind it. It wore a white long sleeved top with purple leather armor over it, purple leather braces, a black sash, dark purple baggy pants, and purple shoes, and in its right hand, a straight sword that had a wooden handle with an aquamarine pearl (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And when it's Normal Summoned or flipped, I can reveal a Spirit Monster in my hand, and send a face-up attack position monster on your side of the field to your hand! So say farewell to your Amazoness Archer!"

Yokai then revealed the Fenghuang in his hand, as Amazoness Archer left the field, with Kakoton weakly picking up the card.

"Now to end this duel!"

Rasetsu slashed its sword through Kakoton, revealing itself to be a hologram, but even if she didn't lose a Shadow Game, Kakoton still lost the duel, her eye, and potentially her one chance to save her lord (Kakoton: 1500-0 LP)(Winner: Yokai).

"Well, well, well, that was certainly fun," said Yokai, as he walked up to Kakoton, who was on her knees, with her left hand over her left eye socket, and her right hand pushing against the ground. "And since I had so much fun, I'll let you in on a little secret."

Kakoton looked up at him. "What is it, you monster?"

Yokai chuckled. "The reason why Lord Soso is acting so unusual? Simple. She's being brainwashed."

Kakoton couldn't believe what she was being told. "What!? But…how?"

"It's a power that Ukitsu has, although how it works exactly, I'm unsure about. With it, he's able to look inside a target's mind, and use their desires to alter their personality to what he desires. Thanks to him, Soso is now obsessed with conquest, due to his powers targeting her desire of ruling China. And you? You, and everyone else under her rule, are now just pawns, tools to be used. The only thing about you that she cares about is your skill, and nothing else."

"You…you…when I let everyone know what you have done-"

"Oh please. Who would believe you? Nobody, that's who, especially your precious Soso," chuckled Yokai as he walked away, before he paused and turned back towards her. "Oh, and get that eye, or whatever's left of it, taken care of. You're no use to us dead, after all." He then went back into the palace, and Kakoton weakly managed to get onto her feet, before she started making her way to the one person who she knew would believe her story.

~KD~

Kakoen was miserable as she laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had known Soso for eight years, and not once had she treated her or her sister poorly. To be yelled at by Soso was truly an alien feeling, one that she almost couldn't comprehend. Ever since she was given the order to go to her quarters, she had stayed in their, not even leaving to eat. Fortunately, Kakoton was kind enough to bring her a little something for dinner, bless her heart. But even so, she couldn't get over the shock of having Soso be…upset with her. Kakoen Myosai, one of the three women who she truly loved, and o e of the two who had been there for her ever since childhood. Kakoen was brought out of her thoughts, however, by a desperate knock on the door. Hoping that Soso had come to apologize, or that either Kakoton or Kyocho were here to cheer her up, she got off of her bed and opened the door, only to reveal Kakoton, who had a hand over her left eye and a small trail of dried blood going down her cheek and on her chin.

"Shunran! What happened!?" she said in panic as her older sister stumbled into the room, her legs shaking.

"Shu…Shuran…help…me…"

~KD~

"Are you sure that he was telling the truth? That it really is brainwashing?"

Kakoen was sitting over her sister, who was lying on a bed in the infirmary with bandages over her eye, as Kakoton began to look through a selection of eyepatches for when the bandages were removed. As she looked over a black one with a white Eastern dragon spiraling in it, she looked at her sister, her one eye meeting the one visible eye of Kakoen. "What other possibility is there? Her unusual behavior began after those three joined Gi."

"True, but he could have been lying."

"Look, Shuran, I know I'm not as smart as you, or Karin, and definitely not Keifa. But I know Karin, and I know that there is no way that she would ever treat us the way that she did normally."

"Look, Shunran, I'm not saying that I don't believe you, but, the evidence isn't concrete."

"Shuran, earlier, I visited Karin, wanting to cheer her up and figure out why she acted the way she did and…she hit me."

Kakoen froze. "What? But she would never-"

"But she did, Shuran!" said Kakoton. "Right now, Karin isn't the same Karin that we know and love. And we have to fix this. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, I have one, but you won't like it. There's only one person who might be able to help us, given the circumstances. The same man who you beat."

Kakoton froze, before crushing a simple black eyepatch in her hand. "No. I refuse to seek Lord Anthony for help."

"Look, nobody here is available, and any other lord won't believe you, on account of Karin's reputation and actions. Besides, he'll listen to me, I promise. Remember, it's for Karin's sake."

Kakoton sighed, before placing an eyepatch that she found satisfactory on the bed stand. "Alright, Shuran, I'll do it. For Karin." The two siblings exchanged a hug, before Kakoen left to go to her quarters, and Kakoton tried to get some sleep, both needing plenty of rest for tomorrow, when the two of them were going to sneak out and seek help.

* * *

 **If anyone can guess what the first eyepatch that Shunran looked at is from, then you have good taste. Starpion out!**


	47. Wake-Up Call

"So where exactly are we heading? This isn't the same path that we took the first time, Shuran."

Kakoton, now wearing an eyepatch that looked like a black, red, and green butterfly, was confused by where her sister was taking them. The two of them, as well as Choryo, had gone through a wasteland to reach Kikai previously, but now, Kakoen was taking them into a forest.

"Don't worry, Shunran. Shia told me about this path. It should lead straight to Kikai, much faster than the way we came before."

"If you insist," said Kakoton, following her sister into the thicket.

~KD~

"Sui? Come on, it's time to get up!"

Bacho flinched as the sunlight hit her eyes, the bright light stinging her retinas. She slowly managed to get up, groaning, before she began to stretch her back. She then turned to Kan'u, who was the one who woke her up in the first place. The seven of them had camped out for the night, with Bacho staying outside on lookout duty.

"Hey, Aisha. So we're already getting back to the journey, huh? Not a moment too soon."

Kan'u put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, I promise that we'll get your father back. Come on, the others are gonna need our help." The two of them went into the tent, while Kan'u had her mind wander, thinking of how Anthony was doing.

'I just hope that he's okay…'

~KD~

Darkness. That was all that he could see. Everywhere he looked, the darkness stood. He tried to run, but found that no matter how far he thought he ran, the surroundings were the same.

"Anthony!"

He managed to turn his head to see Kan'u, her body being slowly pulled into the dark abyss. He tried to reach for her, but he soon found his arms chained in place, and he could do nothing as she was lost to the shadows. He then felt himself be pulled under, the darkness spreading like ivy. The voices followed, coming from every direction. He couldn't escape.

"No, no, no!"

~KD~

"NO!"

Anthony jerked upwards, panting heavily as sweat poured down his brow. As his breathing became normal, he looked around to see that he was still in his bed, and that he merely had a nightmare. Regardless, the dream he had was haunting. To come so close to losing his soul, the ones that he cared about…

'Never again. I can't lose them. I can't lose HER.'

He got up, got dressed, and headed towards his study to get some paperwork done, leaving his satchel in his room.

~KD~

'So how am I gonna get Lord Anthony outta this funk he's in?'

Choryo was drumming her fingers on the table that she was sitting at, with Ganryo and Kaku eating in relative silence near her, while she ate her breakfast absentmindedly. She was trying to figure out how to carry out the task that she had been given by Kan'u, not wanting to go in all gung-ho and risk making the problem worse. After all, she couldn't risk failure, lest she disappoint Kan'u! But so far, she had nothing. Then again, Kan'u never said that she couldn't ask for help.

"Hey girls, can you gimme a hand with something?"

Kaku and Ganryo turned towards the general. "What is it?" asked Ganryo.

"Well, it's about Anthony. Kan'u asked me to cheer him back up."

"Good luck," said Kaku. "Ever since he woke up, he's been in his study. I even brought him breakfast, and the only thing he did to acknowledge it was nod his head in my direction. He didn't even say 'hello.'"

"That bad?" said Ganryo. "That's even worse than after he dueled Kayu!"

"Wait, what about Miyabi?" said Choryo. She hadn't heard about this before, at least not in detail. In fact, all she knew about Kayu's defeat was that Anthony beat her.

"Didn't Shuran tell you about it?"

"Can't day she did, but I'm gonna guess she told you."

"Yeah, after he beat her, Shuran said that he was almost unresponsive. She ended up dueling him to make him go back to normal." Her eyes then lit up. "Hey, that's it! She helped him get over a Shadow Game by having a duel that was just for fun, so why don't you do the same!"

Choryo then smacked her palm against her forehead. "Oh, duh! Why didn't I think of that before! That's perfect!"

"I don't think it will be that easy," said Kaku.

"Why not? He loves dueling, right? So a duel for fun just has to work, just like Toshi said it did!"

"You don't understand. I think actually losing a Shadow Game is far more traumatic for him. When I brought him his food, I didn't see his bag on him."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

Kaku sighed before pushing up her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose. "You may have known him before I did, but I've known him longer. And I have never seen Lord Anthony without that bag of his. It has all of his cards in it."

Choryo was unfazed by this news. "I'll just go and get it, then! Thanks for the help, guys!" She then ran towards Anthony's room, with the others sharing a glance.

"So what do you think is going to happen, Ei?"

"One of two things. Either Anthony is restored to his former state, or his condition will only grow worse. For now, all we can hope is that Shia knows what she's doing."

~KD~

Choryo whistled to herself as she carried Anthony's satchel on her right shoulder, with her Duel Disk on her left wrist. Fortunately, Anthony had forgotten to lock his door (he should really stop doing that), so obtaining the cards wasn't a challenge. She was now in front of Anthony's study, and after taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door. Behind his desk was Anthony, who continued to do his work without acknowledging the visitor. Choryo walked up to him and looked down at his desk, seeing that he was busy going over the taxes of all his citizens.

'Man, if anything, challenging him to a duel has gotta be a life saver for Anthony.' "Hey Anthony, how ya doin'?"

No response. He just kept writing. "Uh, usually, when somebody says hi, you're supposed to say hi back."

"Hey, Shia," he said weakly.

"There ya go! Anyway, I see you're kinda busy, but maybe you could take a small chunka time outta your schedule?"

"What for?"

"A duel, silly! I even got you your cards!" She then held out the satchel, but Anthony didn't even look up.

"Maybe another time."

Choryo cocked an eyebrow at this information. "What? But I thought that you never backed down from a challenge. At least, that's what all of the others said."

"Sorry, Shia, my heart isn't in it."

Choryo put the satchel on the desk and crossed her arms. "Look, I get that you're shaken about that Shadow Game, but we really need you to-"

"What the fuck do you know about Shadow Games!? Last time I checked, you refuse to play them, because you're too much of a pussy!"

Choryo took a step back, before she furrowed her brow. "Well, if you're gonna be a dick about it, then what the fuck am I doing here. Have fun." But as she turned to the door, Anthony stood up.

"Shia, wait!"

She stopped and turned around, and Anthony put his hand to his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Shia. I didn't mean it, and I know that you refrain from Shadow Games due to your dislike of foul play, not because you're scared. Unfortunately, I don't have that excuse. The truth is, I'm…afraid. Afraid of losing another Shadow Game, and this time, not having anyone to rescue me."

"So what, you're just gonna quit? Doesn't sound like the Anthony I've been told about. You sound like a coward."

"I know, and I hate it! But whenever I look at my cards, my mind goes back to my duel with Kakoton. The chains slowly pulling me towards the portal, the choir of voices screaming for help…"

Choryo pat her lord on the shoulder. "Well, don't worry! I'm not gonna let that happen! I'm here to help you get your groove back, and a duel is just what you need!"

"I think time is what I need, Shia."

"Well, we don't have much of that, do we? Trust me, you'll be fine!"

Anthony sighed in resignation, before he shakily grabbed his satchel. "Okay, I'll try."

"Sweet!"

~KD~

In the arena, only two figures were present, the bleachers being empty. Anthony slowly put on his Duel Disk, before he activated it and drew five cards. Choryo did the same, smiling to herself. 'So far, everything is going directly to plan! Come on, Anthony, show me what you've got!'

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Choryo: 4000 LP)

"Okay, I draw! And I set one monster, and one other card! And that will be it for me!"

As the two face-downs appeared, Choryo smirked. "Not bad, but let's see if I can do better! I draw! And I summon my Command Knight to the field!"

A female knight with blonde hair appeared on the field, wearing a leather cap with four yellow wings, a black cape, red and gold armor, a sword with a golden hilt, and a red shield on her left arm (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And as long as she's on the field, all of my Warrior-types gain four hundred extra attack points!" Sure enough, her monster stuck her sword into the air, gaining extra power (ATK 1200-1600).

"This can't end well," said Anthony to himself.

"Command Knight, attack that face-down monster!"

Her monster swung her sword, cutting through the card, which was briefly shown to be Giga-Tech Wolf (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"W-Well, I activate my Time Machine, reviving my monster in the same battle position it was in when it was on the field! Come back to me, Giga-Tech Wolf!"

His robotic wolf returned to the field, letting out a loud howl before crouching down (LV 4: DEF 1400).

"Whatever. I set one card and end my turn!"

Anthony drew, and shakily removed Giga-Tech Wolf from the field, placing a different card in its place, face-down. "I tribute my Giga-Tech Wolf to set one monster, and that's it for me!"

"Alright, I draw! And I summon my Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

The Warrior-type in iron armor jumped into action, sharpening his blade on his shield (LV 4: ATK 1800-2200).

"And when I control another Warrior-type, Command Knight can't be selected as an attack target! Now I'll have Gearfried attack, and activate my Strike Slash!"

Her card flipped up, depicting Alien Shocktrooper attacking with a powerful slash, as Gearfried's sickle arm gained an orange glow (ATK 2200-2900).

"Pretty cool, huh? Now my monster gains seven hundred attack points and can inflict piercing damage until the End Phase! Go, Metal Forearm Thrust!"

With one fell swoop, Gearfried managed to cut down the defending monster, Pendulum Machine (LV 6: DEF 2000)(Anthony: 4000-3100 LP). But when Choryo got a good look at its stats, she was confused.

'That monster had more power than my Command Knight, so why didn't he attack it? It doesn't make a lick of sense!' "Command Knight, attack directly!"

Her monster swung her sword, and Anthony helped before he hid behind his arms (Anthony: 3100-1500 LP). And even after the attack was finished, and Choryo ended her turn (ATK 2900-2200), Anthony still had his arms in front of his face, his body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Anthony, are you okay? You know this isn't real, right?"

Anthony then removed his arms, and looked over himself. "Y-Yeah, I'm f-f-fine. Just fine. I draw."

'Maybe this was a bad idea. He seems like he's afraid of just about everything that I do!'

"I set one monster and end my turn!"

As the monster was set, Choryo drew, and pointed at the monster. "Gearfried the Iron Knight, attack!" But when her knight attacked, the blade was blocked by a huge metal shield covered in spikes. The monster that Gearfried has attempted to destroy was a stocky bronze robot, with its torso being a large gear. Connected to it were two rings covered in spikes, which attached to two large iron tower shields with five spikes on each of them. It also had two short legs, a tail, an iron ring with spikes sticking upward around it, and a head with a small crest, with two red eyes (LV 4: DEF 2200). Anthony sighed in relief. "My Gear Golem the Moving Fortress has enough defense points."

"Okay then, I tribute my monsters to summon Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

Both of her knights disappeared, the mighty cavalier replacing them (LV 7: ATK 2300).

"And now I play my Equip Spell, Metalsilver Armor!"

Soon, the lancer cast away his mighty weapons, and was clad in black armor with silver spikes, and a red cape hanging behind him, two curved swords in his hands, the armor and weapons being those of Dark Blade.

"Now if you wanna play a card or use an effect that targets one monster, you gotta target Gaia! I end my turn!"

Anthony drew his next card, and played it right away. "I activate Nightmare's Steelcage, which will prevent either of us from attacking for two turns!" But as the cage covered Anthony and his Moving Fortress, he began to freak out.

'Remember, it isn't a real cage. It's just a game, it's just a game…'

"Come on, Anthony, snap out of it!"

"R-Right! I set one monster and end my turn!"

Choryo sighed as she drew. "I summon Absolute Crusader." And as the holy knight appeared (LV 4: ATK 1800), Choryo ended her turn.

"I d-draw! And I set one monster! That should be all!"

"*sigh* I draw, and I summon my Tatakawa Knight."

A gladiator appeared, wearing gray and silver armor. His helmet had three grills on it, and a red crest similar to the ones seen on a Spartan helmet. In his right hand was a large silver and red tower shield, and a red-tipped trident was in his left (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"I end my turn." And with that, the Steelcage shattered.

"Okay, I…" But Anthony was having trouble drawing. His hand was shaking, and it refused to move. He couldn't do it. He couldn't continue.

"I…I can't. I for…"

"Don't you dare quit on me! The others never quit on you, so what's your excuse!?"

Anthony snapped towards Choryo, whose fists were clenched tightly as she began to chew out Anthony. "Look at yourself! What the hell happened to you!? All of the other girls, especially Aisha, have gone on and on about how you're such a great ruler, about how you don't duel to win, but for fun. That you would never back down from a challenge, and would always stick up for a friend, despite the danger. And I believed that. But look at you now! You lose once, and now you're just a coward. One who sends his best friends and girlfriend to fight in a war while staying behind, hiding from the oncoming threat. And why? Because you lost?"

"It isn't like that! The way that I lost is what's important, not the loss itself!"

"So what? You're still being a coward, and a horrible leader! You aren't acting like the man that I've heard so much about, the man who I chose to serve, and the man that I love! You're a goddamn disgrace!"

Anthony stepped back, shocked by her words. Choryo looked down, tears of anger forming in her eyes. She didn't care that she was crying, or that she let out her secret. She had said all that she could. Now it was all up to him.

"I…I…" Anthony trembled, before he looked down, the rim of his hat concealing his eyes. "You're right, Shia. I'm a sorry excuse for a leader."

He then carried on, as Choryo listened to every word. "What happened to me? For so long, I've never cared that much about winning or losing, and now, look at me. I can't even put my monsters in attack mode, because I'm so scared of losing. And what about my peerage? Aisha and the others are going out to risk their souls for me, knowing the danger, and what do I do? I hide in my corner, as the others do what I'm too much of a coward to face. Because I'm so much weaker than all of them. And you know what? I fucking hate it, Shia! I hate being controlled by my fears, and I hate having others fight my battles for me because I'm too weak to even try! I hate being a goddamn hypocrite who goes against everything I've said, about having fun and not being afraid to face the future! And I hate that I'm letting everyone down, and so far, only you know just how much I've fallen, Shia. I'm…I'm a dirty coward, and I don't deserve all of this. You deserve better, everyone in my peerage does. So if you want to hate me, go ahead. I deserve it."

For a few agonizing moments, it was silent. Then Choryo spoke. "You know, it takes a whole lotta courage to acknowledge your flaws like you just did, and for that, I can't hate you. But the real question is, are you brave enough to overcome them?"

Anthony stood still, before he clenched his empty hand into a fist. "I don't have much of a choice. I'm sick of letting these fears cloud my judgement, of cowering at the thought of danger. I hate what I've become, and now, it's time to put the past behind me…"

He then looked upwards, eyes filled with determination, before he grabbed his sunglasses and placed them over his eyes. "And face the future!"

Choryo swore she saw light reflect off of the dark lenses with a sheen, and her heart fluttered as she felt the corners of her mouth curve upwards toward her ears. 'So cool,' she thought. "Glad to see ya back to your old self!"

"Not quite," said Anthony as he drew. "What stands before you is the new and improved Anthony Calem, and he's here to stay! Now then, I feel that it's time to get our duel back on track! I Flip Summon my Robotic Knight, and my Sonic Jammer!"

His metal musketeer sprung into action, brandishing its sword as if to taunt Choryo and her knights (LV 4: ATK 1600). The other monster was a new one, however. It looked like a metal cicada, with green wings, a blue speaker on its back, and the word "SONIC" written on the back of its neck (LV 2: ATK 350). As soon as it was flipped up, it let out a powerful series of radio waves that soon trapped Choryo in a green dome of rippling sound energy.

"What the fuck? What just happened?"

"That's the Flip Effect of my Sonic Jammer!" explained Anthony, smiling for the first time in what was less than a day in reality, but felt like an eternity. "Whenever it's flipped, my opponent can't activate Spell Cards until the end of the next turn! And now, for my strongest monster! I tribute my Sonic Jammer and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress to summon the true master of the mechanical, the metal overlord that will pave the way to the future! Arise, Perfect Machine King!"

As the cicada of circuitry and the armored automaton disappeared, the ruler of all robots rose from the ground, dwarfing the other monsters (LV 8: ATK 2700-3200).

"And as you can see, every other Machine-type on the field gives him a bonus of five hundred attack points! So let's finally go on the offensive, guys! Perfect Machine King, attack Gaia the Fierce Knight with Automaton All-Out Assault!"

A cannonade of missiles reduced the armored rider to nothing but tiny pieces of light (Choryo: 4000-3100 LP).

"And now, to take out your other knight with Mechanical Thrust!"

His Robotic Knight burst towards Tatakawa Knight, faster than the gladiator could react, as it was swiftly impaled and destroyed (Choryo: 3100-3000 LP).

"And that should be enough for right now! Has the duel become more entertaining, Shia?"

"Sure is! I draw! And I guess that I set one monster, and switch my Absolute Crusader into defense mode!"

As her monster got down onto one knee and crossed his arms in front of him (DEF 1200), and a face-down monster joined it, the sonic prison disappeared, meaning that Choryo was free to use Spell Cards again. Anthony grinned as he drew, then played his new card.

"I summon my Pursuit Chaser to the field!"

His police chaser entered the battle, spotlights pointed at the opposing monsters (LV 3: ATK 1400). And with another Machine-type in play, Perfect Machine King grew even stronger (ATK 3200-3700).

"Now whenever a monster in defense mode is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you take five hundred points of damage! Perfect Machine King, take down that face-down monster!"

A payload of missiles soon destroyed the defending monster, which was soon revealed to be Hayabusa Knight (LV 3: DEF 700). Afterwards, Pursuit Chaser fired a yellow laser from its hand at Choryo (Choryo: 3000-2500 LP).

"Now Pursuit Chaser will take down your Absolute Crusader with Searchlight Flash!"

Pursuit Chaser took aim and fired a beam of energy which blasted the Warrior-type to bits, then fired a second blast at Choryo (Choryo: 2500-2000 LP).

"Robotic Knight, attack directly!"

The gun barrel on the arm of the robot began to spin, as it let loose a blast of lasers (Choryo: 2000-400 LP).

"And that should do for now."

Choryo drew, and she grinned. "Well, now that I can use Spell Cards again, it's time that I took back control! I activate The Warrior Returning Alive!"

As the familiar Spell Card appeared, a card slid out of the general's Graveyard, and she added it to her hand. "With this card, I can add a Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand, like my old pal Gearfried, who I'm about to summon!"

The knight returned to her side of the field (LV 4: ATK 1800), as Choryo played another card. "And now, for my Release Restraint, which will let me turn my Gearfried the Iron Knight, into Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

The armor then shattered, revealing the true form of Gearfried (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"And now, I equip him with Legendary Sword, boosting his power by three hundred, and letting him use his effect to destroy your Perfect Machine King!"

A broadsword with a golden hilt appeared in the hands of Gearfried (ATK 2600-2900), and one massive slash cut apart Anthony's best monster.

"Oh dear."

"Alright, take out his Pursuit Chaser with Mega Slash!"

Another slash carved apart the Machine-type, and the duel was over (Anthony: 1500-0 LP)(Winner: Choryo).

"So, are you okay?" said Choryo, running past the faded holograms to her lord, as Anthony began to laugh.

"Okay? I'm better than okay! That duel was awesome! Man, the way that your Gearfried just slashed through my monsters like blades of grass? You've got some awesome cards!"

Choryo blushed, before going into her "neko mode." "Not nearly as cool as your Perfect Machine King! That attack was something else!" The two of them began to laugh, as Anthony pulled up his sunglasses. "Hey, thanks for all of your help, Shia. I owe you one."

"No problem. I know just what I want," said Choryo, before she suddenly kissed Anthony on the lips! He began to flail his arms as his eyes shot open, and after six seconds, she broke away. "Hey, I already said that I love ya, so fuck it! Might as well!"

"What was that, Shia!? You know that I'm already seeing somebody! Oh man, if Aisha finds out about this, someone is gonna get hurt!"

"Well, I'm not gonna take you from her! I would never do that! But you know, being a lord, you can date the both of-"

"NO. I'm not doing a harem. I already went over this shit with Shion."

"Well, aren't you mister popular!"

"Don't remind me. Anyway, I have to get going."

"Hm? Going where?"

"To help the others. The five who are here have things handled, but I'm not gonna let the others risk their souls without doing the same."

"Hold on, I'm coming with you!"

"You are? But I thought that you don't duel former allies."

"Maybe not, but I know a shortcut! There's this forest that should definitely lead us right to Gi!"

Anthony nodded. "Okay, let's go!"

~KD~

As the group of generals and lone strategist of Kikai made their way through the wasteland, Bacho suddenly grimaced and stopped walking, with Kan'u and the others following.

"Hawawa! Is something wrong?" asked Shokatsuryo.

"Yeah, and she's standing right there," said Bacho, pointing at Jun'iku Bunjaku, who stood with a smirk on her face and her hands on her hips.

"Hello, Idiots and Weaklings Anonymous. I've been expecting you."


	48. Deep Trouble

"Jun'iku," said Bacho, the name of the strategist who stood before the group feeling like a bad taste in her mouth. Of course, the snide strategist of Gi had to be the first obstacle that they faced. "This shouldn't be too hard, just make her fall behind and she'll just give up."

"A bold claim," said Jun'iku. "But the thing is, I'm not the same coward who gave up the first time around, while I see that you're the same moron as before. The more things change, I suppose…"

Kan'u put her arm in front of Bacho to keep her from assaulting the small strategist. "The seven of us have orders from Lord Anthony to stop Lord Soso, and if you are going to impede our efforts, then we'll have no choice but to stop you. Am I clear?"

"As crystal," said Jun'iku with a smirk as she took her deck out of her Duel Disk and began to shuffle it.

"Alright, I'll go first-"

"No."

Kan'u then turned to Ryofu, who had moved past her. "We need you for Soso. Don't want you losing. I'll go first."

"Ren, I'm the best duelist here. It's best that I duel her, so that we have the best chances of beating her!" But Ryofu just shook her head and drew five cards.

"Ready?"

"Of course! Get ready to face the power of the Gi Kingdom!"

(Ryofu: 4000 LP)(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)

"I don't like this," said Kan'u. "If Ren loses, then we'll be one general down, and once all of us are defeated, then Soso has a chance to take down Anthony, and unless Shia was able to restore him to his senses, that's going to be easy."

"It shouldn't be that hard," said Bacho. "Jun'iku is no match for Ren. The only thing that I'm upset about is that I wanted to smack that smug smile clean off her face when I crushed her."

"Draw! Summon Griffore!"

The huge red beast crashed down before Jun'iku, letting out a low rumble (LV 4: ATK 1200). "End turn."

"That was fast. I draw, and I play a card that will make things that much easier for me! I play A Legendary Ocean!"

Soon, the field drastically changed in appearance as Jun'iku played her Field Spell. The eight of them soon found themselves in an underwater city, with huge buildings made of stone bricks and large arches. Schools of fish swam around them, and some, like Chohi, were having a field day.

"Ooh, so pretty!"

"I must admit, Rinrin, I agree with you," said Choun as she watched a school of angelfish swim past her. "Although I'm more concerned about the effect of this card."

"The effect is that all of the WATER monsters on the field and in the hands of both players have their levels reduced by one, and all WATER monsters on the field gain two hundred attack and defense points! So now, I can summon my Deepsea Warrior right away!"

The half-fish, half-man Warrior-type soon floated onto the field, kicking his legs in place to stay stationary (LV 5-4-5, ATK 1600-1800-1600).

"Hm? What happened?" mused Kochu. "His attack points and level seem to have returned to normal."

"Well, when Umi is in play, Deepsea Warrior is unaffected by Spell Cards."

"But Umi isn't in play, A Legendary Ocean is!" said Kan'u.

"Tell me, are you sure that you won all of your duels with skill, and not by your looks, Tits?" snarked Jun'iku, which made Kan'u, and by association Chohi, angry. "A Legendary Ocean counts as Umi! Or didn't you know that some cards can count as others? Like half of the monsters in Shuran's deck that count as Harpie Lady. Deepsea Warrior, destroy Griffore with Abyss Trident!"

Her monster then swam towards the Beast-type and pierced it with his trident, causing Griffore to explode into pixels (Ryofu: 4000-3600 LP).

"And now, I set one card to end my turn!"

Ryofu drew, then placed another card on her field. "Summon Dark Bat!"

Soon, a large maroon bat with long fangs and green eyes appeared, letting out a high-pitched screech as it desperately tried to flap its leathery wings underwater (LV 3: ATK 1000).

"Oh please, if your plan was to make me gag, then it worked, but Deepsea Warrior is far too powerful to be beaten by that thing!"

"I play Rush Recklessly."

Dark Bat suddenly began to glow red, as it let out a second screech (ATK 1000-1700).

"Attack."

Dark Bat then let out a loud screech, sending powerful sound waves that caused Deepsea Warrior to explode (Jun'iku: 4000-3900 LP).

"I set one card…and end my turn." (ATK 1700-1000).

"I draw, then! And I summon my Torpedo Fish!"

A green fish with red fins, yellow eyes, and sharp teeth appeared, its body in the shape of a torpedo, with its back fin split into three parts, and its conical head (LV 3-2-3: ATK 1000-1200-1000).

"Let me guess," said Kan'u from the sidelines, "another monster unaffected by Spell Cards when Umi is on the field."

"Of course, but that doesn't mean anything about Trap Cards! I play my Fish Depth Charge!"

A card depicting a bunch of remoras, similar to the ones in the artwork of Cranium Fish, that were swimming at high speeds appeared, as the caudal fin of Torpedo Fish began to spin, as it burst towards Dark Bat and rammed into it, destroying them both.

"With this card, I can tribute a Fish-type monster to destroy one card that you control, then draw another card!" And as soon as she drew her next card, she activated it. "And now, I play my Moray of Greed!"

Ryofu watched with curiosity as a moray eel with a face that looked eerily similar to the smile on Pot of Greed swam out from a window of one of the underwater buildings, then swam up to Jun'iku and swallowed her deck! She then placed two monsters, Root Water and Crab Turtle, into the mouth of the eel, and it then spat out three cards, as she added them to her hand, before retrieving her deck as well.

"With this card, I send two WATER monsters from my hand back to my deck, shuffle my deck, and draw three cards! And now, I activate my Water Hazard!"

A Continuous Spell appeared with some large waves at sunset, with a shoal of Ocean's Keepers just under the surface.

"Hawawa…"

"What is it, Shuri?" asked Kan'u. "If you know something about this card, then let us know as well."

"With that card, once per turn, if she controls no monsters, Jun'iku can Special Summon a level four or lower WATER monster from her hand. Hawawa, this is gonna be trouble…"

"I Special Summon my Oyster Meister to the field!"

Soon, out of the card splashed a humanoid creature that had slimy orange skin that was covered in rough gray oyster shells, with many tentacles sticking out of its back (LV 3-2: ATK 1600-1800).

"Oh my, it looks like poor Ren is about to take a direct attack," said Kochu.

"Come on, Ren, don't let her beat you! Make her pay!" shouted Bacho, pumping her fist into the air.

"Oyster Meister, attack directly with Bivalve Discus!"

The Fish-type materialized a bumpy throwing disk made of the same material as its armor, with the edges being sharp. It then threw the weapon at Ryofu, who didn't react as it passed through her (Ryofu: 3600-1800 LP).

"Are you done?"

"For now, yes. I'll have some more fun next turn!"

Ryofu drew, and pushed a button on her Duel Disk. "Limit Reverse."

As her Trap Card flipped up, Dark Bat returned to the field (LV 3: ATK 1000). It then disappeared, as Ryofu brought out her signature monster.

"Summon Manticore of Darkness!"

The massive beast of Greek myth let out a powerful roar as its muscles rippled (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"Hmph, not bad," admitted Jun'iku.

"I activate Wild Nature's Release!"

Soon, a red aura surrounded the now enraged manticore (ATK 2300-3300).

"Furious Frenzy!"

The Beast-Warrior soon slashed apart the Fish with its huge claws (Jun'iku: 3900-2400 LP). Ryofu ended her turn, causing her monster to explode. However, it wouldn't be gone for long, as she then discarded her Catnipped Kitty, as Manticore of Darkness returned (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"Well, that monster seems like it might be a little harder to get rid of than I would hope. I draw! And I use the effect of my Water Hazard to summon my Cannonball Spear Shellfish!"

Out of the card popped a pink turban snail with green eyes and a pointed silver shell (LV 2-1-2: ATK 1000-1200-1000).

"I really should ask why there are so many monsters in her deck that are unaffected by her own cards," said Kan'u.

"Well, they're unaffected by opposing spells as well," said Choun. "Very useful against cards like Raigeki and Dark Hole."

"See, she's smart!" said Jun'iku, pointing to Choun, who couldn't help but grin as her ego got a small boost. "Not as smart as me, but still!"

"What about me? I'm the strategist!"

"Fair point," said Jun'iku, agreeing with Shokatsuryo. "But still, two out of seven does little to tip the scales. Anyway, enough for now, I can insult you after I humiliate you! I tribute Cannonball Spear Shellfish to summon my Amphibian Beast!"

The shellfish was soon replaced by a green fishman with webbed hands, large blue fins all over its body, red eyes, a red gem in its forehead, and sharp teeth (LV 6-5: ATK 2400-2600).

"Now attack with your Sea Claw!"

Amphibian Beast swam towards Manticore of Darkness and slashed through it with sharp claws, reducing it to pieces (Ryofu: 1800-1500 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!" But as soon as she did, Ryofu simply discarded her Outstanding Dog Marron, with Manticore of Darkness returning at full strength (LV 6: ATK 2300). As soon as she did, she used the effect of Outstanding Dog Marron, returning it to her deck.

"What an annoying monster to get rid of. I end my turn with a face-down."

Ryofu drew, then she played her Pot of Greed, and drew two new cards, then slipped one of them into her Field Spell Zone, as the undersea ruins were replaced by a large Forest, as Jun'iku frowned, removing her Field Spell and sending it to the Graveyard (LV 5-6: ATK 2600-2400)(ATK 2300-2500).

"I know this card," said Choun. "It's in my deck. With it, her Beast-Warrior-type and Beast-type monsters will gain two hundred attack and defense points, and the same goes for any Plant-type or Insect-type monsters."

"Ooh, Rinrin likes it! Maybe I could add it to my deck…" said Chohi.

"Summon…Mad Dog of Darkness!"

A dog with orange fur appeared, its ears having been warped into horns, as its eyes were red and its paws had become reptilian claws (LV 4: ATK 1900-2100).

"Furious Frenzy!"

Amphibian Beast was soon run through by the stinger of the Beast-Warrior, which then slashed at it with its claws (Jun'iku: 2400-2300 LP).

"Dark Bark!"

Mad Dog of Darkness then unleashed a powerful roar, with red sound waves sending Jun'iku backwards (Jun'iku: 2300-200 LP). But as she got to her feet, the strategist began to laugh.

"Oh, yes! It feels great! Just like when Karin brings me to her knees, punishes me for misbehaving…" As the masochist began to blush as she gushed about her lord's "antics" with her, Kan'u put her hands over the ears of Chohi, who was confused.

"Nobody wants to hear that, you freak!" shouted Bacho.

"You're just jealous of our love," said Jun'iku. "Oh yes, maybe I should arrive late after I beat you. Maybe she'll punish me. Oh, I hope she uses the whip!"

"I end my turn," said Ryofu, attempting to get the duel back on track.

"Their relationship is quite bizarre," noted Kochu, folding her arms under her breasts as she analyzed Jun'iku's behavior. "But if they're both happy, I suppose that I shouldn't interfere. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

"Don't encourage her!" said Shokatsuryo, as Jun'iku drew her next card, before she sent it straight to the Graveyard, as a blue and white fishman with a fin on his head and a wrist-mounted crossbow briefly appeared (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"By discarding my Warrior of Atlantis," explained Jun'iku, "I can add A Legendary Ocean from my deck to my hand! And now, let's bring things back to somewhere where my monsters have the home field advantage, shall we?"

Once again, the duelists found themselves in the underwater city (ATK 2500-2300)(ATK 2100-1900).

"And that should do for now, so come at me! Please," she said, a thin line of drool escaping from her lips.

"Was she always like this?" Choun asked Kan'u.

"I don't remember her being so masochistic, but then again, I didn't really know her that well. Considering how rude she and her lord were, I attempted to keep my distance from them."

"Draw…and I summon…Enraged Battle Ox!"

The mad minotaur appeared on the field with a loud bellow (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"This duel…is over. Axe Charge Attack!"

Her monster ran towards Jun'iku, axe behind it, and was ready to slice through the short sharp-tongued strategist, when a whirlpool kicked up around her, too strong for the Beast-Warrior to get through.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Jun'iku as the maelstrom died down. "I activated my Tornado Wall in the nick of time! Now as long as I control this card, if Umi is on the field, I take no battle damage!"

Ryofu pouted, and ended her turn, with Jun'iku drawing her next card. When she saw what it was, her eyes lit up, before her face twisted into a sinister smile. "I pass my turn."

"She's up to something, I just know it," said Kan'u, narrowing her eyes as Ryofu drew.

"Summon Mosaic Manticore!"

Soon, both Enraged Battle Ox and Mad Dog of Darkness vanished, and Ryofu's second, more powerful manticore joined the battle (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Whoa, that's new!" shouted Kan'u, never having seen this monster before. "With this kind of power at her disposal, Ren has this victory secured!"

"I end my turn."

Jun'iku drew, and as she looked at her card, she began to chuckle, before it morphed into a wicked laugh. "Oh, but you aren't the only one who has a shiny new toy! It's time that you learned just how outclassed you are! I use the effect of Water Hazard to summon my Kairyu-Shin!"

Out of the card came a massive blue sea serpent with no eyes and teeth like swords (LV 5-4: ATK 1800-2000).

"Too weak…" said Ryofu.

"If that thing is supposed to be your ultimate monster, color me unimpressed!" shouted Bacho, with Jun'iku snickering in response.

"Oh no, you don't understand, Kairyu-Shin isn't the monster that's going to win me this duel. What is, however, is the monster that I drew the turn before! I tribute my Kairyu-Shin to summon my ultimate monster, one that commands the tides and stirs the seas, with a great flood washing over my foes! Now rise from the deep, Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

The water began to shift as one Sea Serpent vanished, and another came from the sunken city. It was absolutely enormous, big enough to completely constrict Perfect Machine King. It had blue scales with a purple underbelly, and a red fin down the length of its back, and one on its tail. It had four clawed legs like an Eastern dragon, a pair by its head, and a pair by the tip of its tail. It had thicker armor with spikes like shark fins on the back of its neck, and very thick armor with a green jewel on the top of its head. It had yellow eyes, and a wide mouth filled with serrated teeth (LV 7-6: ATK 2600-2800).

"So, are you impressed yet? Or can your pitiful mind not take it?"

"Hawawa…" said Shokatsuryo as she shook, with Chohi staring in awe, stars in her eyes. Even Ryofu couldn't help but take a step back at the sheer size of it.

"But that's not all, because now, I'll activate its ability, letting me send Umi to the Graveyard in order to destroy every card on the field except for itself!"

Soon, the field disappeared, and a massive wave crashed down on the field, with Manticore of Darkness, Mosaic Manticore, Water Hazard, and Tornado Wall being destroyed in the process, and soon, all that was left was the mighty Sea Serpent-type (LV 6-7: ATK 2800-2600).

"And now, to end this. Daedalus, Levia Stream!"

Levia-Dragon - Daedalus then spat out a torrent of water that sent Ryofu flying backwards, as she skidded against the sand (Ryofu: 1500-0 LP)(Winner: Jun'iku).

"And that's just a taste of the power of Lord Karin's army!" shouted Jun'iku, as Ryofu got onto her knees, her cowlicks drooping as she frowned.

"I lost…"

"Don't worry, Ren! You did your best!" said Chohi, patting her fellow redhead on the back as she smiled, the tattooed animal lover managing a weak smile in return.

"Alright, it's clear that you're a much bigger threat than we first believed," said Kan'u, as she began to walk towards Jun'iku, who had removed her deck from her Duel Disk and had begun to switch out some of the cards in it with her side deck. "So I should be the one to-"

"No. I want someone at my level of intelligence to provide me a decent challenge. I would prefer to duel those two," said Jun'iku, pointing at Choun and Shokatsuryo as she put her side deck into the pocket of her jacket, "before I clean up the rest of you imbeciles with ease."

"In that case," said Choun, passing Kan'u with her own Duel Disk turned on, "I'll take you on."

"Are you sure about this?" said Kan'u. "It would be best if I challenged her."

"True, but if she wants to duel me or Shuri first, then we can provide this. Besides, you're implying that I have a chance of losing."

"Don't get cocky," said Kan'u, frowning. "She's dangerous."

"And so am I. Let's duel!"

"With pleasure."

(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" shouted Jun'iku, drawing her next card. "I'll set one card, then summon my Mother Grizzly!"

A large blue grizzly bear appeared, standing on her hind legs as she let out a vicious roar (LV 4: ATK 1400)

"And now, I end my turn!"

"Very well. I draw! And I play my Mystical Space Typhoon, in order to destroy your face-down!"

The blue tornado shredded the card, revealed to be Torrential Tribute.

"Phew! If Sei summoned a monster with that card on the field, Jun'iku could've destroyed every monster on the field!" said Shokatsuryo in relief.

"And now, I'd like for you to meet my Flying Kamakiri #1!"

The massive dragonfly popped out and took to the skys, wings buzzing loudly (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Oh, that is nasty!" shouted Jun'iku as she made a face of disgust. "I would have dueled the strategist first if I knew that you used such disgusting monsters in your deck!"

"My monsters aren't disgusting, they're magnificent! And now I activate my Insect Armor with Laser Cannon, in order to give my Kamakiri seven hundred attack points!"

The large piece of armor was soon equipped to the Insect-type, with the laser cannon pointed directly at the Beast-Warrior type (ATK 1400-2100).

"Now attack with Laser Artillery!"

Her monster aimed its new gear at Mother Grizzly, before blasting a huge laser beam at the WATER monster, destroying it (Jun'iku: 4000-3300 LP). Once it was destroyed, however, a blue portal appeared, and out swam an aquamarine anglerfish with a long beard and no lure (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Whenever my Mother Grizzly is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon any WATER monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck! And my Unshaven Angler happens to fit that description perfectly!"

"Then I suppose I end my turn."

"Perfect. I draw, and I think I should let you know something. Think of it as an act of kindness."

"You and kindness don't go together," said Bacho, but Jun'iku ignored the brunette general, and instead continued talking to the bluenette general instead.

"My Unshaven Angler has a very useful ability. You see, when I want to Tribute Summon a WATER monster, I can use this monster as two tributes! So I tribute my Unshaven Angler to summon my Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

"Here it comes," said Choun, as the anglerfish was soon replaced by the massive sea monster, which let out a huge roar as it gazed down over the members of Kikai (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Attack, my monster, with Levia Stream!"

The Sea Serpent-type shot a high-pressure stream of water that blasted right through the oversized insect, with its exoskeleton and armor doing little to save it from being reduced to pixels (Choun: 4000-3500 LP). However, a green portal then appeared, and out flew a mechanical bee with metal arms and legs, a red scarf around its neck, and a trident with the three tips glowing yellow (LV 1: ATK 500).

"What is that supposed to be?" asked Jun'iku.

"Well, whenever Flying Kamakiri #1 is destroyed in battle, similar to your Mother Grizzly, I can Special Summon a WIND monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, in this case, Bee List Soldier."

"Whatever. I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play my Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards at the cost of discarding two! And then, I summon my Leghul!"

The familiar spiked caterpillar leapt out of the card and into the action (LV 1: ATK 300).

"And now, I play my Multiplication of Ants, tributing my Leghul to summon two Army Ant Tokens to the field!"

The worm soon shattered, as two large ants appeared and began to click their mandibles (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And now, I play my Monster Reborn, to revive a monster from my Graveyard! Behold, the ruler of the insect kingdom, a ruthless creature who wipes out anything in her path! Reveal yourself, and rise to your full power, Insect Queen!"

The mighty insect monarch crawled onto the battlefield, and Jun'iku squirmed in fear and repulsion as it flapped its wings, as it let out a powerful cry (LV 7: ATK 2200-3000).

"And as you can see, every Insect-type on the field increases her power by two hundred points! So now, my monster is more powerful than your Levia-Dragon! Unfortunately, I have to tribute in order to attack. So I tribute an Army Ant Token, to have my monster unleash her Queen's Toxic Breath!"

The huge Insect-type bit down on one of the two tokens (ATK 3000-2800), and then spat out a beam of energy that destroyed the Sea Serpent (Jun'iku: 3300-3100 LP).

"Now my other token and my Bee List Soldier will attack directly!"

The strategist soon found herself being stung by the trident (Jun'iku: 3100-2600 LP) and bitten by the mandibles (Jun'iku: 2600-2100 LP) of Choun's monsters.

"And now, I use the effect of my Bee List Soldier, tributing it and another Insect-type to draw two cards! So I'll tribute Bee List Soldier and my Army Ant Token!"

Both of her monsters disappeared, leaving only the Insect Queen (ATK 2800-2400), as Choun drew two cards.

"Now I play Swords of Revealing Light, to prevent you from attacking for three turns! And I end my turn with a face-down, while Insect Queen Special Summons an Insect Monster Token!"

As the green swords fell around Jun'iku, Insect Queen laid an egg (LV 1: ATK 100)(ATK 2400-2600).

"Ew! I draw, and thankfully, I'll be able to get rid of that egg before it hatches into something disgusting! I summon my Skull Kraken!"

Despite the fact that Jun'iku claimed that Choun's insects were disgusting, her new monster didn't fare much better. It was a large black kraken with a skull-like body, having red eyes and a large mouth with teeth pointing inward like a lamprey at the top, with eight tentacles that ended in pincers like that of a lobster (LV 3: ATK 600).

"Odd, I thought that she only used WATER monsters, but that monster is a DARK monster," said Shokatsuryo.

"But it's an Aqua-type, and it resembles the skulls that are worn by my lovely lord! And it has a useful ability. When I Normal Summon it, I can destroy one face-up Spell Card on the field, like your Swords of Revealing Light!"

The eight claws of Skull Kraken proceeded to go to town on the luminous blades, ripping them into tiny pieces.

"And now that I'm free to attack once more, I'll take down that Insect Monster Token!"

The tentacles then tore apart the egg, and Chohi and Ryofu had to look away (Choun: 3500-3000 LP)(ATK 2600-2400).

"And now, I use the effect of my monster to switch it into defense mode!"

The kraken then brought its tentacles closer to its body (DEF 1600), when Choun played her face-down, and it suddenly went back into attack mode (ATK 600).

"I use my Final Attack Orders to have every face-up monster stay in attack mode!"

"Hmph! I set a card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I summon my Chainsaw Insect!"

Her massive ant materialized, gnashing its mandibles as the teeth spun with a loud whirring noise (LV 4: ATK 2400)(ATK 2400-2600).

"And now, I'll attack your monster with Serrated Bite!"

The chainsaws slashed through the Aqua-type, leaving Jun'iku with no monsters (Jun'iku: 2100-300 LP).

"But don't feel too bad. Whenever Chainsaw Insect attacks or is attacked, you get to draw a card!"

Jun'iku drew a card, while she hid a wicked grin. 'She may be smarter than that tattooed savage, but she's still unable to notice an obvious trap!'

"And now, I tribute my Chainsaw Insect so that Insect Queen is able to end this duel, so that we may be able to continue on our way to Soso!" (ATK 2600-2400)

But as the ruler of all insects unleashed her deadly breath, Jun'iku played her Trap Card, showing a veil of water absorbing a yellow beam of energy.

"By declaring a direct attack, you've just activated my Drowning Mirror Force! Now all of your monsters in attack mode are shuffled into the deck!"

A huge tsunami came and swept away Insect Queen, as Choun shuffled her favorite monster into her deck with a heavy heart. "Well, I end my turn with a face-down."

"Then it's my draw! And I play my Moray of Greed, using it to shuffle my Psychic Kappa and my Deepsea Warrior back into my deck and draw three cards!"

As the moray eel distributed new cards to Jun'iku, she then played one of her new ones. "And now I summon my Jellyfish to the field!"

The jellyfish appeared on the field, floating in place (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And now I play my Aqua Jet! With this card, I can select any Fish-type, Aqua-type, or Sea Serpent-type that I control and give it an extra one thousand attack points, and the best part is that this card doesn't wear off!"

A metal fish-shaped jet with two long wings and two orange screws appeared, and attached itself to the body of Jellyfish under its mass of stingers (ATK 1200-2200).

"Now attack directly!"

The gelatinous sea creature sped over to the space above Choun with help from the Aqua Jet, and it constricted her with its tentacles before unleashing an electric current that, while the others knew it was harmless, looked incredibly painful (Choun: 3000-800 LP).

"And now, I end my turn with a face-down."

"Then it's my turn! I draw, then I play my face-down, Reckless Greed, which lets me draw two more cards, at the cost of skipping my next two Draw Phases!"

Her card flipped up, showing a bandit greedily reaching for a chest overflowing with riches, unaware that the treasure chest was on top of a trapdoor. Choun looked over her new cards, then smiled as she placed one of them onto her Monster Zone.

"And since I don't control any monsters, I can Special Summon my Primitive Butterfly from my hand!"

The new monster was a butterfly that had a thin purple abdomen, a rounded ivory and dark brown striped thorax, and a purple head with large blue compound eyes, a small orange beak, and long pink feathery antennae. It had six feather shaped wings that were yellow and green with red teardrop markings and six long, spindly legs (LV 5: ATK 1200).

"And I use its effect to increase the level of all Insect-types that I control by one!"

The Insect-type flapped its wings, and became coated in a fine powder that twinkled in the light (LV 5-6).

"And what was that supposed to accomplish, exactly?"

"This! I play my Insect Imitation, letting me tribute a monster to Special Summon an Insect-type from my deck that's one level higher! So I tribute Primitive Butterfly, who is now level six, to bring out my level seven Brain Crusher!"

A green egg then encased Primitive Butterfly, and the egg began to shake until it hatched, unveiling a massive insect that made Jun'iku scream until she began to foam at the mouth. Its exoskeleton was a bizarre mix of blue, purple, and red, with a few orange spots here and there. It had a head with red eyes and mouthparts, and a huge pair of mandibles directly below it leading to a bigger, second mouth. It had a long thorax and a massive abdomen, and it had two arms and four legs, all ending in claws, with two pairs of wings (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"W-W-W-W-W-WHAAAAAT IS THAAAAT!? It's the most disgusting thing that I've ever had the misfortune of seeing! Oh god, I think that I'm going to vomit!"

"Hey, my monster is amazing, not disgusting!"

"Yeah, it's super cool!" said Chohi with stars in her eyes, as Bacho grinned and Ryofu nodded.

"Maybe so, but it isn't strong enough to win this duel," said Shokatsuryo, "unless it gains another one hundred attack points."

"How about three hundred, Shuri? I play my Laser Cannon Armor, giving Brain Crusher another three hundred attack points and defense points!"

The high-powered laser gun was strapped onto Brain Crusher, making the hulking Insect-type even more intimidating (ATK 2400-2700).

"Now attack!"

But as the blast charged up, Jun'iku changed her fear into delight, as she activated her Trap Card, showing a wave and two hands made of water, with Poseidon, Greek god of the sea and earthquakes, pointing his trident from behind the water.

"You fell right into my trap! I activate my Poseidon Wave, negating your attack and dealing eight hundred points of damage for every Fish-type, Sea Serpent-type, and Aqua-type that I control! Which makes me victorious!"

The wave then crashed down on Choun, as the holograms faded away with her on her back, defeated (Choun: 800-0 LP)(Winner: Jun'iku).

"And that's another victory for me. Now it's your turn, blondie," said Jun'iku, pointing to Shokatsuryo while Choun struggled to get to her feet.

"Hawawa…this won't be easy, will it…but I can't give up! Bring it, Jun'iku!"

Kan'u widened her eyes at the sudden burst of confidence as Jun'iku once more began to exchange the cards in her main and side decks while Shokatsuryo shuffled her cards. 'She's really focused, and hopefully, that means that she'll be able to defeat Jun'iku. Once we do, we'll be able to keep moving forward, and hopefully, having a Gi strategist as a hostage will allow us to gain useful knowledge about any other opponents that we might come across. Good luck, Shuri. We're all rooting for you.'

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)

"Seeing as I'm clearly superior, having destroyed two generals without breaking a sweat, I'll make the first move! I draw! And I summon my Lost Blue Breaker!"

The two-headed sea serpent swam through the air and came to rest in front of Jun'iku (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"And to end my turn, I set two cards!"

"Then I draw! And I summon my Mirage Dragon to the field!"

The yellow dragon entered the battle, floating in the air (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And I play my Dragon's Gunfire, which lets me either deal eight hundred points of damage, or destroy a monster that you control with eight hundred or less defense points! And seeing as Lost Blue Breaker has zero defense points, I think that I'll use the latter effect!"

The Eastern dragon fired an orange fireball at Lost Blue Breaker, destroying it.

"And I chose Mirage Dragon specifically because when it's on the field, you can't use Trap Cards during the Battle Phase! Go, Spectrum Blast!"

As a purple fog covered the two set cards that Jun'iku controlled, Mirage Dragon fired its iridescent blast of color at the Gi strategist, giving the Kikai strategist a large lead (Jun'iku: 4000-2400 LP).

"And I end my turn by setting a single card."

"Come on, Shuri, take her down, for Ren and Sei!" shouted Bacho.

"We'll see. I draw, and then I play my Moray of Greed!"

For the third duel in a row, Jun'iku played this card, returning her Deepsea Warrior and her Kairyu-Shin to her deck, before she drew three cards.

"Perfect! I summon my Root Water to the field!"

The blue fishman appeared on the field, letting out a hiss (LV 3: ATK 900).

"And now, I activate my Fish Depth Charge, tributing my Root Water to destroy your Mirage Dragon!"

However, Shokatsuryo was prepared for such an encounter. "I activate The Dragon's Bead, negating your Trap Card and destroying it!"

Shokatsuryo then discarded one of her cards in order to use the effect of her card, and while Root Water was still tributed, Fish Depth Charge was destroyed. Jun'iku then played her other face-down, showing a blizzard where one man was buried in snow, and another was covered in it.

"Well, by destroying a Trap Card of mine, you've just let me activate my Driving Snow, destroying a Spell Card or Trap Card that you control!"

A snowstorm was soon kicked up, and The Dragon's Bead was promptly destroyed as a result.

"And now, to end my turn, I set one card!"

"Then it's my turn. I draw, and I summon my Twin-Headed Behemoth to the field!"

The two-headed dragon was soon on the field (LV 3: ATK 1500), when both of her monsters were then blasted by a torrent of water and destroyed.

"Hawawa! Torrential Tribute!"

"Yep, and you walked right into it, didn't you? Now you have no monsters on the field!"

"Oh my, this isn't good for Shuri!" said Kochu.

"Hawawa, what a move. But don't think that my defenses have been completely wiped out just now. I activate the effect of my Twin-Headed Behemoth, in order to Special Summon it with one thousand attack and defense points!"

The purple two-headed dragon returned to the field, heads low (LV 3: DEF 1000).

"And that means that my turn is over!"

"Alright!" shouted Chohi, jumping in the air with her fist raised. "Shuri managed to protect herself!"

"I wouldn't say that. I play A Legendary Ocean!"

Soon, the underwater ruins appeared, and Shokatsuryo began to worry.

'Hawawa…this card proved problematic for Ren when she was dueling Jun'iku. I had better be careful.'

"And now, I summon Piercing Moray!"

A long brown moray eel with yellow eyes appeared, eyes emitting beams of light like headlights (LV 4-3: ATK 1500-1700).

"And my monster here has the power to inflict piercing damage! Attack!"

The beams of light became much stronger as they cut through Shokatsuryo's Dragon (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3300 LP).

"And that should do for right now."

"Hawawa…I draw! And I play my Card Rotator!"

The new card showed a stage with a red curtain, where a magician with face paint was using magic strings to switch Jerry Beans Man into defense mode and Marshmallon into attack mode. She then sent one card to the Graveyard in order to use it, as suddenly, Piercing Moray switched its battle position (DEF 700).

"What this card lets me do is discard a card to switch the battle position of every monster that you control. And I summon my Spear Dragon, a monster of my own that can inflict piercing damage!"

The long-beaked dragon let out a screech as it hit the field, gliding on nonexistent winds using its wings (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Now attack! Cyclone Blast!"

Her monster fired a green spiral of energy from its mouth that tore through Piercing Moray with ease (Jun'iku: 2400-1200 LP). She then ended her turn, her monster switching into defense mode as a result (DEF 0).

"This is going great," said Kan'u. "Shuri has had the advantage throughout this entire duel. We might be able to beat her!"

"Unfortunately, being a strategist, she doesn't have as much value as a general," said Choun.

"Hey, as long as she's a member of Gi, I'll be happy to see her go down," said Bacho.

"I think that we should talk later," said Kochu, worried about the younger general's attitude.

"I draw!" As soon as Jun'iku saw her card, she began to laugh like a lunatic. "Perfect! I've drawn one of the best cards in my deck! But first, I summon my Maiden of the Aqua!"

Her new monster was a buxom woman with short blue hair, a black top with a white jacket, a purple scarf, a seashell necklace, and a bladed trident in her right hand (LV 4-3: ATK 700-900).

"And now, I play my Big Wave Small Wave!"

Her card had a picture of a huge orange wave sweeping away a ton of WATER monsters. Shokatsuryo was able to make out Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness, Levia-Dragon - Daedalus, Sentinel of the Seas, 30,000-Year White Turtle, Akihiron, Armored Starfish, Torpedo Fish, Crazy Fish, Psychic Kappa, and Twin Long Rods #2. A huge wave (which was underwater, because reasons) then crashed down on Maiden of the Aqua, and slowly, something began to draw closer to them.

"Now this card is incredibly handy. It destroys all of my WATER monsters, but then, I can Special Summon an equal amount of WATER monsters from my hand! Like my Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

The huge leviathan finally swam into view, and Shokatsuryo began to shake (LV 7-6: ATK 2600-2800). "Hawawa, hawawawa, hawawawawa! Hawawawawawawawa!"

"Oh good, I broke her. So much for my intellectual equal. I use my Daedalus's effect to send A Legendary Ocean to the Graveyard and destroy all other cards on the field!"

The Field Spell vanished, leaving only monsters, but that would soon change (LV 6-7: ATK 2800-2600). A geyser of water then destroyed Spear Dragon, and Shokatsuryo was wide open for an attack.

"Levia Stream!"

Shokatsuryo amazingly managed to keep her footing, despite the massive blast of liquid that hit her directly (Shokatsuryo: 3300-700 LP).

"Well, that was fun. But now I end my turn."

"Me and my big mouth," said Kan'u.

"Don't worry, big sis! Rinrin believes that Shuri will still win!"

"I d-draw! And I summon my Blizzard Dragon!"

The blue dragon appeared, a cloud of cold air coming from its mouth (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And I use its special ability! I can select one monster that you control, then prevent it from attacking or changing its battle position!"

The Dragon-type shot a blast of cold air that coated the Sea Serpent in a layer of snow, before Shokatsuryo ended her turn.

"This is good," said Kochu. "She's managed to save herself for another turn, giving her a chance to recover."

"I draw, and I summon my Drill Barnacle!"

A barnacle appeared, floating next to the frozen Levia-Dragon. It had multiple purple drills growing out of it and peach colored tentacles (LV 3: ATK 300).

"And with this monster, I can attack directly, and it gains a thousand attack points whenever it deals damage by means of a direct attack!"

The drills then began to spin, as the Aqua-type jetted itself towards the opponent and rammed her (Shokatsuryo: 700-400 LP)(ATK 300-1300). Fortunately, she was only knocked back by the shockwaves, but it definitely looked painful.

"I end my turn." And with that, the snow cleared from Levia-Dragon - Daedalus, returning it to normal.

"So mine begins! I draw! And I use the effect of Blizzard Dragon to once more stop your biggest monster from attacking or changing battle positions, and then I'll have my Blizzard Dragon attack your Drill Barnacle!"

As another blanket of snow covered Jun'iku's most powerful monster, much to her annoyance, her Drill Barnacle was blasted by a freezing cold attack (Jun'iku: 1200-700 LP).

"And to end my turn, I set one card!"

"Then I draw! And I set a monster to end my turn."

"But I'm not done yet!" As Jun'iku tried to make heads or tails of what her opponent meant, she played her face-down. "I'll use my Call of the Haunted, and tribute my Blizzard Dragon!"

"What are you doing? You don't need a tribute for Call of the Haunted!"

"Maybe not, but to summon this monster from the Graveyard, I need to tribute a Dragon-type monster! Behold, my most powerful monster, and a gift from my lord! Tyrant Dragon!"

The massive dragon rose from the ground, letting out a loud roar that shook Jun'iku to her core, not that she would ever admit it (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"And now, I draw! And I activate my Question!"

The new card showed a magician in a top hat with a sign that had a question mark on it coming out, as he pushed a red button, evidently being on a game show.

"Now, you have to guess the first monster at the bottom of my Graveyard, without checking it. Guess right, and that monster is banished. Guess wrong, and I get to Special Summon it!"

Jun'iku started to think, smiling confidently. 'Fool. It's obvious that the monster is Mirage Dragon.' Then her expression became worried. 'Wait, she sent Tyrant Dragon to the Graveyard by discarding it, obviously. But she discarded twice, once before she lost her Mirage Dragon! So there might be one monster underneath it. But what if the card she discarded with The Dragon's Bead wasn't a monster, or was, in fact, Tyrant Dragon!?'

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm waiting."

"I've made my decision! It's Mirage Dragon!"

Shokatsuryo remained still for a moment. Then she pulled a card out of her Graveyard…and placed it on her field. "Wrong! I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Her favorite monster flew out of a portal on the ground before it landed on the ground beside Tyrant Dragon, growling (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"And Tyrant Dragon can immediately attack again if you still control a monster after its first attack, so you're finished! Dragon Flame Attack!"

A massive inferno soon approached the face-down monster, which was revealed to be a man with long blue spiky hair, a mask with red eyes, a green robe with a yellow collar, and long red fingernails (LV 4: DEF 2000). The monster, Aqua Madoor, tried to block the blaze with a wall of water, but it was futile, and the Spellcaster was blown apart. Tyrant Dragon then turned to Levia-Dragon - Daedalus, and shot a second fireball that torched the Sea Serpent (Jun'iku: 700-400 LP).

"And now, it's time for you to pay! Red-Eyes, Inferno Fire Blast!"

Her signature card shot its signature attack, and the shockwaves sent Jun'iku flying backwards (Jun'iku: 400-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo).

"And that should take care of you!" shouted Bacho, as the holograms disappeared.

"Sui, I won, not you."

"Well yeah, but I'm so happy!"

Jun'iku looked down in absolute despair. She had lost! Soso would be furious with her! But then she began to grin. Maybe when she heard that she lost, Soso would punish her. Oh yes…

"Jun'iku Bunjaku, you are now a prisoner of the Kikai Kingdom." Jun'iku snapped to attention at the sound of Kan'u, and was in shock.

"What! But I'm just a strategist! What do you need me for?"

Kan'u cocked an eye. "Your knowledge of our opponent. You can tell us what cards that our opponents use, and help us figure out strategies to beat them."

"Like I would willingly join up with you!"

"Last time I checked, you don't have a choice. And besides, this is a mercy," said Bacho. "You guys didn't take my dad prisoner, did you?"

Jun'iku grumbled. "Fine. But just until this fight is over. And I'm positive that Gi will be victorious."

"And you need to let us call you your secret name!" said Chohi.

"Why? You aren't my friends."

"Just do it!" said Chohi, puffing up her cheeks.

"Whatever. Call me Keifa if it suits you, I couldn't care less."

"Excellent," said Kan'u. "Now let's keep moving! If we keep up this pace, we should reach Gi before dusk." And so the seven members of Kikai, and their prisoner, continued to head towards the capital of Gi, where Soso was waiting.

~KD~

"And you're positive that he knows where they went?"

As she sat on her throne, Soso was talking with Ukitsu. That morning, she had discovered that both Kakoton and Kakoen were nowhere to be found, and as such, she had ordered Ukitsu to tell her remaining generals to find them, only for Ukitsu to inform her that Yokai had already gone to pursue them.

"Positive. And besides, if they were to flee to Kikai, well, I contacted some acquaintances of mine to go to the capital and perform an ambush, so they should be able to retrieve the two runaways."

"They had better, Ukitsu. This stunt of theirs won't go unpunished."

~KD~

"So are you sure that this is faster?"

"Pretty damn sure, Anthony. Navigating through the forest is kinda tough, but it's less distance to travel."

Anthony nodded as he moved a tree branch out of the way as he and Choryo navigated the forest, with Choryo scratching her arm, which was covered in bug bites.

"Hey, not to be that guy-"

"And here it comes."

"But I feel like I'm being watched."

Anthony frowned. "Please, Shia, this isn't funny. Besides, you're the one that suggested that we go this way."

"Well, yeah, but I've just got this bad feeling in the pit of my gut. Plus, check out my bug bites! They say 'BEWARE!'"

Anthony looked closely. "That says 'BEWARB.'" And sure enough, her bites did in fact spell out to say "BEWARB." But Choryo wasn't convinced.

"I dunno, it just doesn't feel right. We should keep movin' if we wanna catch up with Aisha and the others."

"You'll have to get past us first."

Anthony and Choryo froze, and turned to spot three White Clothes members steadily approaching, Chaos Duel Disks activating, as Anthony turned to Choryo, a look of panic on his face, and yet annoyance in his voice.

"I feel I've been denied. Critical. Need to know. Information."

* * *

 **Note: 9/19/2018**

 **Okay, before everyone rants and raves about how much of an idiot I am, yes, I now know that the move with Pinch Hopper and Multiplication of Ants isn't, in fact, legal, due to the "missing the timing" bullshit. No, I'm not going to go back and re-edit the duels that had this move or similar moves, because that would take up way too much time. I will, however, try my best to avoid doing moves like that in the future. I'm sorry for being a fucking moron, everybody. Starpion out.**

 **Edit 9/20/2018: Never mind, went back and edited it anyway. You guys have been with me and my shitty little self-insert for over two months, you deserve better. Let me know if there are any other technical errors in the gameplay (typos are fine, as long as the overall product is still legible), and I will go back and edit them when I have time. Also, feel free to check out the new omake, and PLEASE vote on the poll if you want Chosen in or not, because if I don't have any votes before the Go Arc begins, then he won't appear. Also, chapter 49 is in the works, but it will take a while, since it has three duels in it. Starpion out!**


	49. Reinforcements

As the three hooded men began to walk towards the lord and general, Anthony turned towards Choryo. "The White Clothes is involved? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought it was obvious!"

"Well, some clarification would have been useful!"

"Are you two done bickering?" asked who was presumably the leader of the three. "Because the three of us were sent to destroy you, Lord Anthony, and we would very much appreciate being able to enjoy this lovely turn of events."

"Ah, and not only did he come right to us," said another man in a white hood, "but he brought the traitor! Ukitsu will be most pleased!"

"Who is Ukitsu?" asked Anthony. "Is he the leader?"

"Don't think so, but he seems pretty high up. He and his buddies were good enough to join Soso, despite being men."

"Well, this might be harder than I thought."

"Ahem! What are we? The three of us shall be your challengers!" shouted the leader, with all three holding out their Duel Disks.

"Three against two!? How is that shit supposed to be fair!?" said Choryo.

"What do we care about fairness? The ends justify the means, after all!" said the third member of the group.

"Then how about we even the playing field!"

Suddenly, a figure jumped over the hoped figures and landed before them. Choryo was confused, but Anthony recognized the young pink-haired princess.

"Shaoren? What are you doing here?"

"Renfa sent us, to protect the capital of Kikai! Allies, remember? Just keep on going towards Lord Soso, we can take it from here!"

"We?"

It was at this point that Kannei decided now was the time to jump down from the tree branch that she was perched upon, her face in its default mode of mildly pissed. When she saw Anthony, she blushed and had her expression soften, and tried to hide this with her scarf. "It's nice to see you again, Lord Anthony."

"Hey, Shishun."

"And don't forget about me!"

Rikuson came out from behind the same tree, placing her deck into her Duel Disk. "Now all three of us can take these guys out for you!"

"Thanks, Non. You three sure you don't want our help? Shia and I can give you girls a hand."

"Don't worry about us," said Sonshoko. "Just make sure to take down Soso before she sets her sights on Go, got it?"

"Got it! Come on, Shia, let's move!"

"C'mon, this way!"

As the two of them fled, the three White Clothes mooks split up, each one facing a different member of Go, with the leader facing off against Sonshoko.

"So, you wish to duel me? I hope that you're prepared to face the strength of my mighty Equip Cards!"

"Please! Equip Spells are my specialty! Bring it on!" And as they drew their starting hands, a purple aura briefly covered their cards, as well as the cards of the other four, as the Shadow Games began.

(White Clothes: 4000 LP)(Sonshoko: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I summon my Chthonian Soldier!"

The monster was a man who wore metal torso armor over a black poncho, a helmet with the top shaped like a snake, red eyes, tan gloves, bladed gauntlets, an aquamarine wrap of cloth over tan pants, and boots attached to bladed greaves. In his right hand was a curved sword that had a smaller blade on the other end of the handle (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And I set two cards on the field to end my turn."

"Then I draw! And seeing as I don't have any monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon my Guardian Eatos from my hand!"

There was a beam of light that came from above, as Guardian Eatos appeared on the field (LV 8: ATK 2500).

"And now I equip her with Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou, discarding my Guardian Tryce to do so!"

She sent her monster to the Graveyard as the huge sword appeared in the hands of her monster (ATK 2500-3000).

"And since I control this card, I can Normal Summon my Guardian Baou!"

Her Fiend-type then joined the field, red cape fluttering behind it like a massive pair of wings (LV 4: ATK 800).

"And next I play Tailor of the Fickle, which lets me pick another target for an Equip Spell! So now, my flamberge is equipped to my Baou!"

Her card had a tailor helping a customer, with many outfits scattered on the ground. Eatos then tossed away her sword (ATK 3000-2500), and the one in the hands of Baou gained a purple glow, before he hefted his weapon upward, tip pointed at the Chthonian Soldier (ATK 800-1300).

"And Guardian Baou has a great effect, where it negates the effects of all monsters that it destroys in battle! Go, Stygian Splitter!"

Her monster swung his sword vertically, the blade covered in dark smoke, as it sliced Chthonian Soldier in half (White Clothes: 4000-3900 LP).

"And when Guardian Baou destroys a monster in battle, he gains one thousand attack points!" As a dark aura coated the left hand of Baou, who clenched that hand onto a fist (ATK 1300-2300), the White Clothes member played his face-down in response.

"I activate my Call of the Haunted, in order to bring back my Chthonian Soldier!"

As the card appeared, the soldier from the underworld returned to the field (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"And now, since I Special Summoned a monster with 1500 or less attack points while you control a face-up monster, I can activate my Inferno Reckless Summon!"

A Quick-Play Spell flipped up, showing a graveyard with five skeletons bursting from the ground.

"Now I can Special Summon from my hand, deck, or Graveyard any number of monsters with the same name. And you can do the same with one of your monsters, if you can!"

"I can't," said Sonshoko, not having any duplicates of her monsters.

"Perfect! Two more Chthonian Soldiers for me, and nothing for you!" And sure enough, two more copies of the infernal warrior appeared (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Well, I can take down one of them! Guardian Eatos, destroy the one brought back by Call of the Haunted with your Spirit Opera!"

Her Fairy-type then fired her ghostly blasts at the soldier in the center and destroyed him, with Call of the Haunted going with him (White Clothes: 3900-2600 LP). But as soon as that happened, the sword that was wielded by the Warrior-type spun into the air, before it came to a stop midair, pointed at Sonshoko, and zoomed towards her. She managed to dodge it, only for the sword to lodge itself in the trunk of a tree, and when it disappeared, there was a deep gash in the wood (Sonshoko: 4000-2700 LP).

"I see that you've discovered that this is a Shadow Game! And in case you don't know what just happened, when Chthonian Soldier is sent to the Graveyard by battle and I take damage, you take effect damage equal to the damage that you dealt!"

"Okay, I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play my Magical Mallet. With this Spell Card, I can shuffle any number of cards from my hand into my deck and draw new cards, and I'll use it to send back my entire hand!"

The man then sent Chthonian Emperor Dragon, Chthonian Polymer, and Inferno Tempest back to his deck, before drawing three new cards, and he grinned as he began to play them, one by one.

"First, I play my Pot of Greed, a card that I don't need to explain," he said.

"Not at all," responded Sonshoko as her opponent drew his two cards.

"I equip one of my Chthonian Soldiers with Chthonian Alliance, giving it eight hundred attack points for every card on the field with the same name!"

An Equip Spell showing a demonic warrior in armor surrounded by purple ghosts, as a purple aura coated one of his Chthonian Soldiers (ATK 1200-2000).

"And now I equip the same one with Phalanx Pike, giving it nine hundred attack points for every monster in the Graveyard with the same name!"

In his left hand, the Chthonian Soldier was now holding a yellow pike with two smaller tips on the side of the main tip (ATK 2000-2900).

"And finally, I play United We Stand, which will give my monster eight hundred attack points for every monster on my side of the field!"

A third Equip Spell appeared, showing a hand in a blue glove shaking a hand with armor, and orange electricity moving between them (ATK 2900-4500).

"Now attack that Guardian Baou with your Wind Storm Slash!"

His powered up Chthonian Soldier slashed through Guardian Baou with his sword, as the Fiend-type let out a cry of pain before exploding into shards of light (Sonshoko: 2700-500 LP).

"And one card face-down should do. Make your last move, if you can."

Sonshoko drew, and when she looked over her cards, she couldn't help but smile. "Okay, you asked for it. To start off, I activate my Soul Release!"

A card appeared with an image of a blue skinned woman in a dazzling white dress and purple veil, long green hair flowing down her back. Two spirits appeared, one being Guardian Baou, the other being a man with messy black hair wearing yellow and blue clothing, wielding a pair of familiar rapiers (LV 5: ATK 1900). On the opposite side of the field, Chthonian Soldier appeared, as well as Inferno Reckless Summon and Call of the Haunted, as all five cards vanished (ATK 4500-3600).

"This Spell Card lets me banish up to five cards from either Graveyard, and I choose my Guardian Tryce and Guardian Baou, as well as those three cards of yours. Now I equip Guardian Eatos with Celestial Sword - Eatos!"

An Equip Spell showing a blonde angel in a purple outfit blessing a straight single-edged sword appeared, as said sword appeared in the hand of Guardian Eatos (ATK 2500-3000).

"With this card, any monster equipped to it gains five hundred attack points."

"Oh yeah? Well, I play my Armor Break, which will negate that card's activation and destroy it!"

A Counter Trap showing Armored Glass being shattered flipped up, as the Celestial Sword broke into pieces (ATK 3000-2500). Little did the White Clothes goon know that this was exactly what Sonshoko was counting on, as the same sword appeared, made completely out of light, as it became blindingly bright, three spirits circling it until being absorbed (ATK 2500-4000).

"What the hell is going on?" asked the White Clothes member. "I just destroyed that card, and your monster got stronger somehow?"

"When my Celestial Sword - Eatos is sent to the Graveyard, I can give Guardian Eatos five hundred attack points for every banished monster! And since I have two banished monsters and you have one, that's 1500 attack points, enough to end this duel here and now! Guardian Eatos, destroy the weaker of his soldiers!"

Her monster then flew towards one of the two Warriors and slashed through it, bringing the duel to an end (White Clothes: 2600-0 LP)(Winner: Sonshoko). As the duel was over, the White Clothes member soon found himself trapped in a ring of fire, and was slowly pulled into the Shadow Realm, as Sonshoko turned her gaze to the other members of Go.

~KD~

(Kannei: 4000 LP)(White Clothes: 4000 LP)

"I'm going to take you down with ease," boasted Kannei as she narrowed her eyes and drew, then looked over her cards. "I summon my Vengeful Shinobi."

Her ninja appeared with one hand on the ground, and the other tightly gripping his knife (LV 2: ATK 400).

"And I end my turn by setting three cards."

"Okay then, my go! I draw! And I play my Giant Trunade!"

A Normal Spell depicting a hurricane with a screaming face approaching a village appeared, as a huge whirlwind began to kick up around Kannei's set cards. "With this card, I can send all Spell and Trap Cards on the field back to the hand! And your monster will be defenseless!"

"Not quite. I activate my Magic Jammer, discarding one card to negate the effect of a Spell Card and destroy it."

Her card had an image of a red and green magic circle that had purple smoke seeping from it, as the same purple smoke started to come out of Giant Trunade as Kannei discarded her Crimson Ninja. With this, the card was destroyed.

"No matter, I have other ways of beating you. Like my Pharaoh's Servant!"

The monster in question was a decaying spearman with a golden nemes, a white mask, and a kilt with a red sash, with a purple outline of a muscular man around the skeletal remains (LV 2: ATK 900).

"Now attack!"

The Zombie-type charged the Warrior-type, and as Kannei drew a card due to its effect, she played one of her cards, as a Kunai with Chain wrapped around Pharaoh's Servant (DEF 0), and was held by Vengeful Shinobi (ATK 400-900).

"With Kunai with Chain, I was able to change the battle position of your attacking monster to defense mode, then equip it to my monster for five hundred more attack points."

"Whatever! This is only the beginning! I set a card to end my turn!"

"Then I draw. And I summon my Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke."

A second ninja appeared, with a mostly purple outfit, as well as a blue ponytail, a green vest, a red sash, red and yellow shoes, and bandages wrapped around his wrists and ankles. In each of his hands, he held a kunai with a yellow handle and a glowing blue blade (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"I play my Jar of Greed," said the White Clothes member as Kannei's new monster crossed his arms while holding his knives in a reverse grip, "which lets me draw one card from my deck!" As he drew his card, Kannei pointed at Pharaoh's Servant.

"Vengeful Shinobi, destroy his Pharaoh's Servant."

Her monster bolted towards the Zombie-type and slashed at it with its blade, destroying it.

"Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, attack directly."

Her monster then slashed at the cultist (White Clothes: 4000-2200 LP), and Kannei noticed how the man hissed in pain, wiping his cheek to reveal a small cut.

"What was that? The holograms are supposed to either pass through you, or just release shockwaves that can knock you back. So how did the daggers actually hurt you?"

"Well, maybe because they aren't holograms! We're in a Shadow Game!"

Kannei narrowed her eyes. 'A Shadow Game, hmm? Then that settles it. Losing isn't an option, if I'm to make sure that Renfa, Anthony, and anyone else in Soso's sights are safe.' "I end my turn."

"Perfect! I draw! And I play my Tribute to the Doomed, sending my Pharaoh's Servant from my hand to the Graveyard to destroy your Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!"

The bandages then pulled the Warrior-type into a sandpit, where it was destroyed, as Kannei's opponent Normal Summoned another monster.

"Now I summon my Pharaonic Protector!"

His new monster was another zombie in a white mask, wearing a golden khat, a blue aegis, a blue tunic, and a red sash (LV 2: ATK 900).

"And now, my monster will attack your Vengeful Shinobi!"

The undead soldier leapt at the Warrior-type and decked him in the face, only for Vengeful Shinobi to pull out his knife and stab the Zombie-type and both, as Kannei drew a card on account of the effect of her Vengeful Shinobi.

"I end my turn with a face-down!"

Kannei drew, then looked over her hand before selecting a monster.

"I summon my White Ninja."

The light colored ninja appeared (LV 4: ATK 1700), and suddenly, a large stone coffin rose from the ground, and opened up to reveal a sarcophagus.

"I activate my Trap Card, The First Sarcophagus! Now I can place cards on the field during each of your End Phases, and soon, I'll be able to unleash my most powerful monster!"

"Hm. White Ninja, attack directly."

Her monster then delivered a powerful jump kick into the stomach of the White Clothes member, causing him to double over, but he managed to remain standing (White Clothes: 2200-700 LP).

"You may think that you're going to win, but I still haven't unleashed my ultimate weapon! And as long as that Trap Card is in play, I know that I can't lose!"

'This doesn't seem good,' thought Kannei. 'I can't use my face-down Trap Hole, since none of the monsters that he's summoned have a thousand or more attack points. And of course, I discarded my Crimson Ninja, the monster that destroys a Trap Card when it's flipped. I need to be careful.' "I set two cards and end my turn."

"And during your End Phase, I can place The Second Sarcophagus on the field!"

Another gold sarcophagus appeared on the right of the first one, and the White Clothes minion drew his next card.

"Now, I play Offerings to the Doomed! This card destroys a face-up monster on the field, at the cost of me skipping my next Draw Phase!"

A card appeared with an image of many offerings, including a golden box and many urns, being placed in front of an altar that was right in front of a burial ground, as White Ninja was wrapped up in bandages, before she exploded into pixels.

"Next I summon a second Pharaonic Protector!"

Another of the skeletal soldiers appeared, looking directly at Kannei (LV 2: ATK 900).

"Now attack directly!"

The Zombie-type went to strike Kannei, when it suddenly gained a green glow and floated into the air, before it returned to solid ground in defense mode (DEF 0).

"My Zero Gravity has the ability to change the battle position of every monster on the field. So your attack didn't go through."

"So what? I can still win this duel on my next turn! I'm down for now."

"Then I draw, and I summon Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja."

From the trees came a man in blue hair wearing a red gi with yellow trim and a yellow belt over a black shirt, a smug grin on his face. He had two yellow coin shaped rings around his shoulders, gilded gauntlets, black boots, and a staff that had a large pot on the top (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now destroy his Pharaonic Protector with Coin Toss Ninjitsu."

Her monster dug his right hand into the pot and pulled out a handful of oval shaped gold coins. He then threw them at the Zombie-type with incredible force, managing to actually destroy the Normal Monster.

"And I end my turn."

"Which means that the Third Sarcophagus is on the field now!"

Between the two coffins appeared a third, and a pink symbol that somewhat resembled the Millennium Symbol materialized beneath it, as the sarcophagus opened, and a powerful monster walked out. It was a man with dark blue skin, and he wore a gold and turquoise nemes and a golden face mask that covered his face from the nose up, with his red eyes exposed. He had a golden chin cover, and a flowing red cape, as well as a gold and turquoise aegis attached to a gold corset with a scarab symbol by a red and gold eyeball symbol. He wore a thick leather sash and pants made from yellow and turquoise striped linen, gold arm braces, and on his shoulders were ornaments resembling he heads of different animals, with the right one being a hawk, and the left one being a jackal. In his right hand was a crook, and in his left, a sword (LV 6: ATK 2500). The other two sarcophagi opened, and out limped two Pharaoh's Servants (LV 2: ATK 900), and two Pharaonic Protectors (LV 2: ATK 900), with all three caskets shattering behind them.

"Perfect! When all three of the Sarcophagus cards are on the field, I destroy all of them and Special Summon Spirit of the Pharaoh from my hand or deck! And when Spirit of the Pharaoh is summoned successfully, I can Special Summon up to four level two or lower Zombie-type Normal Monsters from my Graveyard! Now, since I can't draw, I move directly to the Battle Phase! Spirit of the Pharaoh, destroy that Goe Goe with Pharaoh's Fury!"

The mighty Zombie-type then grabbed the Warrior-type by the neck with his crook and pulled him forward, before slashing him down to size (Kannei: 4000-3000 LP).

"Now, my Pharaoh's Servant will attack directly!"

Kannei succeeded in dodging the spear thrust, although a bit too close for her liking (Kannei: 3000-2100 LP).

"Now, my other Pharaoh's Servant will attack as well!"

"But not me. I play my Confusion Chaff, forcing your second monster that declared a direct attack to conduct battle with the first that attacked directly, meaning I don't get attacked, and since your monsters have the same power, they're both destroyed."

A card appeared showing a battle between a horseman and a robot, with a samurai attacking a duelist. The Normal Trap releases a bright yellow powder that blinded the Pharaoh's Servant, and the Zombie-type, blinded and confused, changed targets, turning its blade to the other Pharaoh's Servant. Both monsters ended up taking each other out, but the White Clothes member didn't care.

"Well, both of my Pharaonic Protectors can still attack! Go!"

Kannei blocked the punches thrown by the two zombies, although she still felt them quite vividly (Kannei: 2100-300 LP).

"And that will do for now! I end my turn."

Kannei drew, and the slightest hint of a smile graced her face as she saw what she had picked up. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And now, my Spirit of the Pharaoh will-"

"Do nothing. I've won."

"What are you talking about?"

Kannei played her Trap Card, showing a fat demon gorging himself with massive amounts of food, as three white spirits came out of the card.

"I activate my Just Desserts, dealing five hundred points of damage for every monster on your side of the field."

The spirits then attacked the cultist, bringing his life points to zero (White Clothes: 700-0 LP)(Winner: Kannei). As the cards disappeared, a large sarcophagus appeared behind the goon and opened, as bandages pulled him in, and the ornate coffin slowly fell into a purple portal, as Kannei watched with a stoic expression, although inside, she was quite creeped out. She then decided to see how her fellow Go members were doing with their own duels.

~KD~

(Rikuson: 4000 LP)(White Clothes: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared the Go strategist, as she drew her sixth card. "And I summon my Maha Vailo!"

The blue clothed Spellcaster-type made his entrance (LV 4: ATK 1550), as Rikuson slipped another card into her Duel Disk.

"And now I equip him with Book of Secret Arts, giving him three hundred more attack and defense points!"

A book with a green cover appeared in the hands of the Spellcaster-type, as he opened it and studied the ancient spells recorded within its pages (ATK 1550-2350).

"Are you sure that your glasses aren't fogged up? Because your monster just went up eight hundred points," said the White Clothes member, saying something about "dueling a ditzy bimbo" under his breath, which made Rikuson pout.

"Actually, that's the effect of my Maha Vailo, giving him five hundred attack points for every Equip Card he has! And I'm not ditzy or a bimbo!"

"Whatever. Your monster still pales in comparison to the cards that are hidden in my deck."

"Okay, I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And to start things off, I think that I'll equip your monster with another card!"

"Why? It's only going to get stronger if you do so," said Rikuson, tilting her head as her tassels tilted as well.

"Well, this card is going to keep it from using any of that power! I equip Maha Vailo with Mask of the Accursed!"

A green mask with purple lines and yellow eyes that appeared to have four nails in it appeared on the face of Maha Vailo (ATK 2350-2850).

"Now your monster can't attack, and during each of my Standby Phases, you take five hundred points of damage! And now, I activate my Mask of Dispel!"

Another mask appeared, being purple with sunken eyes and a tear-shaped mouth. "Now I select one face-up Spell Card on the field, and as long as this card is active, the controller of that card takes five hundred points of damage during each of my Standby Phases! Now I set one monster and three other cards, and that should do."

"Okay," said Rikuson, "I draw."

"And I activate my Mask of Restrict!" shouted the opposing duelist, as a third mask appeared. "Now nobody can tribute monsters!"

"Okay, I summon my Blast Magician!"

A wizard appeared, decked out in black and vermillion robes with curved shoulder pads and a curved wizard hat, holding a staff with a curved metal tip, a little like a scythe (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now, I equip him with Wonder Wand, in order to give him an extra five hundred attack points!"

A wooden wand with a metal segment that resembled a face and a green orb at the end appeared in the right hand of Blast Magician (ATK 1400-1900), and afterwards, a green orb with a yellow triangle on it appeared and began to circle the staff of the Spellcaster-type.

"And whenever a Spell Card is activated, Blast Magician gains a Spell Counter! Now attack that face-down monster with Bursting Magic!"

Her Spellcaster spun his scepter and fired a red ball of energy at the set monster, which flipped up to reveal a monster known as Melchid the Four-Faced Beast, a monster that had a yellow body with claws on the bottom, and four faces which, from the front going left, were a yellow face with a wide smile and five spikes, a red fish-like face with a spike on its chin, a frowning skull-like face, and a wide-mouthed red face with yellow eyes (LV 4: DEF 1200). Just then, a multicolored tribal mask with five horns made from teeth and an effigy pinned to it appeared over the face of the Spellcaster, and Blast Magician's attack shrunk (ATK 1900-1200), as the blast was merely absorbed by the Fiend-type.

"That was my Mask of Weakness I just played, decreasing the power of one of your attacking monsters by seven hundred until the End Phase."

"Okay then, I set one card and end my turn." (ATK 1200-1900).

"Then I draw! And the effects of my masks activate!"

Suddenly, Mask of the Accursed began to glow, and a violet aura appeared over Rikuson as she cried out in pain (Rikuson: 4000-3500 LP), and the Mask of Dispel fired a painful blast of green energy at Go's resident bookworm (Rikuson: 3500-3000 LP).

"Ngh…this is a Shadow Game, isn't it?" said Rikuson, having experienced the power of Shadow Games in the past.

"Correct! And of course, the loser's soul is forever lost to the Shadow Realm!"

"Then I can't let that happen!"

"Like you have much of a choice! And thanks for letting me activate my Mask of Weakness, because now I have a free space in my Spell & Trap Zone! I play my Mirage of Nightmare, which lets me draw until I have four cards in my hand during your Standby Phase, and discard the same amount that I drew during my Standby Phase. And that should do for the time being," said the White Clothes member, as a second Spell Counter appeared around Blast Magician.

"Okay, I draw!" declared Rikuson, as her opponent drew four cards. 'My first priority is to get rid of those Spell Cards!' "And I use the effect of Wonder Wand, sending the monster I equipped with it and the card itself to the Graveyard in order to draw two cards! No hard feelings, right Blast Magician?" Her monster just nodded in understanding as he vanished, and Rikuson drew her cards.

"What are you doing? My Mask of Restrict should prevent you from tributing!"

"It isn't a tribute, it's just being sent to the Graveyard. And now, I activate my Spell Shattering Arrow, which destroys all of your face-up Spell Cards and deals five hundred points of damage for each one!"

"What!?"

A card showing a pink ball of energy being pierced by an arrow appeared, and three arrows shot out, one destroying the mask that kept Maha Vailo from attacking (ATK 2850-2350),' and the other two destroying the two Continuous Spells (White Clothes: 4000-2500 LP). Maha Vailo nodded at his controller in thanks, and Rikuson places another monster onto her Duel Disk.

"And now, I summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

The new Spellcaster had blue skin and was wearing red and yellow armor with a helmet that resembled the hat of Dark Magician, several purple orbs with the same triangle symbol that the Spell Counters had, a sword, and a shield (LV 4: ATK 1600). And once he was on the field, a purple orb in the hilt of his sword began to glow (ATK 1600-1900).

"And when Breaker is Normal Summoned, it gains one Spell Counter, and every Spell Counter that it has gives it three hundred attack points! Now I'll have Breaker attack, and doing so, I activate my face-down, Magician's Circle!"

Her card had an image of a platform of ice above a pit of fire, and on the platform was a magical circle and a torch with a blue flame. Two magical circles then appeared in front of both duelists.

"Now we both Special Summon a Spellcaster-type monster from our decks with two thousand or less attack points in attack mode! And I select my Dark Magician Girl!"

Out of one portal came the apprentice of the master magician, who winked as she spun her wand in her hand (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Very well. I summon my Masked Sorcerer!"

A yellow disk emerged from the other portal, and out came a man in a purple cloak with orange hair and a metal mask (LV 4: ATK 900).

"Breaker, take down Melchid with Mana Slash!"

Her monster then cleaved through the multi-faced monster with his sword, destroying it.

"And now, I'll have Maha Vailo take down your Masked Sorcerer with Sacred Lightning!"

The Spellcaster fired a bolt of lightning into the air, which then came back down on top of Masked Sorcerer (White Clothes: 2500-1050 LP).

"And now, to finish you off! Dark Magician Girl, Dark Burning Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl fired her pink blast of energy, creating an explosion that covered the opposite field in smoke, and while Rikuson smiled and put her hands on her hips after believing that she won, she was surprised to see her opponent still standing as the smoke cleared, with Mask of Restrict still active, as well as a Normal Trap that had a green potion in a bottle with a bat-shaped cork, with a label reading "Z" and "4000" (White Clothes: 1050-5050-3050 LP).

"Sorry, but before you could end the duel, I played my Nutrient Z, which can only be used directly before I would take two thousand or more points of battle damage! Right before I took the damage, I gained four thousand life points! Now then, anything else?"

"Just one thing. By removing a Spell Counter from Breaker the Magical Warrior, I can destroy a Spell Card or Trap Card that you control! Blast that Mask of Restrict with Mana Break, Breaker!"

The blade began to glow green, as Breaker shot a green beam of magic at the Continuous Trap, blowing it to pieces (ATK 1900-1600).

"And that's it for right now. Good work, you guys."

"Then I draw! And I would like to thank you for destroying my Mirage of Nightmare, because now I have five cards in my hand! And first off, I activate my Premature Burial, letting me pay eight hundred life points to bring one of my monsters back from the Graveyard in attack mode! And I select Melchid the Four-Faced Beast!"

A card appeared showing a red magical circle reviving a blue zombie, as the Fiend-type returned to the field (White Clothes: 3050-2250 LP)(LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now I summon Grand Tiki Elder to the field!"

Out came a blue ghostlike creature wearing a purple mask with a long cloth, many bracelets on its arms, and a tribal aegis that reached its tail, with three masks hanging from it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, to break out my most powerful monster! I tribute my Melchid the Four-Faced Beast and my Grand Tiki Elder to Special Summon my Masked Beast Des Gardius!"

Both Fiend-types disappeared, but the masks that they had swirled together, until there was a bright flash of light, which made Rikuson avert her eyes by covering them with her arms. When the light died down, she brought them down to see a reptilian behemoth staring back at her, that is, if those eyes it had were even real. It had three heads with long tail-like crests behind them, with its faces being blue masks with red eyes. The one on its left was frowning, the rightmost one was smiling, and the center one had no mouth. Its torso was a murky brown, with a green humanoid figure displayed on its chest. It had thick arms and legs that were blue in color, with large claws on it, and ivory patches of bonelike armor were all over its body (LV 8: ATK 3300).

"Impressive, don't you think? And it's about to be even more impressive! I equip it with Mask of Brutality, increasing its attack points by one thousand, at the cost of decreasing its defense points by one thousand!"

A mask appeared over the center face of Des Gardius. It was mostly purple, with a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth, a spike on the chin, a green orb on the forehead, and yellow claws in place of eyes (ATK 3300-4300).

"Now take down that Breaker with Masquerade Massacre!"

His monster lunged forward and slashed apart the Spellcaster with its claws, reducing it to pixels, much to the chagrin of Rikuson (Rikuson: 3000-300 LP).

"And that should end my turn!"

"Okay, I draw! And I tribute both of my monsters so that I can summon my Dark Magician!"

Her monsters disappeared, and out came the master of magic, Dark Magician (LV 7: ATK 2500). Masked Beast Des Gardius roared at the black mage, but he only gave a piercing glare in response.

"And now, I activate my Thousand Knives, which will destroy one monster that you control!"

With a spin of his scepter, Dark Magician materialized the swarm of magical knives, and pointed his scepter at Masked Beast Des Gardius, sending the horde at the Fiend-type, ripping it to bits.

"This is perfect! Now I can attack directly and end this!"

"Not even close! When Masked Beast Des Gardius leaves the field, I can equip one of your monsters with The Mask of Remnants!"

A card appeared, showing a red and yellow mask with horns, and a creature pulling it in half from behind. Said mask then appeared on the face of the Normal Monster, and it slumped over.

"Dark Magician? Are you okay?"

"Your concern for monsters who aren't real is disgusting," said the evil duelist, "so let's see how you handle fighting them! When The Mask of Remnants is equipped to a monster, control of that monster switches! The Dark Magician is mine now!"

Dark Magician then stood at attention, and jumped over to the White Clothes member, before turning around and aiming his wand at his former master, who stepped back in shock.

"I don't want to fight my Dark Magician, but if I don't have a choice, then I don't have a choice. I set one card and end my turn!"

"I draw! And I play my Pre-Preparation of Rites! This lets me add a Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand, as well as a Ritual Monster whose name is in its text!"

A card showing Ritual Raven having a feast while a group of men in black hoods laughing at it appeared, as two cards stuck out of the cultist's deck, which he took with glee, before he slipped one of the cards into his Spell & Trap Zone, as two torches and a demonic pyre appeared. Dark Magician hovered over one of the two torches, and another monster appeared over the other. The monster had a feminine face with purple skin and spikes that resembled hair, and below that was a green body with a large face, two arms, and a long snakelike tail (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"By using your Dark Magician and my Nuvia the Wicked, I Ritual Summon The Masked Beast!"

The torches lit up with blue fire that torched both monsters (7+48), and the pyre lit up, before the fire became a huge column of flame, and out stepped a monster that topped even Masked Beast Des Gardius in the bizarre department. It had a red head and a green mask, an orange torso and arms with spikes sticking out of its shoulders and an eyeless face in the center of its chest, a green lower section with many faces on it, red reptilian legs that appeared to be coming out of mouths, and a long and thick tail which was red with green splotches. In its right hand it held a wooden staff, and on the end was a head that was red in color, with sharp teeth (LV 8: ATK 3200).

"And now, for the finishing blow! Masked Beast, attack directly!"

His monster unleashed a powerful blast from its staff, only for it to disappear as it went into Rikuson's card.

"I activate my Magic Cylinder, negating the attack and dealing damage equal to the attack points of your monster!"

The blast came out of the card and sent the White Clothes member flying, as he hit a tree and landed on his stomach (White Clothes: 2250-0 LP)(Winner: Rikuson).

"What…no…I can't lose! I can't…"

Suddenly, a red mask, similar to The Mask of Remnants appeared, and split in half to reveal a portal to the Shadow Realm, as the White Clothes member began to get pulled in. He panicked, trying to claw at the ground or grab the grass, but it proved to be futile, as he was dragged into the portal, as Rikuson stared in horror at the events that unfolded before her eyes, and the mask soon vanished.

"Non! Are you okay?"

Rikuson snapped her attention towards Sonshoko and Kannei, who were running towards her, having already completed their duels.

"I'm fine, Shaoren. The worst is over. So are we still going to head to Kikai?"

"We sure are! Renfa is counting on us to keep the capital safe!"

"And if we run into any more of those hooded figures on the way, we'll take care of them," said Kannei in her usual tone, although she pounded her fist into her palm, betraying her calm demeanor.

"Alright," said Sonshoko as she wandered further into the woods, with Kannei and Rikuson following, "let's go!"

~KD~

"*huff* *huff* Okay, I think we lost them, Shia," said Anthony, as he put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

"You think those guys are okay?"

"I'm positive."

"By the way, who were they?"

"Members of Go. And now it's your turn."

Choryo scratched her head in confusion. "Whaddya mean, 'my turn?'"

"The White Clothes. You knew they were involved, and so I want to know who's with Gi, including what cards they use."

"Okay. Well, the main one is this guy named Ukitsu, who uses an archetype called Gravekeeper. Lord Karin made him an advisor."

"Gravekeeper's monsters, huh? He should be a challenge. Anyone else?"

"Two others. There's this strategist named Hakeru, who uses a 'mill deck,' and a general named Yokai who-"

"Uses Spirit Monsters. I've dealt with him in the past."

"Whoa, you have?" said Choryo, in complete awe.

"Well, Aisha did. I dueled his partner in crime, a man named Dokuro who uses Zombie-types."

"That is so cool!" said Choryo, going into her "neko mode." "I wish I saw that!"

"Any others?"

"Oh, right. No, that's it. Oh, and Karin had this new monster called Dark Necrofear."

"Alright, thanks Shia!" said Anthony with a thumbs up, as she blushed. "Now we shouldn't have any surprises."

"Anthony, Shia, is that you?"

Anthony and Choryo froze, and they turned to see Kakoen and Kakoton coming out of the thicket. The eyes of Anthony met with the eye of Kakoton, and all three narrowed.

"Anthony," said Kakoen, a pleading expression on her face, "we need to talk to you."

* * *

 **Edit 11/14/2018: fixed a timing error with Celestial Sword - Eatos. Starpion out.**

 **Edit 11/22/2018: fixed an error with the battle position of Pharaoh's Servant.**

 **Edit 6/18/2019: altered the description of Masked Beast Des Gardius to make it more accurate.**


	50. Enemy of my Enemy

"I'm beginning to fear that Jun'iku shall not be returning," said Ukitsu, as Soso simply scoffed on her throne.

"I assumed so, which is why I sent her alone. She was expendable, with the hope that she would take down a small number of generals without any risk of our own. Unfortunately, with the capture of Shia, the defeat of Shuran, the twins disappearing, and Yokai out looking for them, our forces have been stretched thin. We need this victory, Ukitsu, as Kikai is our greatest threat. And without their ally, Go will fall with ease."

"So do you intend to wait for approaching forces, my lord?"

"No, I want to thin their numbers. Fetch General Ki, she is sure to defeat at least one of them, and bring us one step closer to conquest."

"As you wish, my lord," said Ukitsu with a bow, as he made his way to the barracks. As he did, he couldn't help but smile. So far, everything was going to plan.

'Soso is a clever one, but her arrogance made her an easy target for the powers bestowed upon me.'

~KD~

 _In her study, Soso pulled out a map of the country that Jun'iku had drawn recently and unfolded it before Ukitsu, who looked at it with curiosity._

" _Alright, after the fall of that moron Reiha, these are the territories owned by the different lords," she said, pointing to different colored sections, with the Kikai territory marked in green, the Gi marked in purple, the Go marked in pink, and various other, smaller territories using different colors. "We've annexed our surroundings, and are currently biding our time. To begin our plans of conquest too soon without proper planning will lead to disaster, as seen by Reiha. Not to mention that we are unaware of any allies or acquaintances of Kikai or Go being present among these smaller regions."_

" _And how is that a problem?"_

" _Tell me, if a friend of yours were to be killed, would you not wish to avenge them?"_

" _I have no friends, but I see your point."_

" _Exactly," said Soso. "Gi May be great, but we can't be picking fights with more than one opponent at a time, or else we will be outnumbered. We need to be smart, and pick our targets carefully. And when the moment arrives that we have a chance, we'll strike, until our forces are large enough to surpass Sonken and Anthony."_

" _If I may, I have a question, Lord Soso."_

" _Well, you are my advisor from now on. So speak."_

" _What's stopping us from invading right away?"_

 _Soso frowned. "A good advisor must also be a good listener, Ukitsu. I just said that doing so would end in disaster."_

" _Well, think about it. I've done my research on the other lords, Lord Soso. Lord Anthony and Lord Sonken have no interest in conquest, so if we take all of the smaller territories, we should have enough strength to surpass them."_

" _And possibly gain the attention of Kikai or Go, and due to their alliance, both of their forces will be coming for us."_

" _Then let them come. Gi is obviously the superior force."_

 _Soso smirked and brushed one of her twin drills. "Well, you aren't wrong."_

" _Exactly. Their leaders lack the skill, the intelligence, and most importantly, the drive. So really," said Ukitsu, his tattoo glowing, "who can stop you from ruling the country?" Soso's eyes became faded, and she nodded._

" _You're right. I've waited far too long, and I need to strike while the iron is hot. Come, let's plan our first move, shall we?" She folded up the map and left her study, making tracks to where Jun'iku was taking Hakeru, as Ukitsu followed._

' _Phase two, complete. Now for the fun part, phase three.'_

~KD~

'Once Soso is in charge, and the other factions are no more,' thought Ukitsu as he entered the barracks, 'Lord Saji will rise to power, and there will be nobody to stop him.'

~KD~

"Hello, Shuran," said Anthony, before he turned to the older sister. "Kakoton."

"Anthony."

"Holy shit, Shunran, what the hell happened to your eye!?" shouted Choryo, as Kakoton absentmindedly put her left hand over her eyepatch.

"I lost it to that bastard Yokai in a Shadow Game."

"I agree," said Anthony. "He is a bastard. Well, good talk, let's keep moving, Shia. The girls are gonna need my help to kick Skull Loli's ass, if they haven't already."

"Anthony, please stop! This is important!" said Kakoen, putting her hands on Anthony's chest as he tried to walk away. "The two of us need help, and you're the only one who can help us! We didn't run away from Karin to find you, just for you to walk away!"

"Look, Shuran, you're my friend. Unlike the other members of Gi, barring Shia and Kyocho, the latter I haven't even met yet, you've been nothing but nice to me. And I respect you for that." His words made Kakoen avert her eyes, brushing her bangs out of her face. "But right now, your lord, girlfriend, whatever, is my enemy."

"No she isn't, or at least not by her choice!" said Kakoen. Anthony just stood still for a moment, and he tilted his head, utterly fucking befuddled.

"Hey Anthony, you okay?" said Choryo, as she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Come again?"

"After Yokai beat me, he told me that Karin had been brainwashed," said Kakoton, folding her arms. "And although I may hate him, that explanation seems to make sense."

"I would be inclined to disagree with you," said Anthony, "but considering I've been turned to stone, nearly dragged into another universe, and have had much more weird shit happen to me in the past few months, not to mention how dangerous the White Clothes are, I'm gonna assume that this is true."

"The White Clothes?" asked Kakoen.

"To make a long story short, they're a group I've dealt with in the past. Yokai in particular, as well as two others named Tanoshi and Dokuro. Although none of them have the power to brainwash people."

"Well, this Ukitsu scum has the power to do so, according to Yokai."

"Are you sure that he's a reliable source?" asked Choryo.

"It's the only explanation!" said Kakoton.

"I believe her," said Anthony.

"You do?" said Kakoen with a look of relief.

"You do!?" said Choryo with an incredulous look.

"However, I'll only help you on one condition."

"Then give it to me!" said Kakoton, obviously holding back tears. "I'll do anything, anything at all, if it means that we get our Karin back!"

Anthony nodded, and pulled out his Duel Disk. "I want a rematch."

Kakoton just stared at him. "Are you being serious right now?"

"As serious as I can be. I've been on a losing streak lately, and besides, a duel with you is the perfect way to truly get over my fears. And no matter what happens, whatever the outcome, I'll still help you."

Kakoen and Choryo blushed, but Kakoton remained unmoved. "And what if you are victorious?"

Anthony took a moment to think about his "prize," before he snapped his fingers. "I get to call you by your secret name. Do we have a deal?"

Kakoton's response was to pull out her deck and begin to shuffle it. "For Karin, I would give my own life. My name is nothing. Let's duel!"

"Now that's one hell of a response," said Anthony, as he shuffled his own cards. "I hope that you're ready to face the future, because I certainly am!"

"Good luck, you two!" cheered Choryo, with Kakoen simply smiling as she put her hand on her hip.

(Kakoton: 4000 LP)(Anthony: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move!" declared Kakoton, drawing her sixth card. "And to begin, I summon my Amazoness Blowpiper!"

Her amazon appeared on the field on one knee, her blowgun by her side (LV 3: ATK 800).

"A weak monster, huh? Shunran must be planning something big," said Choryo from the sidelines. "Anthony better be careful."

"And I end my turn with three cards face-down!"

Anthony's eyes widened as three cards appeared behind the Warrior-type. 'Three set cards!? This is like walking into a minefield! I had better be careful,' he thought as he drew, and he activated his newly drawn card. "I activate my Night Beam, destroying your rightmost face-down card!"

The yellow beam blasted the card, which turned out to be Amazoness Archers, and Anthony smiled.

"That Trap Card could've caused me quite a bit of trouble, but now it's gone, and hopefully I shouldn't have any trouble attacking. I summon my Cannon Soldier to the field!"

His purple robot landed on the field and set its sights on Amazoness Blowpiper, setting its weapons to kill (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now attack, Cannon Soldier! Blast that Amazoness to ash with Cannon Fire!"

His monster unloaded a barrage of energy bullets that tore apart the weaker monster (Kakoton: 4000-3400 LP), and Kakoton played a Trap Card showing a hurt Amazoness Paladin trying to get up, still willing to continue the battle, as Amazoness Blowpiper returned to the field, good as new (LV 3: ATK 800).

"I activate my Amazoness Willpower, reviving an Amazoness monster in attack mode! However, it cannot change battle positions, and it must attack if able."

"Okay then. I set two cards and end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And during my Standby Phase, Amazoness Blowpiper reduces the attack points of one of your monsters by five hundred until the end of the turn!"

Her monster loaded a blow dart into her blowgun and shot it at Cannon Soldier, the small poisoned dart piercing the metal body of the Machine-type (ATK 1400-900).

"She may have made Anthony's monster weaker, but it's still the strongest monster on the field," pointed out Choryo.

"And I'm sure that Shunran has the means to amend this," said Kakoen.

"And now, I summon my Amazoness Archer to the field!"

The second markswoman of the amazon tribe appeared, notching an arrow on her bow (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And I'll have her take down that Cannon Soldier of yours!"

Amazoness Archer fired the arrow at Cannon Soldier, destroying it with one arrow (Anthony: 4000-3500 LP).

"And since an Amazoness monster destroyed a monster in battle, I activate my Queen's Pawn!" declared Kakoton, as a card depicting Amazoness Queen sending Amazoness Trainee into battle appeared, but before the effect could resolve, Anthony was quick to respond.

"I chain my Time Machine! Now my card is activated first, in response to the same event! With this card, I can bring back my Cannon Soldier in the same battle position it was in before it was destroyed!"

The time machine appeared in a flash of light, and the door swung open, Cannon Soldier stepping out (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Well, now I use the effect of my card, Special Summoning a level four or lower Amazoness monster from my deck! And I choose my Amazoness Tiger!"

A red and white tiger with black stripes appeared, wearing golden shackles on its ankles, and a golden collar on its neck with a chain dragging across the ground. It had one blue eye, and a jagged scar over its right eyelid (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"And for every Amazoness monster that I control, my tiger gains four hundred attack points!" shouted Kakoton, as her new monster let out a powerful roar (ATK 1100-2300). "Now to make sure that your Cannon Soldier stays down! Fanged Frenzy!"

Her monster pounced onto the Machine-type and tore into it with its fangs, destroying it again (Anthony: 3500-2600 LP).

"And now, my Amazoness Blowpiper will attack directly!"

The Warrior-type loaded a second dart into her weapon and fired it, with it passing right through Anthony, fortunately (Anthony: 2600-1800 LP).

"And now, I activate the effect of my Amazoness Archer, tributing two monsters to deal 1200 points of damage!"

Her Amazoness Archer and Amazoness Blowpiper began to fade, but not before the higher level monster fired two arrows at once from her bow. Unfortunately for Kakoton, neither of them hit their mark, instead hitting a clear force field.

"I activate my Damage Polarizer, which negates the effect and lets the both of us draw a card!"

As Anthony and Kakoton drew, Kakoen couldn't help but smile. "Both of them are truly at the top of their game. To see two duelists that are so evenly matched is certainly incredible."

"Yep, Anthony and Shunran are both pretty up there," agreed Choryo.

"Well, I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw, and then I activate my Ancient Rules, in order to Special Summon Launcher Spider from my hand!"

The ancient scroll appeared, and out crawled the massive metal spider (LV 7: ATK 2200).

"And for my next move, I think that I'll summon my Heavy Mech Support Platform!"

A new monster hovered beside the FIRE monster, being some sort of aircraft. The majority of its body was in a U-shape, being different shades of gray with two blasters, three red fins, and in the back, four rocket thrusters (LV 3: ATK 500).

"And next, I equip my Heavy Mech Support Platform to my Launcher Spider!"

Kakoton gasped as his monster split into three parts, the blasters separating from the rest of its body. The blasters then attached to the sides of the rocket launchers, and the rest of the Union Monster went onto the back of the monster (ATK 2200-2700).

"Wait, what!? How is that possible!?" demanded Kakoton.

"Heavy Mech Support Platform is a Union Monster, which means that I can equip it to a monster I control that fits the criteria, or unequip it and Special Summon it in attack mode."

"Have you ever heard of a Union Monster, Shuran?" asked Choryo.

"I haven't," responded Kakoen. "But they seem intriguing."

"Now I'll have my Launcher Spider attack!"

His monster fired two blasts from its new weapons, blowing Amazoness Tiger into pixels (Kakoton: 3400-2200 LP).

"And that should end my turn."

"Well, I draw! And I summon my Amazoness Paladin!"

The blonde swordswoman was quick to appear, swinging her blade before Anthony (LV 4: ATK 1700-1800).

"And now, I play my Amazoness Fighting Spirit!"

A Continuous Spell appeared, one showing Amazoness Fighter with a powerful yellow aura surrounding her.

"Now if any of my Amazoness monsters were to attack a monster with more attack points, she would gain one thousand additional attack points! So now, if my Amazoness Paladin attacks your Launcher Spider, well, the outcome is obvious! Cut that monster down to size!"

Her monster gained a yellow glow around it that rippled like fire, and its power went up as a result (ATK 1800-2800). She then leapt into the air and made a horizontal slash, in an attempt to destroy the Normal Monster, but instead, its additional weapons were destroyed instead (Anthony: 1800-1700 LP)(ATK 2700-2200)(ATK 2800-1800).

"Hey, check it out, Shuran! Anthony's Heavy Mech Support Platform took the hit for Launcher Spider! Sweet!"

"So it seems, Shia."

Kakoton ended her turn, and Anthony drew his next card, placing it onto his field.

"I summon my KA-2 Des Scissors!"

His mechanical spider crab soon stood side by side with the mechanical tarantula, snapping its bladed pincers (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Launcher Spider, blow her Amazoness Paladin to pieces with Shock Rocket Attack! KA-2 Des Scissors, attack directly with Toxic Haze!"

The FIRE monster fired a broadside of missiles at the EARTH monster, destroying her with little a trace (Kakoton: 2200-1800 LP). Afterwards, the DARK monster exhaled a cloud of poison that covered Kakoton completely (Kakoton: 1800-800 LP). When the smog cleared, Kakoton looked furious.

"You may have the lead now, but don't think that I can be beaten by you!"

"Hey, I'm just having fun. I end my turn!"

Kakoton grit her teeth as she drew. She couldn't lose to him, no way! She had crushed him in the past, so why couldn't she do so again?

"Oh dear, Shunran is getting frustrated," said Kakoen. "I'd avoid being too close to her in this state."

"Eh, I could take her."

"Shia, no."

"I summon my Amazoness Swords Woman!"

Her sword swinging amazon flipped into action quite literally, and landed on her feet, sword firmly gripped in her hand (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Take down that Des Scissors with Amazoness Slash Attack!"

With a swipe of the amazon's sword, the front legs of KA-2 Des Scissors were cut, and the Machine-type fell forward before shattering into pixels on impact, with Amazoness Swords Woman jumping out of harm's way (Anthony: 1700-1200 LP).

"And next up, I play The Dark Door! And I'm sure that you're aware of its power by now!"

"I am," said Anthony as the Continuous Spell appeared. "And of course, one attack per turn when your monster reflects battle damage to the opponent. Clever."

"I end my turn."

Anthony drew, and smirked as he saw his new card, flipping down his sunglasses.

"Well, I admit, I've lost to you in the past. But hey, I can't win them all. I just need to overcome my losses, and face the future! And I can see that in the future, I'll be the winner! I summon my Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in attack mode!"

His mobile fortress appeared (LV 4: ATK 800), and Choryo was confused. "Why the heck is he usin' that monster in attack mode? It has 2200 defense points, if I remember."

"And now, for the coup de grace! I activate the special effect of Gear Golem, paying eight hundred of my own life points so that it can attack directly!"

"Not that it will matter!" shouted Kakoton, as Anthony's life points took a dip (Anthony: 1200-400 LP). "I'll just beat you next turn anyway!"

"No you won't, Shunran!" shouted Kakoen, as Choryo grinned. "Anthony's monster has attack points equal to your life points! If that attack goes through, he'll be victorious!"

The lone eye of Soso's top general shrank. "Oh no…I forgot how many life points I had left!"

"This duel is over, Kakoton! Or should I call you Shunran? Gear Golem, attack directly and end this!"

His monster floated above the Warrior-type, and kept hovering until it was right above Kakoton, then pointed its spikes shields downward and fell, smashing down right where Kakoton stood. This ended up kicking up a cloud of dust, and when it settled, Kakoton was lying down on the grass in defeat, a blank stare on her face (Kakoton: 800-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony). She kept on lying there, until Anthony walked up to her with a smile on his face, with Choryo and Kakoen on opposite sides, her sister showing concern while Choryo was just smiling. Anthony reached out his hand, and Kakoton just stared at it, as if the hand was a snake that would bite her if she disturbed it. Eventually, she caved in and took hold of the outstretched appendage, allowing the King of Games to pull her up.

"Alright, Shunran, we had a deal, and I had plenty of fun. Now I'll help you save Skull Loli."

"Don't call her that!" snapped Kakoton, breaking her hand away from his as soon as she was firmly on her feet.

"Okay, fine. Soso." Anthony then sighed: calling her by her real name just didn't feel right. Choryo began to gush over how cool he was, and when she turned her attention to Kakoton, Anthony felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Kakoen with a small blush on her face.

"I understand that you may not like Karin, Lord Anthony, but I'm glad that you agreed to help us."

"No biggie, it's the right thing to do. Now come on, that duel took up a fair amount of time. Let's go!"

"And where do you four think you're going, exactly?" said a voice that sent a shiver down the spine of the woman in red, and made the eyes of the man in red narrow. All four turned to where the voice came from, and from behind a tree stepped out the tired sadist, his white hood blowing behind him, as he chuckled. "Not doing something that you'll regret, right?"

* * *

 **Holy crap, fifty chapters! Anyway, this chapter not only brings two of the groups together, but also shows just how Ukitsu's powers work. As for where he got them, that will be revealed in due time. Also, feel free to check out the omake I posted! Or don't. I can't force you to do anything. Starpion out!**


	51. Spirited Away

"Yokai," said Anthony, malice dripping off of his tongue. Kakoton stepped back in fear, betraying her usual attitude, as Kakoen stepped in front of her protectively, Choryo scowling at the wicked man.

"Hello, Lord Anthony. It's been too long. I heard that Kakoton took you out, but it appears that you're like a cockroach, a pest that refuses to die. No matter, as the longer you stand, the longer I can enjoy myself. And speaking of our deserters, it seems that I've found them, as well as a third. I must ask, how is that eye? Does my appearance trigger phantom pains, or do you require my assistance?"

Kakoton growled as she snapped her hand over her eyepatch. "Go away. We want nothing to do with you."

"Oh, but you have everything to do with me! Especially you, 'Messenger from Heaven'," said Yokai, pointing to Anthony.

"Well, no shit. I'm the leader of Kikai, and if I lose a duel between lords or get sent to the Shadow Realm, then your boss wins my territory," said Anthony, which made the White Clothes admin laugh.

"Oh please, I pledge no loyalty to that arrogant midget who is used to having whatever she desires on a silver platter at any time, nor that conceited moron who hides her insecurities behind a gilded facade."

"You mean Soso and Reiha, I presume," said Anthony.

"Exactly. The only one that I pledge allegiance to is the man who will be the true ruler of China!"

"Not on my watch," said Anthony. "The White Clothes will be stopped, mark my words."

"Will we? I doubt that, 'Messenger from Heaven.' After all, my lord has a particular hatred for you, which is why when I defeat you, and Kikai is disbanded as a result, he will be elated with me." Yokai then activated his Duel Disk, the blade extending as his cards were automatically shuffled. "Care for a friendly game?"

"Bring it," said Anthony, activating his own Duel Disk.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Anthony, think about this! If you lose, then there's no way that we can save Karin!" shouted Choryo.

"Then I don't lose. Besides, I'm not afraid of Shadow Games anymore."

"Oh, is that a fact?" said Yokai in a condescending tone as he placed his hand over his deck. "Then let's cause a relapse!" A dark mist then covered their cards, before spreading and surrounding the five in a purple void. "Let the Shadow Game begin!"

"Just like Tanoshi…" said Anthony, "and just like him, I'll take you down!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Yokai: 4000 LP)

"This isn't good," said Kakoton, a bit more jumpy than before on account of being back in the dark arena. "If he loses, we can't possibly bring back Karin."

"We'll just have to put our faith in him," said Kakoen. "I'm aware that you don't like him, but right now, he needs all of our support in order to perform his best, especially with all of this pressure."

"You got it, Shuran!" said Choryo, even though the advice wasn't meant for her in particular. "Come on, Anthony, rip that son of a bitch a new one!"

"You got it! I draw! Then I set one monster, and I think that'll do for right now!"

"If that's the limits of your abilities, then this shall be an easy victory. Pity, I expected the duel to last a little longer, have a little more fun with my toy before it breaks. I draw, and I play my Asura Priest in attack mode."

His six-armed war god entered the battle, six hands tightly clenching sharp daggers (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"But if you think that's it, you're dead wrong! I equip my monster with my Orb of Yasaka, my Sword of Kusanagi, and my Mirror of Yata!"

In front of Asura Priest appeared a wooden stand that held a red cushion, which in turn held a blue crystal ball, which it then took in its top left hand. In its top right hand appeared a sword with yellow spikes on the cross guard, as the blade crackled with pink electricity. Finally, in the middle hands, it held a silver mirror with a wooden cloud-shaped frame, and a magatama on the bottom.

"Now if this monster destroys one of your monsters in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I gain life points equal to its attack points courtesy of my Orb of Yasaka! And not to mention that with Sword of Kusanagi, my Asura Priest deals piercing damage, and my Mirror of Yata prevents my monster from being sent back to the hand during my End Phase!"

"This isn't good," said Anthony.

"Now attack!"

Asura Priest slashed at the monster, revealing it to be Mighty Guard (LV 4: DEF 1200), which was destroyed by the Fairy-type (Anthony: 4000-3500 LP)(Yokai: 4000-4500 LP). Suddenly, Anthony screamed in pain, as his feet suddenly began to unwind, as if he were a yarn sweater that had snagged on something and began to come apart, with strings being absorbed into the darkness. The three girls could only stare in horror as the leader of Kikai literally began to come apart, and Yokai sniggered.

"Oh, of course, the best part! As your life points go down, your body will slowly unravel until there is nothing left! And you can feel every bit of it! What do you think of that?"

"I think that you're a sick fuck," responded Anthony, not letting Yokai get the response that he wanted.

"Ah, I see you still have some defiance left in you. I look forward to destroying it. I end my turn, keeping my Asura Priest on the field."

"Okay, I draw! And I activate my Reload, shuffling my hand back into my deck and drawing the same amount of cards that I shuffled in!"

Anthony then sent back his hand, and once his deck was automatically shuffled, he drew five new cards, and selected three of them.

"Time to bring out one of my heavy hitters. I activate my Polymerization, to fuse my Cannon Soldier and my Giga-Tech Wolf into my Labyrinth Tank!"

Both of the Machine-types briefly appeared before they fused into the giant drill tank, with its powerful weapons flaring up, ready to skewer some Spirit Monsters (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"And next, I summon my Mechanicalchaser to join it!"

Anthony brought out his own multi-armed monster, which began to scan its opponent (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Mechanicalchaser, attack with Arsenal Medley!"

His monster began to spin towards the Spirit Monster, which managed to block the attack with its mirror (Yokai: 4500-4350 LP).

"And of course, since he has more life points than he started off with, he doesn't have to suffer the negative effects of the Shadow Game yet," said Kakoen, almost sounding disappointed.

"Nice try, but not nearly nice enough! My Mirror of Yata was able to absorb your attack in the nick of time, it seems!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I have two monsters, remember? Labyrinth Tank, attack with Labyrinth Drill!"

His Fusion Monster did what his Normal Monster could not, and managed to shatter the Spirit Monster, as Yokai began to unravel just as Anthony did (Yokai: 4350-3650 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!"

"If you believe that dealing damage to me is an achievement, then you have no idea what you're up against. I draw! And I activate my Soul Taker, destroying your Mechanicalchaser, while you gain one thousand life points!"

A soul was somehow ripped out of the Machine-type, and suddenly, the parts of Anthony's body that had been unraveled were healed as he gained life points (Anthony: 3500-4500 LP).

"For someone who enjoys to inflict pain so much, he's sure being generous," said Choryo.

"Don't misinterpret my actions. This is no act of mercy. For my next move, I summon my Rasetsu to the field in attack mode!"

The red haired demon appeared before Yokai, laughing wickedly (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"That monster is what he used against me," said Kakoton, backing up.

"And now, I activate its special ability. I can reveal a Spirit Monster in my hand and send one of your monsters back to your hand! So I reveal my Aratama to send back your Labyrinth Tank!"

Anthony panicked as his Fusion Monster, the most powerful card on the field, was sent back to the Fusion Deck, courtesy of the Spirit Monster.

"He gave him false hope," said Kakoen as she watched the events unfold in discomfort. "Replenish his life points, and target the weaker monster, only to turn all of that around with his next move."

"To think that we let that monster get close to Karin," said Kakoton, her fists clenched so hard, that her fingernails threatened to break the skin of her palms. "I should have gotten rid of the three at the first chance I had."

"Well now, it's up to Anthony to get rid of this one," said Kakoen.

"Rasetsu, attack directly!"

Anthony flinched as the blade of the monster cut through his legs, with the separated parts unraveling and the strings fading into the walls of darkness, leaving him suspended in midair (Anthony: 4500-3000 LP).

"And that should do, as my Rasetsu returns to my hand!"

As his monster disappeared, Anthony drew his next card, and looking over his options, he figured that the best course of action was to deal as much direct damage as possible.

"I summon my Overdrive to the field!"

His armored vehicle roared onto the field, driving wildly on the dark floor of the field before crawling to a stop (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Overdrive, attack directly!"

His monster did as instructed, firing a hailstorm of bullets that tore through the torso of Yokai, leaving a hole in his chest as strings floated out and were absorbed by the shadows (Yokai: 3650-2050 LP).

"And that's all that I'm able to do right now."

"This is freaky," said Choryo. "Both of them are floating, and tall, light, and creepy over there has no heart in both senses of the word."

"I'll have you know that I've always had a heart," said Yokai as he drew. "And to make others suffer warms it, like a pitch-black charcoal briquette burning up in a lovely flame. And now, to continue. I banish my Rasetsu from my hand to Special Summon Izanagi!"

His horned monster appeared, before it turned into mist, and out of said mist walked a man with long white hair, done up in several diamond-shaped braids. He wore a white tunic with a red sash and white pants, as well as metal shoulder pads and a necklace with a small green magatama on it. On his left hip was a sword and scabbard, and in his right hand he held a naginata, a polearm with a single-edged blade on the end (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Come, my spirits, let us break him down, leave not even a spirit behind! I summon my Aratama!"

A demonic face of orange fire appeared, with a small orange spirit inside of it (LV 4: ATK 800).

"And when this monster of mine graces the field, either by Normal Summon or being flipped face-up, I can call upon any of my wicked spirits and add them to my hand! Come to me, my Yamata Dragon!"

The fires around the Fiend-type burned even brighter, as Yokai added his ultimate monster to his hand.

"And now, to make you suffer! Izanagi, attack and destroy his Overdrive with Sacred Jeweled Spear!"

Izanagi rushed towards Overdrive, with the Machine-type attempting to take it down with a spray of bullets from its turret, but the Fairy-type simply deflected them with his weapon, before he sliced the monster in half (Anthony: 3000-2400 LP), and Anthony screamed unbearably as his legs continued to be unwound, until his legs down to his knees were gone.

"Now burn like the straw doll that you are! Aratama, attack directly!"

Aratama fired a red ball of flame that struck Anthony, who screamed in pain as the flames burned away more of his body, his legs completely gone at this point (Anthony: 2400-1600 LP). Kakoen bit her lip and Choryo gasped in horror at his shrieks, while Kakoton just stared, fists trembling.

"And that should do for now, with Izanagi allowing me to keep my Spirit Monsters on the field. Honestly, the moron over there put up a better fight, and her pain was much more enjoyable." These words made Kakoton attempt to lunge at him, only for her sister to reel her in as usual. "I'm disappointed from someone who I've heard as being so great, but all I see is a man, who is not immune to fear or pain. And I shall enjoy exploiting those."

"Shut up!" defended Choryo. "He's probably the second best person that I know! What do you know about him?"

"As much as I know that your admiration for the one known as Kan'u and your love for Anthony comes from a dislike of your past self, and how you wish to become better," said Yokai, making Choryo silent in fear as he turned his sights toward Kakoton. "Or how your hatred of Anthony partially stems from jealousy towards how he has managed to capture the attention of your sister, and how you fear that he will do the same to your precious lord." He then turned to Kakoen. "As well as the fact that you're worried that your love for your lord may be diminished by the feelings that you have for Anthony, despite the fact that she gave you her blessing. One thing I've always been good at is reading people, knowing what makes them tick, and especially what they fear."

"I draw!" shouted Anthony, cutting off the evil man. "And I summon my Cyber Raider!"

His monster appeared (LV 4: ATK 1400), and Anthony pointed at Aratama. "Now attack with Cyber Knuckle!" And as his monster punched the small soul into oblivion, and Yokai continued to unwind (Yokai: 2050-1450 LP), the man in white began to chuckle.

"Oh my, it seems like you truly do care for these three."

"Of course I do. They're my friends. And the same goes for Aisha, Rinrin, Shuri, Sei, Pairen, Sui, Renfa, Meirin, Shishun, Non, Ren, Yue, Ei, Shion, Shaoren, Riri, Ishe, Toshi, Reiha, and everyone else that I've befriended. To help people is one of my greatest desires."

"I can see, but while it is primarily out of the kindness of your heart, perhaps there's another reason, one that even you aren't aware of. Perhaps you feel that you're obligated to do so, due to the pressure put on by everyone who admires you. Or perhaps it stems from a desire to stand out. Please, enlighten me."

"I end my turn," said Anthony.

"Please answer the question."

"Why should I tell you? You don't deserve to know."

"Fine. If you won't answer, I'll just make you squirm. I draw! And I summon my Nikitama!"

As the egg-shaped spirit appeared (LV 4: ATK 800), Yokai began to laugh. "And when I summon Nikitama, I can summon a second Spirit Monster on the same turn! So I tribute both of my monsters in order to summon my Yamata Dragon!"

The eight-headed dragon soon found itself on the field in place of the other two monsters, letting out its distinct shriek (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"And now, to burn you to ash! Eight-Headed Flame Attack!"

His monster shot out a huge wave of fire from all of its mouths, completely absorbing Cyber Raider (Anthony: 1600-400 LP). By the time the flames had died down, Anthony wasn't a pretty sight. Half of his torso was gone, as well as part of his arm, as he was barely managing to stay conscious. Yokai began to cackle at the sight of this, the Millenium Symbol appearing on his forehead briefly.

"And now, I get to draw until I have five cards in my hand!" And as soon as he did, he immediately played one of them. "And now, I activate my Spiritual Energy Settle Machine, which will let me keep my Spirit Monsters active! And now, I end my turn, discarding my Inaba White Rabbit to keep my Continuous Spell on the field!" Anthony didn't respond, which made Choryo and Kakoen begin to cheer for him.

"C'mon, Anthony, don't let this punkass get to you! You'll take this guy down and go on to save Karin, I just know it!"

"I've seen you face worse odds in the past and overcome them, Anthony. Please, don't let this man overwhelm you!"

"I believe in you!"

Choryo, Kakoen, and even Yokai turned to the older twin, stunned that Kakoton was suddenly cheering for him! "Look, I admit, maybe I am jealous, and I don't like the fact that you've humiliated and insulted Karin in the past. But if you're willing to go through all of this pain and suffering for her, then I'm willing to cheer for you! Please don't let me down, or I'll make you regret it!"

If her suddenly rooting for a man who she had made perfectly clear she despised was a shock to Yokai, hearing Anthony begin to laugh was completely mind-boggling.

"Thanks, Shunran. I knew that behind that hard exterior, you really did care for me. And don't worry about me, girls. I'm actually having fun out here."

"WHAT!? How!? How can you be smiling, laughing, having fun? You should be screaming, begging for sweet release that will never come!"

"Well, it's like I told you, Yokai," said Anthony as he drew. "I'm not afraid of Shadow Games anymore, and I'm not going to let them hinder my enjoyment of this game! I set one monster, and one more card to round out my turn!"

Yokai growled, and he drew, pleased with his new card.

"I summon my Maharaghi to the field!"

The new monster was a brown and yellow clay doll known as a dogu, with squinted eyes, a roundish body, and stumpy limbs (LV 4: ATK 1200). But as soon as he did, Anthony flashed a grin and put on his sunglasses, which the girls knew was his way of saying that things had just fallen into his favor.

"I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon, in order to destroy your Spiritual Energy Settle Machine!"

Yokai could feel his heart temporarily stop as the card was ripped apart by the whirlwind, and suddenly, both of his monsters were forced back into his hand against his will.

"Hey, what's goin' on? Both of his monsters just went back to his hand when that card got blown up," said Choryo.

"It must be an effect of the card!" realized Kakoen, snapping her fingers in realization. "No wonder it had such a heavy cost."

"I bet Anthony figured it out too!" said Kakoton, actually proud of the King of Games.

"Thank you, all of you. Hey, Yokai, you gonna finish your turn?"

The sadistic man nodded his head, and Anthony drew, but not before speaking up. "You wanna know why I want to help others so much? Well, you were right when you said that I feel obligated, although that isn't quite the word that I would use. Look, a lot of people depend on me, and I can't just let them down when they need me most. And right now, these three, my peerage, and Lord Soso need me, and I'm not going to back down! I tribute my face-down monster to summon my Machine King!"

Anthony then sent his face-down monster, Battle Footballer, to the Graveyard, and his favorite monster rose up, smashing its fists together (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300). While Kakoton and Choryo stared at this monster in awe, Kakoen smiled in recognition, with it being one of the two monsters that had beaten her when she had dueled him in the past. Yokai could only tremble, the master of fear being petrified.

"It's time to face the future! Machine King, JET PUNCH!"

His monster reared back its fist and launched a rocket-powered punch at Yokai, who on impact burst into string, the threads being fed to the shadows (Yokai: 1450-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony). Anthony's body began to reconstruct itself, and once he was whole again, the shadows disappeared, bringing them all back to the forest, as Anthony fell onto his knees. Choryo ran up to him with Kakoen following, and Kakoton remained where she was.

"Anthony, you okay?" asked Choryo, as her lord slowly got up and onto his feet.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright. But more importantly, are you guys okay? I mean, the shit that Yokai was saying sounded pretty heavy."

"Don't worry about it," said Kakoen, "we can take care of it."

"No, I insist. Like I said, I'm here to help you guys, and I refuse to let you down."

Kakoen and Choryo both blushed, their eyes beginning to wet, before they hugged the man in front of them, knocking the wind out of him, before he graciously returned it, and turned his gaze over to Kakoton. "Hey, there's room for one more over here!" Kakoton stood still for a moment, before she walked over and joined in on the hug, deciding to put an end to the feud between her and Anthony, regardless if it was one-sided or not. After all, if he was willing to put his soul on the line to save someone who he hated out of the kindness of his heart, then maybe he wasn't as bad as she had originally thought.


	52. Blaze of Glory

"Hakeru, I have a mission for you," said Soso as she called upon her remaining strategist. "It appears that Yokai has been defeated, judging by his disappearance. I ask that you locate the ones who defeated him and stop them yourself."

"It seems illogical to send me alone, seeing how Yokai was the superior duelist and lost regardless," said Hakeru.

"And do you know what else is illogical? Refusing your lord's direct order!" snapped Soso. "So do me a favor and listen to me, or else you could very well end up like Lord Bato here," said Soso, pulling out the doll that was once the lord of Ryoshu and shaking it lightly.

"Understood. And considering the likelihood of your generals having been completely wiped out, to go out yourself is also an illogical course of action. I shall make haste, Lord Soso."

"You had better."

~KD~

"So let me get this straight, Shuran. You're worried about your relationship with Soso being strained?"

As the lord of Kikai, his newest general, and the twin generals of Gi were walking through the forest en route to the Gi Capital, and Lord Soso by extension, Anthony had requested that the four of them sort out the problems that Yokai had identified, in order to make sure they were mentally prepared for the big confrontation. After all, having to face somebody who you loved, who you had known for most of your life, one who was no longer in her right mind and much more dangerous than before, was heavy enough, so removing some mental baggage seemed like a good idea. Seeing as Anthony and Kakoton had managed to work out their issues for the most part, the two of them decided to help out Kakoen and Choryo. Kakoton had insisted that she be the one to talk to her sister, but Anthony insisted that he should do it, since he was directly involved in it, and after a game of rock-paper-scissors, Anthony had paired up with Kakoen, and Kakoton with Choryo as they discussed the things that had been said.

"Y-Yes. You see, it's just that, I love Karin, and I have these…feelings…for you as well."

"And so does everyone else," muttered Anthony under his breath, as the general brushed her bangs out of her eyes, something that Anthony thought was adorable, although now was neither the time nor place for thoughts like those.

"And I know that Karin gave me permission to pursue you, on the day that I dueled Toshi, since she has no problems with multiple relationships-"

"I'm not having a goddamn harem," said Anthony almost automatically.

"I wasn't going to suggest that."

"Sorry, it's just, Shion and Shia have already mentioned it, and I'm starting to get sick of it."

"I will break you!" they heard Choryo shout, before Kakoton attempted to get their conversation back on track, oddly being the voice of reason.

"The problem is, I've known you for only a couple of months, while I've known Karin for years. I'm just worried that, when she goes back to normal, when we save her from the brainwashing, my feelings for her won't be as strong."

"Hey, the fact that you're so worried about her shows that you care, Shuran," said Anthony, patting her on the shoulder as she blushed. "And I'm not gonna get in the way of you two."

"Thank you, Anthony," said Kakoen. Meanwhile, Choryo and Kakoton were having their own therapy session.

"Look, Shunran, this ain't easy to say, but, I wasn't exactly a good person when I was a teen. I was a gang leader, and me and my crew were cutthroat. We stole, we hurt, and we didn't play fair. That is, until I saw something, or someone, that changed all of that. And her name was Kan'u Uncho. Look, after my gang got run outta town and we split up, I saw her take down a whole slew of bandits by herself. And she was awesome!" She then got into her "neko mode," skipping as she held her fists to her chin. "She was so cool, with her fierce attitude, and that awesome Black Luster Soldier of hers, oh man, I get chills just thinking about it!"

"I'm not sure how you can be cold when you remember that event, but I'm assuming that it's an expression."

"She's learning. I'm so proud of her," said Kakoen, teasing her big sister in her own way as Anthony stifled a laugh, and Kakoton blushed in embarrassment.

"And ever since, I've gone totally straight. I don't lie, or steal, and I definitely don't cheat. But I can't help but feel guilty for all of the times that I did do those things. I hurt a lot of people, Shunran, and at the time, I couldn't care less."

"Then why do you care now?" asked Kakoton.

"Because I hate all of the things that I did, Shunran! I hate who I was! And ever since, I've been trying to be someone different, someone like Aisha."

"No, Shia. You still are yourself. Just better," said Kakoton, crossing her arms. Choryo smiled at the compliment.

"Thanks, Shunran. You're a good friend."

"So are you, Shia," said Kakoton, managing to crack a small smile.

'Well, it looks like we're all ready to go,' thought Anthony. 'Hopefully, the girls aren't having much trouble with their own personal issues.'

~KD~

'I wonder if I can get away with killing our little hostage.'

Bacho was beyond fed up with Jun'iku. The Gi strategist wouldn't shut up about how she was tired, or that she was stuck with a bunch of idiots, or various other complaints that one could probably make a bingo game out of. Bacho couldn't believe that the little troll had the audacity to complain, considering what her lord did! What she tried to do to them!

"You know, Lord Karin won't just vanish into thin air if we take a break. I can see that the one who is most likely to float without holding their breath has a bag with her," said Jun'iku, pointing to Kochu, who ignored the statement about her chest.

"A tarp, rations, canteens. We used them to camp out overnight, when it was too dark to travel and so we could get some sleep."

"Well, I'm not built for long walks."

"But you walked the same distance willingly," said Kan'u. "And Shuri isn't built for this either, but she isn't complaining."

"You don't know that. I definitely didn't have fun walking all this way to lose to you clods. But believe it or not, there is one person that I will always listen to, and that is Karin." She purposely left out that she would occasionally disobey her lover in order to receive "punishment," as she knew that it wouldn't help her argument.

"The mean lady has a point, big sis," said Chohi, her stomach growling. "Rinrin's hungry."

Kan'u sighed. "Fine, we'll take a short break to get fed and keep our strength up. But as soon as everyone is fed, we're going to keep marching, am I clear?"

"Yes, Aisha/big sis!" said the majority of them, with Jun'iku simply muttering that it was "about time." As Kochu began to take out the supplies, she noticed Bacho heading off from the group.

"Where are you going, Sui? We're supposed to stick together."

"Well, I gotta pee. Unless you wanna watch me, I'll be behind those rocks, in case someone wants to know where I ran off to." She then walked off without another word, and Kochu kept her eyes on her as she went out of sight. Now, Kochu wasn't stupid: she knew that having Jun'iku around was making her hatred for Soso fester, and her desire for revenge even stronger. And she couldn't let that happen, lest she do something that she would later regret.

"Sei, could you do me a favor and set up the tarp by yourself? I have to do something important."

"Not a problem," replied the blue-haired general, as she took the tarp and the support rods from the purple-haired general, and Kochu made her way over to Jun'iku and tapped her on the shoulder, which made her turn to her and frown.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want? Because if you want an apology for the comment about your titanic tits, then good luck." Kochu stifled a laugh at "titanic tits," but shook her head.

"No, this is something else. Come with me, we're going to talk to Sui."

"Why?"

Kochu bent down and looked her dead in the eyes. "Because I said so. And you aren't in a position to refuse demands, are you? Now come on."

Jun'iku felt her eyes shrink in fear of the quiet anger that Kochu was emitting, and her sharp tongue dulled as she nodded. Kochu then smiled, told Kan'u that they would be a while and not to wait up for them, and they went to where Bacho went. Kan'u sighed as she opened the small box lunch and began to eat, when she heard approaching footsteps, and she immediately went on her guard.

"Mmm, that smells good! You wanna share?"

Kan'u closed the lid of her lunch and set it aside before she jumped to her feet with her Duel Disk in front of her, with the other four soon joining her, and they all came face to face with one Kyocho Chuko.

"I'm going to assume that you're with Soso, going by your skull outfit," said Kan'u.

"Yep. Name's Kyocho. I'm one of her generals."

"Hawawa…" said Shokatsuryo, hand on her deck. "Aisha, right now, only three of us can duel her, since Shion and Sui are off somewhere, and Ren and Sei lost to Keifa."

"Rinrin can do this!" said Chohi, walking over to Kyocho as she dropped an empty box lunch, and cracked her knuckles. "This will be fun!"

"My thoughts exactly," said Kyocho with a grin on her face as she shuffled her cards. "Let's duel!"

(Chohi: 4000 LP)(Kyocho: 4000 LP)

"Rinrin draws! And I summon my Great Angus!"

Her monster was a massive red beast with rippling muscles, sharp teeth, crazed yellow eyes, and tusks like a boar (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"A FIRE monster, huh? Bad move, because those are my specialty!" bragged Kyocho.

"And to end my turn, I play Spiritual Forest!"

Many large mushroom-shaped trees then sprouted around Chohi, as she smiled.

"That's it for Rinrin!"

"Okay then, I draw! And I summon Solar Flare Dragon to the field!"

The monster that she brought out was a long red Eastern dragon that seemed to be made of fire and coals, with two horns and green eyes (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I play my Ookazi, in order to deal eight hundred points of damage to your life points!"

A huge column of fire enveloped Chohi, although she managed to keep on her feet (Chohi: 4000-3200 LP).

"But I'm still not done! I equip my Solar Flare Dragon with Salamandra, to boost its power by seven hundred points!"

Her new card had a picture of a broadsword with the kanji for "fire" written on it, and a dragon made of fire, also known as a salamander, encircling it. The same salamander then came out of the card and wrapped itself around Solar Flare Dragon before it was absorbed, the flames on the Pyro-type burning even brighter (ATK 1500-2200).

"And now, to attack! Sunburst Attack!"

The Pyro-type reared back its head and launched a fireball at the Beast-type, which managed to stay on the field (Chohi: 3200-2800 LP).

"Hey, shouldn't your monster have gone boom?" asked Kyocho as she scratched her head in confusion.

"Spiritual Forest prevents the first Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Plant-type monster that would be destroyed in battle from being destroyed," explained Chohi with a wide smile, happy that her Great Angus got to live another turn.

"Okay then, I end my turn with a face-down, and during each of my End Phases, Solar Flare Dragon deals five hundred points of damage! Blast her!"

As requested, Solar Flare Dragon fired another fireball at Chohi, who threw up her arms to block the attack, although it was somewhat meaningless (Chohi: 2800-2300 LP).

"Hawawa, this is crazy!" shouted Shokatsuryo, gripping the sides of her head in disbelief. "In one turn, she's obtained complete control of the duel!"

"Come on, Rinrin!" shouted Kan'u. "You can take care of this!"

"Rinrin draws! And now, she plays Polymerization, to fuse Gazelle and Berfomet to make Chimera!"

Both of her monsters appeared by the side of Chohi, and fused into her favorite monster, which let out its signature roar (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"Now I summon Frenzied Panda!"

Her huge panda landed on the field, bamboo stick slamming onto the ground (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Nice lineup," said Kyocho. "It's too bad that none of those monsters have enough power to take down my Solar Flare Dragon!"

"Rinrin knows, and she has a way to take care of that! Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

The cosmic whirlwind shrieked as it tore a path through the wasteland and pulled in the salamander, ripping it apart in its winds (ATK 2200-1500).

"Now Chimera is strong enough to beat that baddie! Go, Pulverizing Pounce!"

The chimera spread its wings and flew towards the Pyro-type, slamming its powerful paws into the opposing monster and knocking it onto the ground (Kyocho: 4000-3400 LP), as Kyocho activated her face-down card, showing Chopman the Desperate Outlaw karate chopping Blazing Inpachi, and getting a blast of fire in his face as a result, as Solar Flare Dragon combusted in a massive explosion, and a wave of fire made Chohi stumble backwards.

"Rinrin, are you okay?" said Kan'u as she saw Chohi struggle to keep her balance (Chohi: 2300-1800 LP).

"Rinrin is okay, big sis. But what was that?"

"That was my Backfire!" shouted Kyocho. "And with its power, whenever you destroy a FIRE monster on my side of the field and send it to the Graveyard, you take five hundred points of damage!"

"Well, Rinrin still has life points, and as long as I do, I'll keep on fighting! Great Angus, Frenzied Panda, attack!"

Her Great Angus let out a loud squeal as it smashed its paw on Kyocho (Kyocho: 3400-1600 LP), and Frenzied Panda spun its bamboo stick like a bo staff before it swept it through the torso of the youngest Gi general (Kyocho: 1600-400 LP).

"And that's all! Your turn!"

"I gotta admit," huffed Kyocho as she drew, "you aren't half bad. In fact, you're really good! But are you good enough? I summon another Solar Flare Dragon to the field in attack mode!"

A second of the molten dragons slithered onto the field, the fire around its body crackling as embers danced around it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now attack Frenzied Panda with Sunburst Attack!"

Her monster did as requested, firing a ball of flame that exploded on impact, although the Beast-type simply shrugged off the powerful blast like it was nothing (Chohi: 1800-1500 LP).

"And to end my turn, I set one card, and during the End Phase, you take five hundred points of damage!" And as the vertical backing appeared, another fireball struck the redhead general (Chohi: 1500-1000 LP).

"Be careful, Rinrin!" called Kan'u.

"Rinrin has this, big sis! Now I draw! And Rinrin tributes her Panda and Angus to summon her Behemoth!"

Before long, Chohi had her two best monsters out on the field, both raring to go (LV 7: ATK 2700).

"Go, Behemoth! Attack!"

The King of All Animals roared as it began to charge the burning drake, when suddenly, another one appeared (LV 4: ATK 1500), as Kyocho's face-down flipped up, revealing it to be…

"Call of the Haunted!" said Shokatsuryo. "B-But why would she…wait, of course! The effect of Solar Flare Dragon!"

"What effect?" asked Choun, but her question was soon answered as the flames of both of Kyocho's monsters burned even brighter, and the one that Behemoth was aiming for suddenly created a prominence that repelled the attack from the huge Beast-type.

"Sorry, but when I control another Pyro-type, my Solar Flare Dragon can't be declared as an attack target! And since I control two of them, neither of them can be attacked!"

"Rinrin ends her turn…" said Chohi with a frown, as Kyocho drew, then immediately ended her turn, as both of her monsters blasted Chohi, knocking her backwards as she screamed (Chohi: 1000-0 LP).

"And with that, one more general is down!" declared Kyocho, as Kan'u knelt down to make sure that her best friend and sworn sibling was okay. "So who's next?"

"RINRIN!"

Everyone turned to see Bacho, Kochu, and Jun'iku, with Bacho clenching her fists and taking a deep breath as she saw her friend on the ground, and recognized Kyocho from the attack on Ryoshu.

'Well, it's time to put what you said into action, Shion.'

~KD~

 _Bacho sighed in relief as she pulled her panties and skirt back up, and wiped her hands clean in some sand, when she heard a rather unpleasant voice that she had been attempting to avoid._

" _You know, that isn't very sanitary. Remind me not to shake hands with you, and if I do by accident, inform me of so so that I can thoroughly wash whatever hand you likely infected."_

" _Keifa, please be nice. I brought you here to help Sui, not belittle her."_

 _Bacho sprung to her feet and turned around to see Kochu and Jun'iku standing beside the rocks that she had gone behind. "Were you two watching me pee? What the hell?"_

" _No, we waited for you to finish before we went to talk to you," elaborated Kochu._

" _Yeah, I've been told that I have weird tastes, but even I have my limits," said Jun'iku, which made Bacho cringe._

" _Why did you bring her, Shion? She's nothing but a pain in the neck."_

" _And you will be working with her, at least until we can stop Soso."_

" _Like hell I will. Shia at least quit, and she helped Anthony. But that one-"_

" _I have a name, clod."_

" _-has been nothing but trouble since we ran into her, and she still works under that monster!"_

" _And that's why I wanted to talk to you, Sui," said Kochu, folding her arms. "This anger that you have towards Soso, it needs to-"_

" _What, are you saying that I can't be angry that my fucking dad got his soul stolen!?" swore Bacho, her language becoming less restrained as her anger built up like magma seeping through an active volcano, and any second, lava and ash would spew from the top. "That I should just forgive and forget!? If that's the case, then maybe you shouldn't have cared when Reiha kidnapped Riri!"_

 _Kochu's jaw hung open, the older general completely shocked by what Bacho had just said, while Jun'iku was just wondering who Riri was. Bacho saw the hurt look on Kochu's face, and she felt absolutely horrible. "Oh-Oh my god, Shion, I am so, so sorry. I swear, I didn't mean that-"_

" _I know that you didn't," said Kochu, putting her hand on her heart and trying not to cry. "You didn't mean to be malicious, you're just lashing out because of your anger towards Soso. And that is exactly why I need to speak with you. This anger that you feel towards Lord Soso and her subordinates, it needs to be controlled."_

 _Bacho remained silent, her face remaining stern, but she nodded, which prompted Kochu to continue. "When my daughter was kidnapped, I went through a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, sorrow, vengeance, despair, but more than any of those, I felt fear. Fear of what would happen to my little girl, the thing that I treasured more than anything else. And I could only begin to imagine what was running through her young mind. And in the end, I gave into those emotions, and I ended up joining forces with the enemy to help her, and if you and your friends didn't rescue her, I may have ended up hurting a lot of people. So I can relate to what it's like, having a loved one imperiled. As well having one lost," she said, her mind turning to Haruto. "And you have every right to be angry. But don't let all of that hatred consume you, or many others will get caught up in the crossfire. And besides, will killing Soso truly solve everything?"_

 _Bacho looked at the ground. "No...no it won't. But it would definitely feel good."_

" _For how long?"_

 _Bacho didn't answer, and Kochu walked up to her, and putting her hand on the brunette's chin, tilted her head up so that the two of them were looking into each other's eyes._

" _Please, Sui, don't do anything that you'll regret."_

 _Bacho nodded, then turned towards Jun'iku. "So I guess I'm gonna have to get along with her, huh? Don't lose my cool, stop swearing revenge?" Bacho sighed, and walked over to the short strategist. "If it'll get my dad back faster, then fine. I can live with this. And I won't lose control when it's time to take down Soso." She then spat into her right hand and grabbed the right hand of Jun'iku, who turned as white as a ghost as the Kikai general shook the hand of the Gi strategist. "Let's start over as friends, okay?"_

" _Forget washing my hand," said Jun'iku as she pulled her hand out of the grip of Bacho, "I'm going to burn it."_

 _Kochu smiled, when they suddenly heard a loud scream. "That sounded like Rinrin!"_

" _Must be another of your pals!" said Bacho. "Let's go take care of them!"_

~KD~

'Control my anger,' thought Bacho. 'I can do this.' She walked over to Kan'u and Chohi, and knelt down alongside the black-haired general to look over the red-haired general. "Rinrin, are you okay?"

Chohi let out a cough, and she nodded. "Rinrin's fine, but she lost to her." She then weakly pointed at Kyocho, who was looking over at Jun'iku with a smirk on her face.

"Hey Keifa, looks like you lost! Don't worry, you can go back to kissing Lord Karin's feet once I clean up the rest of these guys!"

"Don't hold back on her. In fact, go overboard if need be," said Jun'iku, as Kochu frowned and shook her head at this. Bacho suddenly pulled a card out of her deck and handed it to Kan'u, before slipping a card from her side deck into the main deck and shuffling it well.

"I'll take you on," said Bacho as she walked up to Kyocho. "This is gonna be fun, I just know it!"

"It better be!" said Kyocho, as Kan'u gaped at the card that Bacho had given to her for safekeeping. It was her signature monster, her mighty Beast King Barbaros! Kan'u almost couldn't believe it: out of the six duels that she had seen Bacho in, only one of them, the duel against her, didn't feature her ultimate weapon, so why was she restricting herself like this?

'That card that I gave to Aisha for this duel was given to me by dad. If I duel this general without it, then maybe I'll be able to control my anger. It feels weird to duel without Barbaros, but if it will help me get my dad back from the Shadow Realm, it's worth it.'

(Kyocho: 4000 LP)(Bacho: 4000 LP)

"So if I may, what does this general specialize in?" asked Kochu.

"Ki uses FIRE monsters," said Jun'iku. "And her main strategy? Deal damage. Lots and lots of damage."

"Alright, I'll make the first move! I draw, and then I summon my Fire Trooper to the field in attack mode!"

This new monster was a demonic creature with purple skin and pointed ears, with large clawed hands and feet, wearing white clothes under black armor, and wearing a purple cape with four large purple spikes sticking out of the back of the collar. But the most defining feature was that the hands and head of the monster seemed to be on fire (LV 3: ATK 1000). Suddenly, the monster screamed as the fire on its head burned much hotter, and it managed to shoot two streams of fire at Bacho before it exploded into pixels.

"And when Fire Trooper is summoned, I can immediately send it to the Graveyard to deal a thousand points of damage! But I'm not gonna leave my field completely open. I banish my Fire Trooper from my Graveyard to Special Summon my Spirit of Flames to the field!"

Soon, a small fire appeared before Kyocho, which began to spread until it was a larger flame, and something began to sprout out of it. It was a demonic creature that seemed to be severely burned, with red skin, four horns that curved backwards, and green eyes, with wisps of steam curling off of it (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And I end my turn by setting one card!"

Bacho drew, and looked over her cards carefully before she played one.

"I summon my Pitch-Black Warwolf to the field in attack mode!"

Her monster landed on one hand, its sword gripped in the other, before it rose to its feet and let out a loud howl (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now, I'll have it attack! And when Pitch-Black Warwolf is on the field, you can't use your Trap Cards during the Battle Phase!"

"So what?" said Kyocho. "Your monster is still weaker than mine is!"

"Then let's fix that! I activate my Ego Boost, a card that'll boost the power of my monster by a thousand!"

A Quick-Play Spell appeared, showing Lava Battleguard attacking a small kid in a blue hero costume, with a large green creature appearing behind the kid, as Pitch-Black Warwolf became even stronger than before (ATK 1600-2600). It then slashed through the Spirit of Flames, reducing it to yellow pixels (Kyocho: 4000-3100 LP)(ATK 2600-1600).

"And now, I end my turn by setting three cards on the field!"

"It looks like Sui is going all out in this duel," said Choun, with Chohi getting to her feet and cheering for her friend.

"Go Sui! Take her down! Win for me!"

"I just hope she can keep her cool, even with all of this heat," said Kochu to herself.

"Then I draw! Before I do anything else, I activate my Backfire, which will deal five hundred points of damage every time one of my FIRE monsters is destroyed!"

"Careful, that card was very effective against Rinrin!" shouted Kan'u, with Bacho chuckling.

"Don't worry, I've got this! I activate my Typhoon, which will let me destroy one face-up Spell or Trap Card!"

A card appeared that depicted a raging typhoon in the mountains, as the wind began to kick up, two tornadoes circling the two duelists, when a roll of thunder boomed, startling Kochu, as a bolt of lightning came down and blasted Backfire to pieces. Kyocho just stood there as the winds died down, eyes pure white in complete shock, before she shook her head and regained her composure.

"And I summon my Flame Ruler to the field in attack mode!"

Kyocho brought out a tan and muscular man with wild blue hair, a scar on his left eye, a red long coat, blue pants with a red sash tied around the waist, and fire trailing from his hands (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"This monster can be used for two tributes if I wanna Tribute Summon a FIRE monster, and luckily, I can do just that! But first, I activate my Double Summon!"

The Normal Spell had a picture of a magician summoning Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, as well as another monster being summoned behind him. "And this card lets me Normal Summon another time this turn! So let's bring out my ultimate monster, one who will burn my opponents to ash! Infernal Flame Emperor!"

Her ultimate monster burst into action, forming from a massive inferno as the air rippled from the heat it gave off (LV 9: ATK 2700).

"And it gets even better! When this monster is Tribute Summoned, I can banish up to five FIRE monsters in my Graveyard and destroy spells and traps up to the number of monsters that I banished! So say goodbye to your face-down cards, because I banish my Flame Ruler and my Spirit of Flames! Infernal Flame Emperor, blast them!"

A fireball appeared in each of Infernal Flame Emperor's hands, and the Pyro-type shot them at the cards, with one flipping up to show Swamp Battleguard behind Lava Battleguard, with Lava Battleguard gaining a fiery red aura, and that same aura covering Pitch-Black Warwolf (ATK 1600-2000).

"I activate my Skill Successor!" shouted Bacho as she sent the card in question and her Prideful Roar to the Graveyard. "Now my monster gains four hundred attack points until the End Phase. So I'll take a little less damage."

"A little, maybe, but not all! Blaze of Destruction!"

The Pyro-type shot a steady stream of fire that torched the Beast-Warrior (Bacho: 3000-2300 LP).

"And that will do! Come on, I thought that you guys would be more of a challenge! Bring it on!"

Bacho took a deep breath, and calmly drew her next card, and set it on the field and set another card.

"Okay, your go."

"She's on the defensive, it seems," said Kochu. "Hopefully she can find a way to turn things around."

"I draw! And I activate my Final Flame!"

The card showed an image of a goblin in an inferno, as a huge blast of fire shot out of the card and blasted Bacho (Bacho: 2300-1700).

"That card scorched six hundred of your life points, but let's see if we can't bring you to zero this turn! I summon my Darkfire Soldier #1!"

The searing swordsman appeared next to Infernal Flame Emperor (LV 4: ATK 1700), and Kyocho pointed at the face-down monster.

"Blast that monster to bits, Flame Emperor!"

Her monster did exactly so, blasting a fireball at the monster, which was revealed to be Boar Soldier (LV 4: DEF 500).

"And now, to take down a second general! Darkfire Soldier, attack!"

But as the Pyro-type swung its sword, it ended up hitting a pink Sheep Token, as three more of the fluffy tokens appeared (LV 1: DEF 0).

"Hawawa…what a relief…she played her Scapegoat just in time," said Shokatsuryo, putting her hand to her heart.

"Fine, I end my turn."

"Okay, my go! I draw! And I summon my Winged Rhynos to the field!"

The new monster was an anthropomorphic rhino in silver and gold armor with red wings and talons like a bird of prey, and in its hands was a kanabo, a Japanese double-ended club with metal studs (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Winged Rhynos, take down that Darkfire Soldier!"

Her monster spread its wings and took to the sky, before it smashed its club into the Pyro-type, and it shattered into pixels (Kyocho: 3100-3000 LP).

"And that should be it."

"Okay, my turn! I draw! And I play my Cursed Bill!"

A tattered contract with a flame on it appeared in the hands Winged Rhynos, as Kyocho grinned. "Now whenever the equipped monster is destroyed and that card is sent to the Graveyard, you take damage equal to its original defense points. So now I'll have my Infernal Flame Emperor scorch it with Blaze of Destruction!"

Her monster shot another fire blast at the opposing monster and shot it out of the air (Bacho: 1700-800 LP), and a flame lingered before going out, as a large blue spirit in the shape of a skull appeared, with Kan'u shivering in fear, as the skull phased through Bacho before vanishing (Bacho: 800-300 LP).

"It's a good thing my monster only had five hundred defense points," said Bacho. "I'm still in this!"

"Not for much longer! I end my turn."

Bacho drew, then smirked as she saw what she had drawn. "I activate my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards!" And after she did, she began to laugh as she slapped a card onto her Duel Disk. "And now, I summon my Panther Warrior!"

The anthropomorphic panther let out a roar as it landed on the field, sword in hand (LV 4: ATK 2000). All of a sudden, a red aura began to flow into the Beast-Warrior, which let out a soft growl as it became even stronger than before (ATK 2000-2800).

"What the heck!?" said Kyocho as she backed up. "How did that work? Panther Warrior can't do that, and you didn't play a card!"

"No, I just used the effect of my Skill Successor! On my turn, except the turn when it was sent to the Graveyard, I can banish it from there and give one of my monsters eight hundred attack points until the End Phase! Now that Panther Warrior can take out your monster, I'll tribute a Sheep Token so that it can do exactly that! Panther Slash!"

Kyocho could only stare in horror as her favorite monster was cut down to size by the overgrown pussycat (Kyocho: 3000-2900 LP), and she bent forward, her eyes hidden in shadows.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn! Your move!"

"I draw!" shouted Kyocho, her playful nature all but gone as she looked at her card and slipped it into her Duel Disk. "And I play my own Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards! And soon, you and your whole lousy kingdom will fall to Lord Karin, just like your dad did!"

Most of the girls were in complete shock at what was just said, with Jun'iku just shaking her head. "Looks like Ki is mad, and when she's mad, all hell breaks loose."

"Come on, Sui, don't let her rattle you like this," whispered Kochu. "Control your anger, don't let it control you!" But Bacho didn't get mad, or if she did, she didn't let it show. The thick-browed brunette just winked and pointed at Kyocho with a smile.

"You better bring an army, then!"

"Don't need one. I'm an army of one!" shouted Kyocho as she practically slammed a Monster Card onto the field. "I summon Raging Flame Sprite to the field!"

Her new monster was quite small, being a brunette sprite in a brown witch hat, a moss green tunic, red pants, and dark green shoes, with a wand that was covered in fire in its hand (LV 3: ATK 100).

"But that isn't all! I equip my Raging Flame Sprite with my Burning Spear, to increase its attack points by four hundred while decreasing its defense points by two hundred!"

A spear that was completely covered in fire appeared in the hands of the small Pyro, and its power went up as a result (ATK 100-500).

"Even with that power boost," said Kan'u, "it doesn't look like it can do much."

"Oh yes it can, and yes it will, because Raging Flame Sprite can attack directly! Go, win this duel for Gi!"

But as soon as it flew forward, Bacho activated her Trap Card, showing a blue robot hitting a red one, and a red no symbol over them.

"I play my Battle Break, destroying your monster and ending the Battle Phase! Of course, you can negate the activation of the card, that is, if you reveal a monster in your hand!"

"But my hand is empty," said Kyocho in fear as she backed up.

"Exactly! So no more Raging Flame Sprite!"

The monster exploded into pixels, and without anything else that she could do, Kyocho ended her turn, and Bacho drew.

"Sweet! I summon my Tiger Axe to the field!"

Her monster appeared with a mighty roar (LV 4: ATK 1300), prompting Bacho to point at Kyocho as another Sheep Token vanished.

"ATTACK!"

Both of her monsters slashed through Kyocho as she fell onto her back with a yell (Kyocho: 2900-0 LP)(Winner: Bacho). The others began to cheer, until Bacho began to slowly stroll over to Kyocho, which put everyone on edge. Kochu became worried about what the Kikai general would do, Shokatsuryo began to bite her nails, and Ryofu was ready to grab her again, but to the surprise and relief of the peanut gallery, Bacho held out her hand to pull Kyocho back onto her feet.

"That was one hell of a duel. Now that you've been beaten, you'll be coming with us until we either win or lose this war. That is, if you can keep up with us."

Kyocho smirked as she grabbed the hand of Bacho. "You bet I can! Oh, and call me Ki!"

"Sui!"

Kochu just smiled from where she stood. It looked like Bacho would be just fine.


	53. Brain Drain

As Anthony and company wandered through the forest on their way to Gi, the silence was slowly getting to the sole male of the group. Occasionally there was the call of an animal, and at one point they passed a small stream, but for the most part it was dead quiet, with nobody having spoken for a good while. Eventually, out of sheer boredom, Anthony began to whistle to himself, and Choryo heard it, and she slowly walked up to him as he continued whistling, unaware of the listener creeping up behind him.

"Whatcha whistling?"

Anthony yelped in surprise, and caught the attention of the twins, who turned to look behind them, and his face turned red. "Um, Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. It's pretty quiet out here, so I just started whistling, I guess."

"Ya know, the girls and I are right here. You can talk to us at any time."

"Sorry. It's just that usually, I'm not the one who starts the conversation."

"Well, you're in one now," said Choryo, as Kakoton and Kakoen turned back around. "So, what do ya wanna talk about?"

"Uh, I was just wondering something. You don't like Shadow Games because of the severe consequences, right?"

"Damn straight. Duels should be for fun, so if they're too easy, or if my opponent doesn't play fair, then I can't stand it. And having a game where the players can lose their souls is definitely not fun or fair."

"But what if you have to participate in a Shadow Game?"

Choryo cocked an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"

"Well, when I swore off Shadow Games if I could, I still ended up dueling Tanoshi and Shunran in Shadow Games. Yeah, I didn't like it, but I didn't have a choice, you know?"

Choryo began to think over these words, and a small pit began to form in the pit of her stomach. Earlier, she had called out Anthony for this behavior, but was it okay when she did it, claiming her morals? Or was she just a hypocrite? Anthony immediately noticed this and began to shake her arm.

"Shia, Shia! Are you okay?"

"Wha…what?"

"You totally spaced for a second! What happened?"

Choryo was about to say "nothing," but then she realized that doing so would be just as bad, and she sighed. "Am I a hypocrite?"

Caught off guard by the question, feeling blunt and out of nowhere, Anthony shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. "What, no, no no no! Where did you get that idea?"

"Because I've been avoiding Shadow Games too! For instance, when I dueled Shunran, I never even started a Shadow Game!"

"That's not cowardly," said Kakoton, inserting herself into the conversation, "that's noble. You could have attempted to send me to a world of darkness and despair and make me suffer for the duration of the duel, but you refused. If I was the one who initiated the Shadow Game, your refusal would be cowardice, but you had a choice, and chose the favorable outcome."

"And I'm assuming that you still have the power to create Shadow Games," said Kakoen. "But you didn't use it when you dueled General Kan'u."

"Yeah, I guess so…" said Choryo, not really knowing where they were going with this.

"The times that you refused a Shadow Game were times where there was a choice in the matter," said Anthony. "But when you have no other options, will you fight back?"

Choryo clenched her fists and grinned. "You bet your ass I will. I ain't gonna let my friends down."

"A logical conclusion."

Everyone froze, and out of the thicket stepped Hakeru, his Chaos Duel Disk unfolded. "Tell me, were you four the ones who defeated Yokai? Or am I mistaken, and there are more of you."

"I took down Yokai," said Anthony, jerking his thumb in his direction. "And I'm willing to bet that you're either Hakeru or Ukitsu."

"Ah, you have been informed. Another logical conclusion, seeing as your three companions are former members of the Gi court, and would know our names, and our decks, since Ukitsu revealed them all."

"You'll be the third high-ranking member of the White Clothes that I'll have beaten," said Anthony as his deck was automatically shuffled.

"Now hold on, I never said that I would duel you," said Hakeru. "I believe that I have a right to choose my opponent."

"What right is that?" said Kakoton, annoyed by the excuse, as Choryo stepped forward.

"He's just lying, trying to figure out who he'll have the easiest time beating, and then wham! Well you know what? I'll duel you, and I won't take no for an answer, dickweed!"

"If you so insist," said Hakeru as he shuffled his cards.

"And here I thought that you didn't duel former allies," said Kakoen.

"This guy is no friend of mine," retorted Choryo, as a purple aura soon surrounded them, and the arena was transformed. The five of them were soon surrounded by a purple fog. Anthony and the Kako sisters were on a floating bench, and both duelists stood on floating stone platforms that looked rather unstable, and as both duelists drew their five cards, the platforms began to shake, and a few shards of stone fell into a black abyss below.

"Sheesh, talk about don't look down," said Anthony as he peered into the blackness. "Shia said this guy uses a mill deck, which means that he focuses on destroying the opponent's deck, rather than their life points, so that they'll have a Deck Out."

"A Deck Out?" asked Kakoton, never having heard that term before now.

"When a player has to draw, but there are no cards left in their deck, then they lose," said Kakoen. "It's much harder to accomplish, but also hard to counter."

"In that case, you can go first!" said Choryo, but Hakeru shook his head.

"I don't think so. I insist, you make the first move."

Choryo sighed. "Fine, I'll go first. I can still take you down!"

"We will see."

(Choryo: 4000 LP, 35)(Hakeru: 4000 LP, 35)

"I draw!" said Choryo (Choryo: 34), as the platform she was on began to crumble, but she maintained a straight face. "And let's see…I set one monster, and three other cards. I think that should be good for now!"

"I draw," said Hakeru (Hakeru: 34), as he carefully looked over his cards. "And I shall set one monster, and two cards. Then I play my Gravekeeper's Servant, which will force you to send one card from the top of your deck every time that you declare an attack!"

"Oh dear," said Kakoen as a Continuous Spell appeared, showing a graveyard at night, with a winged fiend wielding a scythe flying in front of the full moon.

"That shall conclude my turn."

"Then I draw!" declares Choryo (Choryo: 33). "And I summon my Blade Knight to the field!"

Her monster landed on one knee and rose to its full height, blade pointed forward (LV 4: ATK 1600), when Hakeru activated a Trap Card that displayed Warrior Lady of the Wasteland and Warrior Dai Grepher in a draw, their swords being knocked out of each other's hands.

"I play my Simultaneous Loss, forcing both of us to send the card on top of our decks to the Graveyard!"

As both of them sent a card to the Graveyard, Choryo sending Hayabusa Knight (Choryo: 32) and Hakeru sending Crush Card Virus (Hakeru: 33).

"This isn't good. While things are pretty even now, eventually, Shia will have way less cards in her deck, and Hakeru will slowly break her down," said Anthony.

"Not necessarily. Shia just has to beat him before he gets the chance," said Kakoen as Choryo played a few more cards.

"I Flip Summon my Familiar Knight! And then I equip him with Legendary Sword and Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade!"

Her card flipped up to show the dragon-armored knight, (LV 3: ATK 1200), and it put away its sword and shield, as it soon wielded the two gleaming blades (ATK 1200-1800).

"And since I have less than two cards in my hand, my Blade Knight gains an extra four hundred attack points!"

As the power of her knight went up (ATK 1600-2000), Choryo then pointed at the face-down monster.

"Familiar Knight, take down that face-down monster! And just in case, I play my Inspiration, to boost his power by an extra seven hundred!"

Choryo flipped her card up, showing a group of charging knights with a man in golden Spartan armor leading them, as her monster became even stronger (ATK 1800-2500). She then sent her Valkyrian Knight to the Graveyard (Choryo: 31), as Familiar Knight swung his swords at the face-down monster, which turned out to be Needle Worm (LV 2: DEF 600), as it fired five needles that struck the ground, which had slowly began to crack as more cards went to Choryo's Graveyard, and huge chunks broke off and fell into the abyss as Choryo was forced to send five cards from her deck to the Graveyard, frowning as she parted with Strike Slash, Command Knight, Gearfried the Swordmaster, Gaia the Fierce Knight, and Sakuretsu Armor (Choryo: 26), as the Flip Monster was cut in half.

"Well, I attack with my Blade Knight! And I send a card from the top of my deck to the Graveyard to have the attack land, as well as play my Collected Power, equipping him with all Equip Cards on the field!"

The swords of Familiar Knight began to glow yellow as they were ripped from his hands (ATK 2500-1900), as Blade Knight cast aside his own weapons and jumped in the air, spinning around as he caught the blades (ATK 2000-2600), and then slashed at Hakeru as Choryo got rid of her Marauding Captain (Choryo: 25)(Hakeru: 4000-1400 LP).

"And I'll end my turn with that." (ATK 1900-1200).

"Alright, Shia! You're doing awesome out there!" cheered Anthony.

"This man doesn't stand a chance!" said Kakoton with a grin as she crossed her arms.

"I must say, I'm rather impressed," said Kakoen.

"Aw, thanks, guys!" said Choryo, her cheeks becoming red as she scratched the back of her head.

"How illogical. You may have dealt more damage, but now your Familiar Knight is wide open, and unable to make use of its effect. Don't be damned by a fool's praise. I draw, and I play my Dark Hole, destroying every monster on the field." (Hakeru: 32)

Both of Choryo's monsters started to be pulled into the immense gravitational pull of the black hole, when Choryo played her third and final face-down card, both of her Equip Spells being destroyed (ATK 2600-2000)(Choryo: 4000-6000 LP).

"I activate my Emergency Provisions, letting me destroy any number of other Spell and Trap Cards I've got, pickin' up a thousand life points for each card I sacrifice!" explained Choryo as her monsters were crushed into oblivion.

"Very well. I summon Goblin Zombie."

Out of the ground burst the Zombie-type, brandishing its sword (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"Goblin Zombie, attack directly."

His monster did exactly that, slashing at Choryo (Choryo: 6000-4900 LP), as she was forced to send the top card of her deck to the Graveyard, parting with her Reinforcements (Choryo: 24).

"And I end my turn with a face-down."

"Okay, I draw! And since it's the only card in my hand, I summon my Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!" (Choryo: 23)

Her mighty cavalier sprung forth, the war horse neighing as the knight reigned it in (LV 7: ATK 2300).

"And it's about to get even better! I banish my Gearfried the Swordmaster and my Familiar Knight from my Graveyard, letting me bring back my Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade, and then I'll use it to make my Gaia even stronger, enough to wipe your ass out!"

The altar appeared as the horse that Gaia rode upon galloped up the steps, with Gaia grabbing the sword and leaping from the altar (ATK 2300-2600).

"Now I'll have my monster wipe you out!" shouted Choryo as she sent her Shield Spear to the Graveyard (Choryo: 22), but instead, her opponent flipped up a card that depicted a blue orb being restrained by a green energy net, as both monsters had the same net cover them.

"I play a Continuous Trap known as Gravity Bind, which shall prevent all level four or higher monsters from attacking," said Hakeru.

"Oh crap!" shouted Choryo, as the others stiffened.

"If she can't attack," said Anthony, "then she can't win, unless she has ways of dealing direct damage. She has to get rid of that card, and fast!"

"I…end my turn."

"Good idea." Hakeru then drew (Hakeru: 31), and he set a monster before he ended his turn, prompting Choryo to draw (Choryo: 21).

"Okay, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Her monster jumped onto the field and let out a loud cry before it was pulled down by the Gravity Bind (LV 4: ATK 1800), as Choryo ended her turn, and Anthony grimaced. This was beginning to get ugly, and as Hakeru drew (Hakeru: 30), he had a feeling it would only get worse.

"I Flip Summon my Hiro's Shadow Scout."

His monster stood up, revealing a blue cyclops with no mouth, green hair in a crew cut, and two small horns (LV 2: ATK 650).

"And when it's flipped, you draw three cards, and reveal them to me."

Choryo growled as she did so with the field continuing to crumble (Choryo: 18), and three cards appeared on the field, with Hiro Shadow's Scout looking at each of them, with the cards being shown as though being lit by a searchlight whenever they were passed by the huge eye, revealing to Hakeru that the cards were Lightning Blade, Cost Down, and Reinforcement of the Army.

"It seems like they were all Spell Cards, which is unfortunate, because due to the effect of my monster, you have to discard them all now." And sure enough, the cards gained a red tint, as Choryo sent all of them to the Graveyard, as Kakoen frowned.

"This is almost depressing. At least two of those cards would have allowed her to fight back, and possibly win, but now they're gone."

"You said it," said Anthony, as Hakeru placed another card onto his Duel Disk.

"I summon my Malice Ascendant!"

The new monster looked rather intimidating, having a skull for a face with long white hair, wearing a tattered cloak with a green orb in its empty rib cage, with bandages all over its bony arms, and a white grass skirt, with the monster standing on very thin legs, and holding two scythes with blue serrated blades (LV 4: ATK 700). The monster immediately became ensnared in the Gravity Bind, as Hakeru ended his turn, and Choryo drew (Choryo: 17).

"I summon another Gearfried!"

To the surprise of the bystanders, a second of the iron knights appeared before getting pulled down by the net of gravity (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"She has two of them?" asked Kakoton in surprise.

"Why wouldn't I? It's my favorite monster, after all! And since I still can't attack, I end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I summon my own duplicate monster. Malice Ascendant!" (Hakeru: 29)

Another of the zombies appeared (LV 4: ATK 700), and out came a large blue high-tech cannon with six legs and five red eyes, making it look like some sort of robotic beetle.

"Okay, can I say that looks pretty fucking awesome?" said Anthony, pointing to the Virus Cannon. "Because it is, even if it means bad news for Shia."

"What sort of bad news?" said Kakoen.

"He is referring to my Virus Cannon, which lets me tribute any number of monsters that I control, sans tokens, in order to have my opponent send an equal amount of Spell Cards from their deck to the Graveyard! And I select all of my monsters to go to the Graveyard!"

All four of the White Clothes admin's monsters soon transformed into blue energy that swirled into the Virus Cannon before it fired a huge blast of energy at the platform that Choryo stood on, blasting a large amount of rock that sent Choryo onto her back. As she got up, she started grumbling to herself as she sent Release Restraint, Raregold Armor, Metalsilver Armor, and Shield & Sword to her Graveyard (Choryo: 13).

"Shia!" screamed Anthony and Kakoton as Kakoen kept them from jumping to her dwindling platform.

"Ya know, it wouldn't kill ya to aim your damn weapon, you fuuuuuuuck that is deep," said Choryo, trailing off as she peered into the abyss. "Guess that's what happens if I lose?"

"To suggest that you have a chance of victory at this rate is foolish, but yes, that is what shall happen. And the less cards in your deck, the more that your platform will dwindle."

Choryo's face of shock was replaced with one of anger as she snarled. "You son of…that ain't fair! The rules of the Shadow Game are totally stacked in your favor!"

"With such high stakes, there is no logical reason for fair play. And by my calculations, which are always correct, you have only thirteen cards left in your deck, whereas I have 29. More than double the amount that you have, and that gap shall only widen as the duel continues. And considering the likelihood of my success, to call off the Shadow Game is an illogical and downright idiotic idea, neither of which I have, so the best course of action would be surrender. I add one Zombie-type monster with 1200 or less defense points from my deck to my hand by the effect of Goblin Zombie, and end my turn." (Hakeru: 28)

"Fuck you! I ain't gonna give up shit, you lifeless piece of crap! I draw! And I summon my Dark Blade!" (Choryo: 12)

Her knight in black armor appeared, twirling his swords in his hands (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And that's it for now."

"Come on, fight back!" shouted Kakoton.

"She cannot," droned Hakeru as he drew, face still emotionless, although it did manage to change temporarily, as the Millennium Symbol briefly flashed on his forehead (Hakeru: 27). "And that's why she shall lose. Her strength has won her duels in the past, but this is a game of wits, one that she can't win. I summon my third Malice Ascendant!"

One more of the zombies appeared, although this one seemed a bit more vengeful than the two previous ones (LV 4: ATK 700).

"And that will do."

"I draw!" shouted Choryo (Choryo: 11), when suddenly, Malice Ascendant sliced at her platform with its scythes, cutting off small chunks which fell into the abyss.

"And during your Standby Phase, my Malice Ascendant sends one card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard for each Malice Ascendant in my Graveyard."

Choryo sighed, as she sent her Rope of Life and Absolute Crusader from her deck to her Graveyard (Choryo: 9).

"This is too cruel," said Kakoen. "It's hardly a fair fight at this point."

"I play my Banner of Courage, which'll make my monsters even bigger and badder during my Battle Phase! And that'll do, so bring it!"

"Hmph, you asked, and you shall receive. I draw, and I set one card to end my turn." (Hakeru: 26). Choryo could only smirk: she had a good feeling about that card, for whatever reason.

"It looks like Shia has a plan," said Anthony.

"If she doesn't, she's going to the Shadow Realm," said Kakoen, "so we just have to believe in her."

"Then I draw!" shouted Choryo (Choryo: 8), before her platform was cut even smaller by the Malice Ascendant, and she had to get rid of her Lucky Iron Axe and her Mirror Mail (Choryo: 6). "And I play The Warrior Returning Alive!"

"Actually, you don't. I play my Dark Bribe, which negates the effect of your card and destroys it, while you draw one card."

A card showing a man slipping money into the sleeve of somebody of royalty flipped up, and as Choryo drew (Choryo: 5), her card was destroyed, but as soon as she saw what she picked up, she knew that she had won, as she slipped it into her Graveyard.

"Real quick, did those effects resolve at the same time?"

"Yes, why?"

"Good, so now I win! When you negate the activation of one of my spells or traps, I can send my Tatakawa Knight from my hand to my Graveyard to deal 1500 points of damage!"

Suddenly, the Warrior-type appeared, and threw his trident into the air, before it landed in the platform of Hakeru, which began to crack (Hakeru: 1400-0 LP)(Winner: Choryo).

"This is...unprecedented," were Hakeru's final words as his platform broke apart, and he plunged into the Shadow Realm, with not another sound escaping from his mouth, not even a scream. With the Shadow Game over, the four remaining duelists soon found themselves back in the forest, with Choryo being blindsided by a hug from Anthony.

"Holy shit, Shia, that was way too close! Are you okay?"

"Don't worry," said Choryo with a blush on her face, "I'm fine. You can stop hugging me now, or don't if you prefer." Anthony's face began to match his jacket as he released his grip, reminding himself that he had a girlfriend and that Choryo was just a friend, as Kakoen chuckled.

"Those two are so similar to each other, aren't they? They're perfect for each other."

"Very cute, I guess," said Kakoton unconvincingly. "Now let's keep moving!" The others quickly caught up with her, with Choryo not only relieved that she had won her first Shadow Game, but proud.

* * *

 **Edit 12/30/2018: added the effect of Goblin Zombie. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 7/4/2019: fixed a rather stupid mistake where apparently, Shia lost one of the cards in her hand.**


	54. The Lion's Den

After hours of walking in silence, Kan'u began to see the capital of Gi in the distance, as she quickened her pace, with the others doing the same. Soon, they came to stop just outside the entrance, with Kan'u holding her hand in the air, signaling to the others to stop. As they did, Chohi scratched her head in confusion.

"Big sis, why are we stopping? Soso is in there, Rinrin thought," said Chohi, pointing into the town, as Kan'u turned around, cleared her throat, and began to speak.

"Everyone, I am going to be completely honest with you right now. The upcoming battle, it will not be easy. Lord Soso has proven herself to be one of our most dangerous adversaries, on account of her powerful cards, her incredible mind, and her great ambition. Already, she and her underlings have caused great strife to many towns as a result of her lust for power, and unless we stop her now, that number shall continue to grow. I will not lie about the danger, nor will I ask you to come with me. If you do not wish to come with me into the viper's pit, then remain here, and I will not hold it against you. But if you do wish to join me, then follow me."

As Kan'u finished speaking, Chohi smiled as she skipped forward. "Rinrin will always help you, big sis!"

"Hawawa…I won't lie, I'm t-terrified of having to face Lord Soso," stuttered Shokatsuryo. "But I won't abandon my friends. I'm in."

"You can count me in!" shouted Bacho, with Ryofu simply nodding.

"If you expect me to flee when there is such injustice going on, then you don't know me very well," said Choun.

"I'm honored to duel by your side, Aisha," said Kochu. Kan'u smiled, happy that they were so supportive. But now for the hard part. She then turned her gaze to Jun'iku and Kyocho.

"Keifa, Ki, I know that it must be hard to go up against your own lord, so if you stay here, then I have no problem with that."

"Are you kidding? After that cool speech? I'll totally help you!" gushed Kyocho.

"Even I must admit I'm impressed, although I have no intention of actually dueling my Karin," said Jun'iku while looking to the side, as Kan'u smirked.

"Alright, let's go!"

~KD~

"So Shuran, when we eventually reach Soso, how exactly are we going to break her out of the brainwashing?" asked Anthony as the quartet made tracks through the woods.

"To be honest, we were hoping that you had a solution," said Kakoen.

"Okay, well, maybe if we beat her in a Shadow Game…"

"Absolutely not," said Kakoton.

"Look, hear me out, Shunran, okay! We need to beat her in a Shadow Game, seeing as it's the only way to bring back everyone that she sent to the Shadow Realm, including my friend's dad!"

"And in doing so, she'll be sent to the Shadow Realm!"

"We can save her. I'm proof that it can be done. Maybe you two can try to snap her out of the trance while we duel. I just hope that Aisha and the others are alright when we get there." He then saw that Gi was visible in the distance, as he went from a stroll to a sprint, with the others accelerating in accordance.

~KD~

"Who goes there?" asked one of the two guards who stood by the door, both decked out in gray armor with skull shoulder pads and helmets, as Ryofu and Chohi cracked their knuckles, eager for a fight.

"We're members of Kikai," said Kan'u, "and we intend to defeat your wicked lord, Soso."

The guards laughed, but stopped laughing as Kan'u glared at them, and they stepped aside. Kan'u pushed the doors, surprised to find out that they were unlocked.

'Soso is expecting us, it seems. I'll have to take extra precaution. I only hope that Anthony and the others have succeeded in keeping Kikai safe.' She then walked through the main hall and made her way to the door to the throne room, which was left unguarded. She opened it to see Soso leaning on her elbow with a bored expression, and Kan'u felt a chill go down her spine when she saw the Chaos Duel Disk on her wrist. Ukitsu was standing by her side in silence, but as her eyes locked with his, she felt her entire nervous system turn cold as ice.

"Ah, Kan'u Uncho. I've been expecting you, or at least your poor excuse of a lord."

"Don't you dare speak that way about Lord Anthony!" shouted Kan'u. "He's an amazing man, far better than you! To be his general, and his girlfriend, is truly an honor!"

"Oh please. If he's too scared to face me, then it's clear who is the superior leader."

"Oh, Lord Karin, it must be you!" said Jun'iku, which made Soso glare at her, making Jun'iku shake.

"Know your place, you waste of space. And the same goes for you, gluttonous idiot. You two failed, and yet you drag your worthless hides back here? Pathetic."

Kyocho gasped, and whispered to Jun'iku, "Keifa, what's wrong with her? Lord Karin is way meaner than she usually is!"

"I see," said Jun'iku. "And I kind of like it."

"No, this is a bad thing!"

"Lord Soso Motoku, I, General Kan'u Uncho, challenge you to a duel! Do you accept?"

Soso looked at Ukitsu, who responded with, "There's no reason to refuse. After all, you have no chance of loss, so this is an easy way to capture the best general of Lord Anthony!"

"You have a splendid point," said Soso as she stood up and leapt off of her throne, landing before Kan'u with her Chaos Duel Disk unfolding, a purple smog covering their cards.

'If I can beat Soso in a Shadow Game, then Gi will have lost,' thought the black-haired general as she shuffled her cards. 'This is one duel that I can't afford to lose.'

(Soso: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" shouted Soso. "I draw, and I summon Newdoria to the field!"

Kan'u couldn't help but cringe as she saw the monster that Soso summoned. It was a shriveled man with no skin, his pink muscle exposed, with tufts of green hair on his head and long, bony fingers. He wore a leather strap with spikes on it over his eyes and across the top of his head, with similar garments on his lanky torso, green pants, black shoes, and large cuffs on his wrists, knees, and ankles (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Then I'll set two cards, and I think that will do," said Soso.

"Okay, I draw! And I summon my Armed Samurai - Ben Kei to the field!"

Her hooded samurai was quick to come before her (LV 4: ATK 500).

"And next I'll equip him with my Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!"

A card appeared that depicted a samurai being equipped with some sort of weapon appeared on the field, and the same weapon appeared in the right hand of Ben Kei, being a katana with a purple hilt. Suddenly, the hilt proceeded to grow purple tentacles and grew on the hand like lichen, fusing to its user (ATK 500-1300).

"Now my monster gains eight hundred attack points, and every Equip Card equipped to Ben Kei gives him an extra attack! Now take down that Newdoria!"

"Well, by attacking, you've activated my Malevolent Catastrophe, which will destroy all spells and traps on the field!" shouted Soso, as her other card shattered, revealing it to be some odd statue on a stone coffin, when the statue suddenly slithered out of the card. It was golden, with its head having two horns that curved downward, four red eyes, a gap where its nose should have gone like a skull, and a mouth filled with pointed teeth. A golden headdress went down its body, held by two hands, and just below its head was a gem that looked like a red eye with a cyan slit for a pupil, with the headdress ending in four spikes. The rest of its body was the body of a snake, with a scorpion's stinger on the tip (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"And when my Statue of the Wicked is destroyed while face-down, I can Special Summon a Wicked Token to my field!"

"Then I'll just have to change targets!" said Kan'u. "Ben Kei, attack that token!"

"Please, without that Equip Spell, your monster is much too weak!"

"Is it?"

Soso then gasped as she saw that the Warrior-type still had the Fusion Sword on his hand, as he sliced through her Wicked Token like a hot knife through butter (Soso: 4000-3700 LP).

"Hold on!" shouted Bacho, completely confused. "How the heck did that card stay on the field?"

"When equipped to a monster, Fusion Sword Murasame Blade cannot be destroyed by card effects! Now take down that Newdoria!"

Her monster slashed through the Fiend-type, reducing it to pixels (Soso: 3700-3600 LP). But as this happened, the Warrior-type wore the same headgear as Newdoria, and screamed in pain as it began to tighten, until the Warrior-type shattered.

"S-S-So c-cruel…hawawa…" muttered Shokatsuryo.

"That was the effect of my Newdoria. Whenever it's destroyed in battle, I can select one monster and destroy it!"

"Okay, I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play my Card Destruction, which forces us both to discard every card in our hands and draw new hands, equal to the number of cards that we got rid of!"

Soso smirked as she sent Souls of the Forgotten, Summoned Skull, and The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler to the Graveyard, while Kan'u parted with Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Gilford the Lightning, and Polymerization. Both drew three new cards, and Soso was quick to play one of her new cards.

"I summon my Malice Doll of Demise to the field!"

Her axe-wielding puppet soon made its appearance, heaving its axe above its head (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now attack directly with your mighty Cleaver Heaver, Malice Doll!"

Her monster obeyed, throwing its axe at Kan'u as the general dodged the attack, only to have a small chunk of hair from the end of her ponytail get sliced off, before the axe returned to the Fiend-type (Kan'u: 4000-2400 LP).

"And that should do."

"Very well, I draw! And I summon my Axe Raider to the field!"

Her own axe-wielding monster appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1700), when a card that had an image of a group of knights charging appeared, as the monster's power jumped up (ATK 1700-2200).

"And I play my Reinforcements, to increase his attack points by five hundred. Now take down that monster with Wind Blades!"

Her monster swung his axe, sending a razor wind that cut through the Fiend-type (Soso: 3600-3000 LP).

"And I end my turn by setting one card!" (ATK 2200-1700)

"Then I draw! And I play my Bait Doll, forcing the activation of one of your face-down cards, and if the timing is wrong, it's destroyed! Let's see what your face-down card is!"

The card flipped up to reveal Ready for Intercepting, as Axe Raider set itself.

"That card has a Warrior-type or Spellcaster-type change to face-down defense mode, if I remember correctly," said Kochu. "And now, her Axe Raider is weaker."

"I summon my Twin-Headed Wolf!"

Her two-headed wolf appeared, heads snarling and foaming, with Chohi and Ryofu peeking up at the sight of it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now attack that Axe Raider!"

The monster lunged for the face-down, with Axe Raider flipping up (LV 4: DEF 1150), and being ripped into pixels.

"That should end my turn."

"Okay, I draw! And I think I'll play my Rocket Warrior!"

Her rocket-themed warrior arrived on the field in style, twirling his sword (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, to attack!"

"A double knockout? How bold."

"Not at all! You see, my monster's effect makes it unable to be destroyed by battle when it attacks! Go, Invincible Attack!"

The LIGHT monster folded up and blasted off, breaking right through the Fiend-type before it came to a stop.

"And I end my turn with a face-down!"

"Very well, I draw! And I summon a monster that you should be rather familiar with, my Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams!"

The dream-dwelling ghost soon appeared before Kan'u, and the black-haired general violently flinched when it released its bone-chilling screech (LV 4: ATK 1300).

'Come on, Aisha, you can handle this. Sure, it's scary, and it might be real right now, but you've faced worse. And you can't let everyone down.' "I'm n-n-n-not sc-sc-scared of that g-g-ghost. You'll n-need to do b-b-better."

"You're stuttering betrays you, General Kan'u. And while it may be weaker than your Rocket Warrior right now, I have a way to fix that! I equip my Gross Ghost with my Sword of Dark Rites!"

The Fiend-type put away its sword, and gained a new one, one that curved twice with a green gem near the tip that resembled an eye, and on the duller backside there were three spikes and a small hook-like appendage, as well as a hand guard on the hilt (ATK 1300-1700).

"Now my monster gains four hundred attack points. So now it can slice and dice your pathetic monster to pieces! Attack, my lovely monster!"

The Fiend-type did so, and Kan'u began shaking as the ghost flew towards her Rocket Warrior, but she managed to play her Trap Card just in time, as the sword shattered on stone armor, and so did the rest of the Normal Monster.

"I activate my Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy your attacking monster!"

Soso grumbled as her monster was destroyed, leaving her with an empty field and an empty hand. "You may have the upper hand right now, but it won't last. I will end this duel as the victor, and soon, the rest of your friends will follow, and your poor excuse of a lord will be powerless to stop me from razing his territory to the ground and building my own empire. I end my turn."

"Well said, Lord Soso," said Ukitsu, speaking for the first time since the Kikai cavalry arrived.

"You're wrong! Big sis will beat you, you spinny-haired meanie!" shouted Chohi, which made Soso glare at the young general, who simply retaliated with her own glare, puffing up her cheeks.

"Rinrin, let me take care of her. I draw! And I summon Little-Winguard to the field!"

A small knight appeared next to Rocket Warrior. It had a conical blue helmet with a cyan stripe on the base, and a small wing as a decoration. It had similar white wings on its shoulders, and cyan armor with a decoration shaped like a pair of white wings around a blue gem on the stomach, with its face hidden in shadows, the only part that was visible being a pair of yellow eyes. It had a blue cape, and a small sword with a golden handle that had a red gem and a cross guard shaped like a pair of wings. It also had a light blue shield with wings and a red gem, and blue boots with wings on it completed the Warrior-type's outfit (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now my Rocket Warrior and my Little-Winguard will attack you directly!"

The tiny guardian and the rocket-themed warrior both jumped towards Soso with their swords and slashed at the lord, who was grateful that she was wearing armor (Soso: 3000-100 LP).

"And that will end my turn, and during the End Phase, I can switch the battle position of my Little-Winguard!" said Kan'u as her monster kneeled down and held out its shield (DEF 1800).

"I draw," said Soso, and when she saw what she had drawn, an evil smile crept onto her face. "And I banish Souls of the Forgotten, Malice Doll of Demise, and The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams to Special Summon my ultimate monster! A monster that dwells in the most horrific night terrors and feeds on the fear of its victims! Dark Necrofear, show yourself!"

Out of the darkness rose the vicious fiend, cradling her doll as she slowly stared at Kan'u, who once again flinched at the sight of it (LV 8: DEF 2800).

"Hawawawawawawawawa!" shouted Shokatsuryo, pulling her beret over her eyes to keep herself from looking at the hideous monster, with Jun'iku cringing, Kyocho looking away, Chohi screaming, and both Ryofu and Kochu stepped back.

"That thing is absolutely hideous, right Sui?" asked Choun, only to see that the brunette was in shock. Her eyes had shrunk to the point that they were practically white, and her jaw hung loose, with the color draining from her skin as her entire body began to tremble.

"Well, General Kan'u, what do you think of my ultimate monster? No doubt you're impressed!"

"It is rather powerful, I suppose," said Kan'u, still feeling uneasy.

"And I'm sure that her true power will leave you begging for mercy! I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I activate my Black Luster Ritual, tributing both of my monsters to perform the Ritual Summon!"

Both Rocket Warrior and Little-Winguard soon went into the urns, as the spires of light shot out and became intertwined, as the headliner of the general's deck was called forth (4+4=8).

"The forces of light and darkness intertwine! I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth Black Luster Soldier!"

The favorite monster of Kan'u fell from the pillar of light and landed on the ground, forming small cracks as it crashed down (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"And now, Black Luster Soldier will destroy your Dark Necrofear with his Chaos Blade attack! Slay that wicked creature, Black Luster Soldier!"

As soon as the Ritual Monster rose his blade, Bacho snapped out of her shock. "AISHA, DON'T ATTACK THAT MONSTER!" But it was too late as the Fiend-type was cleaved in two, and Bacho felt her arms fall to her sides. "No, no no no. Not again."

"I end my turn!"

"Good."

Suddenly, a black portal in the shape of an oval appeared, undulating like smoke, and Black Luster Soldier narrowed his eyes as he began to approach it, sword and shield at the ready, when he began to hear a beckoning call, as he held his shield in front of him, ready to face whatever came out. He was unprepared, however, for the ghost that shot out, making Kan'u scream involuntarily as the ghost phased through the shield of Black Luster Soldier and went into the chest of the Warrior-type, who hunched over and began to shuffle over to the black void. Kan'u began to have flashbacks to when her monster was taken over by Change of Heart when she dueled Yokubo, and just like last time, she began to fruitlessly call out to her monster as he ambled over to Soso.

"Black Luster Soldier, what are you doing!? Please, stop this! Whatever hold this demon has on you, you need to fight it!"

"He can't hear you! When Dark Necrofear is destroyed, I can equip it to a monster that you control during the End Phase and take control of it! Your Black Luster Soldier is legendary, but now it will be your demise!" shouted Soso as Dark Necrofear began to cradle the Ritual Monster. "I draw, and then I'll have Black Luster Soldier attack you directly!"

Kan'u could do nothing but stare as the Chaos Blade sliced through the floor and sent her flying, with the general landing on her back in defeat (Kan'u: 2400-0 LP)(Winner: Soso). Kan'u crawled back onto her feet, but soon found herself entangled in strings, as the consequences of losing had begun to come into play.

~KD~

"It looks like Aisha and the others are already here!" shouted Anthony as he raced past the guards, who had simply let them through, as the group burst through the doors to the throne room, only to freeze in horror as he saw Kan'u being covered in strings, her body becoming wooden as the peanut gallery watched in terror, as Chohi snapped to attention.

"Big bro, you came!"

"Well, well, well. The pathetic lord of Kikai and a trio of traitors. Too little, too late, however. General Kan'u is about to learn why facing me is a suicide mission."

Anthony ran past Kan'u and turned to see her face, as she looked up weakly and managed to smile.

"I'm sorry, Anthony. I lost. I tried my best, but she caught me by surprise, and I didn't heed Sui's warning."

"D-Don't worry, Aisha, we can get you out of this," said Anthony, trying to grab Kan'u so he could attempt to pull her out, but he jumped back when she shouted.

"No! Don't do it, it's too dangerous! You could get pulled in as well, and then we'll have done all of this for naught!"

"I don't care, Aisha! I would do the same for any of my friends! I won't lose you!"

"You won't, Anthony. You can beat her, and bring me back. I know that you will." As she began to shrink, she kept on speaking. "I'll have you know, I always knew that you would get here eventually. No matter how far down you fell, I never gave up on you. No matter what you or anybody else believes, you really are the Messenger from Heaven."

"Aisha, Aisha!"

"I love you…"

As she said this, she slumped over as she was completely transformed into a doll, her soul being carted off to the Shadow Realm, as the doll was pulled by an invisible string, and Anthony turned to see Soso holding out her hand as the doll came to her.

"Aisha…no…"


	55. Reign Storm

Anthony could do nothing but stare as Soso overlooked her prize, the doll that was once Kan'u Uncho. She then reached into a pocket on her dress and pulled out the doll that was formerly Bato Jusei, smiling as she did. "Well, it appears that I've begun to build quite a collection. And soon, I will add many more, until China is mine. After all, who could possibly stop the great power of Gi?" Anthony suddenly stopped trembling, as his hands tightened into fists and he began to make a run for Soso.

"SOSO!" he shouted as his peerage was about to make a move to stop him, but Kakoen, used to wrangling in her sister, beat them to the punch, as she wrapped her arms around him and planted her feet firmly on the ground, and Anthony struggled to break free, although Kakoen, being stronger than him physically, managed to keep him in line.

"Anthony, what are you doing? We have a plan!"

"Fuck the plan! I'm going to make that bitch pay for what she's done!"

"You can't possibly hope to beat me," said Soso, as Kakoton decided to stick to the plan.

"Karin, snap out of it! This isn't you talking, it's those White Clothes creeps!"

"LORD KARIN!" shouted Soso. "How many times must you be told this before it finally pierces your thick skull? I am a lord, and I deserve to be treated as so!"

"You deserve to rot in a hole, you heartless blowhard!" shouted Anthony, as he struggled even more to break free from Kakoen. "When I get my hands on you, I'll rip out your tongue and have you choke to death on your own blood!"

"This isn't good," said Choun. "He's gone ballistic."

"We have to stop him before he does something-Sui?" Kochu began to say, as the general in question broke away from the group, and darted towards Anthony, who managed to break away from Kakoen by stomping on her foot. Before he could even get close to Soso, he was blindsided by a haymaker, courtesy of Bacho. He fell onto the floor, clutching his cheek in pain, as Bacho looked over him.

"Sui, what are you doing!?" screamed Choryo.

"It appears that despite having the title of lord, Lord Anthony cannot even control his own emotions, let alone his subjects," said Ukitsu as Anthony got onto his knees, wiping a small trickle of blood from his chin as Bacho grabbed his shoulders.

"Come on, Anthony, get a damn grip! Killing Soso won't solve crap, no matter how much you want to!"

"Sui, let me go!" shouted Anthony, refusing to listen. Bacho put on a determined face and locked her lord in a huge bear hug, locking his arms on either side of his torso and keeping him from standing up, truly trapping him.

"Listen, I know you're angry at her, so am I. And you have every right to be angry. But don't do something that you'll regret, please."

Kochu smiled as she did this, proud of Bacho for taking her words to heart. She really had come a long way, and she was happy to see that she was helping others with problems that she once had. And it seemed to work, as Anthony slowly began to calm down in Bacho's arms. "I…I'm good. I'm sorry, it's just, I lost it. You can let go, Sui." She obliged, and to everyone's relief, Anthony was telling the truth, as he remained calm. Well, almost everyone.

"How sickeningly sweet. I think I might vomit," gagged Soso, as Anthony looked into her eyes, which were much more lifeless and dull than he remembered them being. The twins weren't lying either: she was definitely being brainwashed.

"Soso. Long time, no see, not that that's a bad thing," he joked, as Soso resisted the urge to pull her drills out.

"IT. IS! LORD! SOSO!"

"Hey, we're both lords here, you can be a little informal. Besides, for me, calling you by your name is enough of an improvement. Then again, Shunran and Shuran are the only reason why I retired 'Skull Loli.'"

"Skull Loli?" giggled Kyocho, unable to resist, as Jun'iku glared at the pink-haired general. Anthony turned to the laughing girl, and assumed that this was Kyocho, the general that had stayed behind during the Anti-Totaku Alliance.

"I'm gonna guess that you've been beaten, right?" he asked her, and Kyocho turned to the lord, and nodded, which made Anthony turn back towards Soso. "So she's been beaten, Shion beat Shuran, Aisha beat Shia, and I beat Yokai, after I won my rematch with Shunran. That's all of your generals, right? Which means that I can challenge you to a duel between lords for your territory!"

"Oh really?" asked Soso in a mocking tone as she shuffled her Graveyard and banished cards into her deck, as her Chaos Duel Disk shuffled her cards even further, as Anthony's own deck was shuffled. "You may have beaten me in the past, but that was just that, the past. I'm far greater than I once was, and have been eagerly awaiting the moment where you will finally realize the power of Gi! Your kingdom will crumble to dust while mine shall never falter!"

"Hey, if you're gonna face the future, I should warn you, it's pretty bright," said Anthony as he put on his sunglasses. "Hope you brought your shades."

"He's putting them on now?" asked Chohi in confusion as Choryo walked over to the group, while Kakoton and Kakoen stood a good distance behind Anthony on either side, so that they could face Soso.

"What's the deal with those weird glasses?" asked Kyocho.

"Usually, when big bro is about to do a big play in the middle of a duel, he puts them on. But he's never put them on right away, at least not that Rinrin has seen."

"Well, he has a lot to lose, and he has to give it his all," said Choun.

"Well, he has a plan," said Choryo. "He's gonna snap Lord Karin back to her senses. That's why Shunran and Shuran are putting themselves in danger like that."

"What do you mean?" asked Shokatsuryo, curious as to what this plan was.

"You'll see," said Choryo, not wanting to say anything while Ukitsu was watching.

"Lord Karin, we know that you're not in control of your actions right now! You're being used!" shouted Kakoton.

"But we refuse to let that happen! We will rescue you, even if it means going against you!" shouted Kakoen.

"Oh please, enough of this foolishness," said Soso as she made a purple aura coat both decks. "It's time to demonstrate just how far I've come!"

"Looking forward to it," said Anthony.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Soso: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move!" shouted Anthony as he drew. "And I summon my Ground Attacker Bugroth to the field in attack mode!"

His amphibious machine soon appeared, guns aimed at Soso, who merely looked bored (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I end my turn by setting two cards!"

Soso smirked as she drew, and looked over her hand carefully, as Anthony soon activated one of his face-down cards, with six multicolored gun barrels appearing on the field.

"I activate my Secret Barrel, which will deal two hundred points of damage for every card on your side of the field or in your hand! So that's 1200 points of damage right off the bat!"

The guns came alive, firing a fusillade of laser blasts at Soso, who held up her arms as the blasts struck the surrounding area (Soso: 4000-2800 LP).

"I'd say that was impressive, but I'd be lying. This is how you make a play! I activate my Fiend's Sanctuary, letting me summon a Metal Fiend Token to my side of the field, and you take any battle damage that I would take from it!"

A card appeared that had a magic circle surrounded by five lamps, and in the center was a metal statue of a demon, as the circle appeared, and out came a small creature that looked like a collection of mercury drops, with a featureless head, a body that ended in a tail with no legs, and two tentacle arms (LV 1: ATK 0).

"But I have no intention of keeping it, for I tribute it to summon my Summoned Skull!"

The token soon vanished in order to make room for a much larger monster, letting out a powerful cry as its exposed muscles rippled (LV 6: ATK 2500).

"Now attack with Lightning Strike!"

Electricity crackled as it built up between the wings of the Fiend-type, and it fired a lightning bolt at the Machine-type and blasted it into pieces, as the twins averted their eyes (Anthony: 4000-3000 LP).

"And now, I end my turn with a face-down!"

"But before you do, I play my Fires of Doomsday, to Special Summon two Doomsday Tokens to the field!" And sure enough, the will-o'-the-wisps appeared and floated around (LV 1: DEF 0). "And now, I draw! And I play my Night Beam, in order to destroy that face-down card! And the best part is, you can't activate it in response!"

The yellow beam of light locked onto the card and blew it to pieces, as Soso sent her Bark of Dark Ruler to the Graveyard.

"And I tribute both of my tokens to summon Zoa!" And as the tokens faded away to summon the huge fiend (LV 7: ATK 2600), Soso smirked.

"Ah, I see that you've seen the light, and have begun to follow my ways."

"Your ways? I'm pretty sure that you don't have a trademark on Fiend-types, seeing as Renfa has a good amount of them in her deck."

"I'm referring to the way that you copied my move, which follows my beliefs. You treat your peerage, and your cards, like friends, when in reality, they're nothing but tools to be used. And that blind trust clouds your judgement!"

"That's not true!" shouted Kakoton. "You should know that! The real Karin treats all of her subjects fairly! And that includes us!"

"I'm not going to bother correcting you again, because considering what you're saying, you're obviously delusional," said Soso.

"No, she's right!" screamed Kakoen. "The way that you've been treating us is completely unlike you! Can't you see what you're doing is wrong?"

"What I'm doing is what I've dreamed of all my life! I'm going to rule this country!"

'Damn, they haven't made any progress yet. I better keep this duel going.' "Zoa, take down that Summoned Skull with your Glimmer Strike!"

The Fiend-type fired its X-shaped blast and tore through the Summoned Skull (Soso: 2800-2700 LP).

"And that will do for now."

"It seems that Lord Anthony has the lead for the moment," said Choun. "But the question is, can he keep it?"

"Don't doubt big bro! He will win!" said Chohi. "Get her, big bro!"

"He won't have a chance! I draw! And I activate my Shrink, so now your Zoa is only half as strong as it was prior!"

Anthony couldn't help but grunt in annoyance as his monster became half of its strength and size (ATK 2600-1300).

"And now I can bring out my Headless Knight to come and play!"

Her ghostly monster came to the field with an eerie moan from its headless body (LV 4: ATK 1450).

"And now, to attack!"

Her monster did as it was told, as it stood over Zoa and held its sword in a reverse grip with both hands, before driving the sword into the weakened DARK monster again and again, until it eventually shattered (Anthony: 3000-2850 LP). Just about everyone, with two obvious exceptions, cringed at the ruthless display.

"And I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play my Reload, letting me shuffle my hand back into my deck and draw the same amount of cards that I returned!" Anthony returned both cards that were left in his hand, Giga-Tech Wolf and Cannon Soldier, to his deck as he drew two more, and he smiled as he summoned a new monster to the field.

"And now, I summon my Guardian of the Throne Room!"

The large golden robot appeared, and while its duty was normally to protect the throne, this time it would be attacking it (LV 4: ATK 1650).

"And now, I'll have it take down your Headless Knight with Safeguard Missiles!"

The Machine-type fired three rockets from the launcher on its back, which blew Headless Knight sky high (Soso: 2700-2500 LP).

"And to end my turn, I set a card!"

'Oh dear, it appears that Soso is at a disadvantage,' thought Ukitsu with worry. 'I can't risk losing such a powerful weapon. And if I get involved, then I'll evoke suspicion in her, as she remains clever despite the brainwashing. Fortunately, it seems like she refuses to listen to the pleas of her lovers, or should I say, former lovers. How delightfully tragic.'

"I draw! And I play Card Destruction, which lets me-"

"You don't need to explain what Card Destruction does," said Anthony. "I have that card in my own deck."

"Don't interrupt me," snapped Soso as she sent her Possessed Dark Soul and Reaper of the Cards to her Graveyard, and drew two more cards.

"Perfect. I summon Gil Garth!"

Her monster was another fiend, although it looked more mechanical than anything else. Its head was covered in blue metal with green bolts along it, with a large piece of plate armor over its torso that had a collar shaped like an arrowhead. Its purple skin was visible underneath, and it had a piece of armor around its waist with a skull-shaped belt buckle, and it had steel pads on its shoulders and knees with curved yellow spikes, and on its forearms and shins were spiked steel gauntlets and greaves, and in its right hand was a curved sword that had a green edge (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, to make this monster even more powerful! I equip it with Dark Energy, a card that can only be equipped to a Fiend-type, and increases its power by three hundred!"

In the right hand of Gil Garth appeared a blue crystal ball with a red and orange symbol on it, as demonic energy began to flow into the Fiend-type (ATK 1800-2100).

"Now slaughter that guardian!"

The monster jumped over to the Machine-type and slashed its head in two vertically with its sword, before it shattered, with the Fiend-type landing on its feet and glaring at Anthony (Anthony: 2850-2400 LP).

"So mean…" said Ryofu, not liking the brutality that the lord of Gi exhibited.

"It looks like the Guardian of the Throne Room failed his duties," said Soso.

"Maybe, but I say that he deserves a do-over. I play my Time Machine, which will bring back my fallen monster in the same battle position it was in!"

The large gilded robot returned to the field, as Soso ended her turn, and Anthony drew, then smirked.

"Hey, you know, it just hit me. I never showed you my favorite monster! Let's fix that. I tribute my Guardian of the Throne Room to summon the mechanical monarch himself, Machine King!"

Soon, his signature monster made an appearance, with Jun'iku's eyes widening and Kyocho having her eyes reduced to white orbs (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"And as you can see, every Machine-type on the field makes him stronger, including himself! Now attack with Jet Punch!"

His monster blasted Gil Garth to pieces with its attack (Soso: 2500-2300), and the Gi ruler simply shrugged it off. "If that's the king, then I look forward to taking his crown, followed by yours."

"I end my turn, Soso. Gimme all you got!"

"With pleasure," she said as she drew. "I banish my Gil Garth, Reaper of the Cards, and Possessed Dark Soul from my Graveyard!"

Her three monsters appeared, one being the recently destroyed Gil Garth, one being Reaper of the Cards, a ghost in a black hood with a face consisting of three faded white orbs and decaying hands holding a long scythe (LV 5: ATK 1380), and the last one being Possessed Dark Soul, which was a demon with horns, wings, and a tail, its entire body being made of purple flames (LV 3: ATK 1200). All three monsters went into a dark portal, and sure enough, Soso's newest toy began to rise from it, and both Kakoton and Kakoen stepped back in fear, with Choryo grimacing (LV 8: ATK 2200).

"Allow me to repay you by introducing my own signature monster, Dark Necrofear!"

'Weaker than Zera, but if I remember correctly, it has a nasty effect. I better be careful with the way I take this thing out.'

"Now attack with Doom Gaze!"

"What is she doing?" said Kakoton as Dark Necrofear attempted to attack Machine King with her attack, but it had no effect as the Machine-type fired its own attack at the Fiend-type, destroying her (Soso: 2300-2200 LP). "She just took out her own monster!"

"I have a feeling that she planned that, Shunran."

"Now I end my turn, and through its effect, I equip my Dark Necrofear to your Machine King, and giving control of it to me!"

Anthony's eyes widened behind the black lenses of his sunglasses as his monster was possessed by the screaming ghost, and wandered over to the black void that the hands of Dark Necrofear stuck out of, being held in her dark embrace. "Damnit! I draw! And I set one monster before calling it a turn!"

"A wise choice. I draw! And I summon my Three-Headed Geedo to the field!"

Her three-headed monster appeared beside the possessed Machine-type, flexing its fingers (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now take down that face-down."

Her monster slashed at the monster, which was revealed to be an orange metal orb with four metal clamps and a radar on the front (LV 3: DEF 1000). The monster then clamped onto the Fiend-type, with Anthony smiling as he adjusted his shades.

"You aren't the only one who can equip monsters to your opponent's monsters, if our first duel rings a bell. Meet the weaker version of Blast Sphere, known as Adhesive Explosive! And now, during your next Standby Phase, your monster goes kaboom!"

"A minor inconvenience. One lowly monster is no big loss."

"What is wrong with you!? You always cared for everyone in your kingdom!" shouted Kakoton. "Snap out of this spell that you're under, please!"

Soso didn't even acknowledge Kakoton, and simply pointed at Anthony. "What was your monster's attack called? Oh yes, Jet Punch!"

Anthony saw the attack rush towards him and cried out in pain as the attack slammed into his stomach and knocked him onto his back (Anthony: 2400-100 LP), with everyone in his peerage gasping, with Chohi tearing up as Choun averted her gaze, not wanting to see this go any further. As Soso ended her turn, Kakoton and Kakoen were quick to rush to his side, as they slowly helped him up.

"Anthony, are you okay?" asked Kakoen with concern.

"Yeah, I'm good. Though I might feel that in the morning."

"Hmph! Helping the enemy now, are we? Truly, you two are a disgrace to Gi."

"Stop it!" yelled Chohi from the sidelines. "They're your friends!"

"Friends? Don't make me laugh. They are nothing but means to an end, tools to be used to reach my goals. To be friends with my peerage is ridiculous."

As soon as Soso said this, Kakoton hit her limit. "STOP! Karin, do you really not remember anything? Anything about us? Did that brainwashing really do so much damage? Wake up! It's me, Shunran! My sister and I were your first friends and your first loves! We made a promise to always be by your side, and even as we stand against you, we're trying to help you! I lost my eye trying to help you, and I would die if it meant that you were safe!"

"Karin, we've been nothing but kind to you for all of these years!" shouted Kakoen. "Please, try to remember how we saved you from those bullies all those years ago, how we bought you your best cards, how we promised to protect you!"

"What about me?" piped in Jun'iku. "While the reason that you sought me out was because of my intelligence when it came to battle, I joined you because I was in love with you, Karin, and you had no problem with that. You gladly returned my feelings, and I've never stopped thinking of you above all, even when I was captured!"

"Hey, don't forget me!" shouted Kyocho. "I've always been on your side, or did you forget how you praised me when you saw me take down those bandits? I know that my skill wasn't the only reason why you recruited me!"

"And then there's me," said Choryo. "You coulda easily said no when I asked to join you so I could get stronger, but you let me join without a second thought, and with a smile on your face. And I know that you never thought of me as a tool!"

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" shouted Soso as she gripped her head, seething in rage, as Anthony drew.

"I set one monster and end my turn!"

Soso growled, as she drew a card, and Adhesive Explosive blew up, taking her Three-Headed Geedo with it. She looked at her card, Zera Ritual, and pointed at Anthony's monster. "Jet Punch!" And the attack landed, blasting the monster, UFO Turtle (LV 4: DEF 1200), to bits, as a red portal appeared.

"Thanks for that! When my UFO Turtle is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon one FIRE monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck in attack mode! And I pick my Giga-Tech Wolf!"

"Cool!" said Kyocho, as Giga-Tech Wolf leapt from the portal (LV 4: ATK 1200)(ATK 2300-2400).

"No problem! I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I play my Monster Gate, which will tribute my Giga-Tech Wolf and have me draw cards from my deck, discarding them until I draw a monster that can be Normal Summoned! Then I Special Summon it to the field!" As his monster disappeared and the blue glyph materialized, he drew one card, and as he saw what he drew, he smiled so wide, his mouth practically reached his ears. "It's time to face the future! I summon the true master of the mechanical, the metal overlord that will pave the way to the future! Arise, Perfect Machine King!"

With the exception of Shia, everyone in Anthony's peerage stared in shock at the huge robot that towered over the possessed robot that Soso controlled (LV 8: ATK 2700-3200). Soso was aloof, Ukitsu was in surprise that Anthony had access to such a powerful monster, both Kakoton and Kakoen took a step back to fully grasp the scale of the Perfect Machine King, Jun'iku was dumbfounded, and Kyocho…

"Wow, first he uses FIRE monsters, then that huge guy! Lord Anthony is the best!"

"Rinrin knows!" said Chohi, as they began to cheer for Anthony.

"Anthony, Anthony, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"

"What are you doing!?" demanded Soso. "You're my general, so why are you rooting for him? I command you to cheer for your own side, lest you wish to face punishment once he's been vanquished!"

"Go, Lord Karin, you're the best," said Kyocho flatly, her cheers being as stiff and lifeless as possible. "Go, Lord Karin, beat the rest."

"Perfect Machine King was already stronger than Machine King, and his effect grants him an additional five hundred attack points for each Machine-type on the field besides him! Now attack with Automaton All-Out Assault!"

The hidden missile launchers on the shoulders of the Machine-type soon opened up, and a huge barrage of missiles were quick to fire from them. Rather than bringing the palace down, they all locked onto Machine King and blasted it to pixels, with the portal that Dark Necrofear was behind closing (Soso: 2200-1400 LP)(ATK 3200-2700).

"And that ends my turn."

Soso drew, and looked at her new card, before she simply stood there, staring. She didn't move, not averting her gaze from the new card. Suddenly, her hand began to tremble, and Ukitsu felt a slight pain in his head.

'What's happening? Am I…losing my control over her?'

Suddenly, Soso cried out in pain as she put her hands to her head, and Jun'iku caught a glimpse of the card that she had drawn, as Soso began to scream. "That's her Zera the Mant. Why is she screaming over it? She can't be that mad that she just lost."

"Zera the Mant? That's the card that we gave her!" said Kakoen, when it suddenly clicked. "Karin, don't you remember? We bought that for you on the day that we met!"

"Ghghh…nnnghh…"

"And when you asked us why, we said that we were simply being kind!" shouted Kakoton. "Please, you have to remember! Karin, you need to remember!"

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Giving them to you. I saw that you wanted this card, so I got it for you."_

"Get…out of…my head!" shrieked Soso as Ukitsu grabbed his own head, a migraine pounding in his skull.

"KARIN, TRY TO BREAK FREE!" shouted the twins.

" _Look, I promise, I'm not trying to do anything. And I promise that I'll always be here to help you. That's what friends do for each other, right?"_

" _And I promise the same."_

The tattoo of Ukitsu illuminated for a split second as Soso let out one more scream before she dropped to her knees, eyes closed. She looked up and opened them, her eyes no longer faded, and she flinched as a flood of memories poured into her. The assaults on Ryoshu and Kikai, the defeat of Lord Bato and General Kan'u…the way that she treated Kakoton and Kakoen. Tears began to fall from the eyes of Soso Motoku, and Kakoton and Kakoen smiled. She was free.

"Shunran…Shuran…Keifa…Ki…Shia…I'm sorry."

"Soso, it's still your turn!"

Soso turned to Anthony, who was smiling. "And don't worry. When I beat you, I promise that you won't go to the Shadow Realm. These two will save you, and I know they can do it."

Soso looked at her cards, and her field, and she placed her hand over her Duel Disk. "I…surrender. My territory is yours. Just make sure that you take care of them, or you'll regret it." (Winner: Anthony)

'No, no no no!' thought Ukitsu as the phantom strings began to constrict Soso, only for Anthony, Kakoton, and Kakoen to rush over and grab her, pulling on her as she slowly began to change, the dolls falling from her pocket and beginning to change themselves, turning back to normal. Jun'iku and Kyocho joined in, and Soso was confused.

"Why are you helping me? After all I've done, all I said, you still wish to save me?"

"Hey, helping people is what I do," said Anthony, as he turned towards his peerage. "Girls, can you give us a hand, or seven? We could definitely use it!"

Everyone was quick to pitch in, and with all of their strength, one string snapped, then another, and another, until they all gave way, and everyone fell backwards, with Soso being saved, as Kan'u and Bato had been returned to normal, souls reclaimed, as Kakoton, Kakoen, and Jun'iku trapped Soso in a trio of hugs. Bacho went up to her father, and Anthony and Chohi went over to Kan'u. Over by the throne, Ukitsu panicked. He then stuck out his hand, as the Millennium Symbol on the Chaos Duel Disk of Soso fizzled, as he disabled the communication feature. He began to make a break for it, intending to inform his master of what happened, when he came face to face with Choryo.

"Ya know, I never did trust you, Ukitsu."

She then socked him in the face as he fell flat, unconscious, as Choryo pocketed his deck and broke his Duel Disk in two with her knee. In the meantime, Bato and Kan'u began to wake up.

"Su…Sui? Where…am I?"

"Soso's palace. We beat her, daddy. We beat her," said Bacho as she hugged her father, as Kan'u smiled weakly as she saw the faces of her boyfriend and sworn sister looking over her.

"I knew…you wouldn't let me down…"

"Oh, big sis!"

"Aisha!"

As everyone finished their reunions, Soso looked over at Bato and Kan'u as she knelt before them, bowing down, as Anthony widened his eyes, surprised at her humility.

"Lord Bato, General Kan'u, I just want to apologize for my actions. I don't expect either of you to forgive me, but I still wish to let you know just how sorry I truly am."

Neither of them could say anything, being completely stunned, as Anthony walked over to Soso. "Don't worry, Soso, it's cool. The past is past, and now, it's time to face the future," he said as he lifted his sunglasses.

Soso smirked. "That kindness of yours will be your downfall, and please, refer to me as Karin. That's my final order as a lord."

"No prob, Karin."

"Lord Anthony, I presume?"

Anthony turned to see Lord Bato slowly walking towards him, and Anthony grinned. "Yep, that's me. I'm gonna guess you're Sui's dad."

"Correct. As thanks for freeing me, I'd like to form an alliance with you and…thank you for taking care of my little girl," he said, with Bacho blushing. Anthony smiled and shook the hand of the older man, sealing the deal, as Soso tapped on her Duel Disk.

"It looks like the communication feature has been removed, either due to a failsafe, or Ukitsu. I was hoping we could use it to get some more information on our foes."

"Well, what about his Duel Disk?" said Kan'u, referring to Ukitsu. "His should be able to do that."

"Oops."

Everyone turned to Choryo, who was holding the broken remnants of the Chaos Duel Disk. She then looked down at the unconscious man. "So what do we do with this pile of crap?"

~KD~

It was around midnight, with the group having arrived in Kikai several hours prior, with Bato going his separate ways to return to Ryoshu. The return to Kikai was a cause for celebration, as well as their victory over Gi, leaving only two major factions, Kikai and Go. Speaking of Go, Sonshoko, Kannei, and Rikuson were set to stay for another week before they had to return to Sonken, so Anthony was looking forward to spending a little more time with his allies from afar. As for not-so-welcome company, Ukitsu had been taken to the dungeon for interrogation the next day. Currently, Anthony was alone in his room, with a few candles lit as he lay awake on his bed and thought about the past few days, when he heard a knock on his door. He slowly rose out of bed and opened the door, coming face to face with Kan'u, who he let in right away before she could ask for permission, as he closed the door behind her, remembering to lock it this time. She sat on the bed, with Anthony sitting next to her.

"What is it, Aisha?"

"I just wanted to properly thank you for saving me. The Shadow Realm was…unpleasant. Nightmarish. But I endured it, because I knew you would pull through."

Anthony chuckled. "I would have, if it weren't for Shia calling me out. But don't worry, I will never let that happen to you again."

Kan'u then looked down, a somber look on her face. "Sei told me about what happened when I went to the Shadow Realm. About how you lost your temper, with Shuran and Sui having to bring you back to reality."

Anthony looked away guiltily. "Yeah…it's just, I lost everything, before I came here. And I didn't want that to happen again. I've been having nightmares, about losing you, and when I saw it happen…I snapped. I'm sorry."

Kan'u grabbed his shoulders and turned him towards herself. "It's okay…as you say, we just have to face the future, right?"

Anthony grinned. "I'd like that. But I'd appreciate if you spent the night, made me feel a little more secure. I love you, Aisha, and I don't ever want to lose you. I want to be with you for as much as I can."

"So do I. And…maybe…I have an idea."

Anthony was curious, as Kan'u bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable. "Anthony, I'm…I'm ready."

Anthony was about to ask what she was ready for, and then it hit him. She wanted to take the next step in their relationship. "Here? Now?"

"Yes! I don't want to lose you either, Anthony, and when I saw you being dragged by those chains, fall unconscious, suffer a nightmare, I was horrified. The thought of losing my first love horrified me. I love you, Anthony. And I'm ready to prove it to you, but only if you are."

Anthony thought it over. They had been dating for a few months now, and had been through so much. Was he ready? Yes, yes he was. "I'm ready, Aisha."

Despite being the one who asked, Kan'u looked anxious as she undid her tie and cast it aside. "This is my first time…I'm not sure how to feel, but…I want this. I need this. And I need you."

"It's my first time too," said Anthony as he took off his jacket. "But I'm glad that it's with you, Aisha."

That night, the bond between Kan'u and Anthony became even stronger than before, with the two of them solidifying their love for each other.

~KD~

"Get up."

From inside a cell in the dungeons, Ukitsu woke up, and panicked when he saw his master standing over him. He was a man of Japanese origin, with spiky light brown hair, purple eyes, and a tattoo of the Millennium Symbol on his forehead. He wore a green, black, and white robe with tan pants similar to Ukitsu, only the white sections were more pronounced, as befitting Genho Saji, leader of the White Clothes. Ukitsu backed against the wall as his eyes locked with Genho's.

"M-M-M-M-Master Saji! What are you-"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm breaking you out of here. I'm going to assume that you failed."

"Well, not quite. Even if Kikai is still around, Gi is lost. But they took my cards, and my Duel Disk was destroyed."

"Both can easily be replaced, with our secret weapon. And despite your failure, I still have use for you. Come now, we need to prepare for our next move." He then grabbed Ukitsu by the arm as the tattoo on the forehead of Genho began to glow, and the duo disappeared without a trace.

* * *

 **So much happened in this chapter! First, there's Anthony and Aisha losing their virginity. Just a heads-up, there won't be any sex scenes in this story, or any of the Koihime Duel stories and omakes. Here at Starpion Farms, we don't grow lemons, due to both inexperience and a wish to remain rated T. Sorry.**

 **Second, Genho (and yes, that's how the text will be referring to him, as I'm 99% sure that's his first name) finally makes his grand return. For his age, he's eighteen, and his deck is a surprise, one that won't be shown for quite a while.**

 **Finally, the Gi Arc is finally over! So yeah, there will be some breather chapters (not gonna call them "filler" anymore, since there's a good chance that some important stuff will happen, hint, hint, wink, wink) before we reach the Go Arc. Also, I'm moving the cut-off date for the Chosen poll, until sometime between chapters 60 and 61, as I currently have six breather chapters planned. Starpion out!**


	56. Rematch of Redemption

As the light of the new morning trickled into the bedroom of Anthony, he slowly awoke, only to find Kan'u peacefully sleeping next to him, an adorable smile on her face. Memories of last night came flooding into his mind, and Anthony smiled. It was definitely an experience for both of them, one that they deserved after everything they had been through. Bandits, warlords, cultists: the two of them survived it all, with plenty of help along the way. Slowly, the eyes of Kan'u fluttered open, and met his.

"Hello, Anthony. Did you also sleep well?"

"I sure did. Now, let's get dressed and greet the others," he said as he looked over the bedroom, only to find that with the exception of his hat and glasses, which were on a bed stand, and his shoes, which he tucked under the bed, all of their clothing was scattered haphazardly around the bed. "As soon as we find everything."

~KD~

As the couple entered the dining hall, they saw Chohi, Shokatsuryo, Choun, Bacho, Ryofu, Kochu, Riri, and Choryo hanging out. Chohi was telling Ryofu a story about the time she had a pet bear cub, with Ryofu listening intently, Shokatsuryo was currently destroying Choun in a game of xiangqi (Chinese chess), Choryo was having an arm-wrestling match against Bacho, Kochu was drinking tea, and Riri was drawing in a notebook, with her drawing looking rather similar to Shining Friendship. Chohi finished her story with her parents having her return the cub to its own parents, and while Ryofu clapped, Chohi turned to see her lord and fellow general and waved at them. "Big bro! Big sis! You're up!"

"Why are you all just goofing off?" asked Kan'u, folding her arms.

"Hawawa…I'm s-sorry, Aisha. But Kakoton and Kakoen offered to go out on patrol, and with our alliance with Go, I d-d-didn't think I was needed. I'm sorry!"

Kan'u sighed. "It's fine, we've been through a lot." Anthony remained silent as he thought about the former members of Gi. While most of them were allowed to keep their original roles, with Kakoton, Kakoen, and Kyocho being generals and Jun'iku being a strategist, he still didn't know what to do with Soso. It would also help if he could talk to her, but he hadn't seen her since they returned to Kikai, with Soso even skipping out on the party. He was brought back to reality, however, when Choryo spoke up, cradling her hand that had been slammed into the table.

"Hey, where have you guys been, anyway?"

"Yeah, you're usually the first one up," said Bacho, looking at Kan'u. "Have a good dream or something?"

Kan'u blushed as she shuffled her right foot on the floor. "Something like that." Anthony scratched the back of his neck, and Kochu was quick to catch on. Her eyes became half closed as her lips curved into a sly smile, chuckling as she placed her cup on the table.

"Oh, I don't think that you had much sleep last night. Neither of you, on account of having some…'fun.'"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" asked Shokatsuryo as she used her chariots to put Choun's general, which was in the back row, into a checkmate by putting them in the two back rows of Choun. The blue-haired general didn't seem to care that she lost, as she turned towards the couple with a sly grin of her own.

"Isn't it obvious? They had sex."

"HAWAWA!" exclaimed Shokatsuryo as she fell backwards out of her seat, with Kan'u and Anthony looking around nervously, as Choun's suspicions were confirmed. Choryo began to comment about how it was "so fucking cool" in her "neko mode," Shokatsuryo was speaking a mile a minute under her breath (which led to her biting her tongue), and Choun got super close to Kan'u, too close for her liking.

"So, what was it like, Aisha? How big was he? How long did you two go? Did he say anything…naughty?"

"S-St-Stop!" stuttered Kan'u, her entire body becoming a bright red with how embarrassed she was.

"Cut it out, Sei, you're making Aisha uncomfortable!"

As soon as Anthony said this, the doors burst open, revealing one of Anthony's guards, who was panting. Totaku and Kaku followed, apologizing for being unable to stop him, when the guard said something that made the temperature in the room drop ten degrees.

"Lord Anthony…Ukitsu escaped!"

~KD~

"We came to check on him, and he was just gone! His cell was still locked, no footprints leading out, nothing!"

Anthony was with the guard in the dungeon, standing with Kan'u and Choryo in front of the now empty cell. True to the guard's words, the cell was still locked, and there were no footprints that had anyone leaving the cell.

"How the hell did he break out? People don't just vanish!"

"Maybe he had some help," said Kan'u as she peered into the cell. "Can you unlock this for us?"

"Of course, General Kan'u, right away." The guard then unlocked the cell, and Kan'u stepped in slowly, before she checked the ground, and discovered something unsettling. There was a single pair of footprints that were different, suggesting that they simply appeared and disappeared.

"Maybe they could just vanish. There's another set of footprints, but only two. They came and left, taking our prisoner with them."

"Well, great. First we've got somebody who can brainwash people, then a teleporter. If I duel someone who has the power to read minds, I'm out."

"Wait a minute," said Choryo. "Oh, oh shit."

"What is it? Spit it out!" urged Anthony.

"The guy who gave us the power to make Shadow Games…he jumped out a window…and just disappeared." Panic spread throughout Anthony's brain as he heard this tidbit of information: this meant that there was a good chance that the leader of the White Clothes, whoever they were, had personally freed Ukitsu, who was now on the loose.

~KD~

Anthony sighed as he finished writing a note to Sonken about what had happened, and had one of his messengers set out to deliver it, deciding that since she was the other large power in China, she was a potential target. Kan'u was helping make wanted posters for Ukitsu, and Dokuro while they were at it, and have them spread throughout the territories of Kikai and Go, as well as any smaller territories they were allied with. Sonshoko and Kannei in particular were worried about Sonken, and looked like they were about to leave early, but Anthony convinced them that she could take care of herself, although they were unconvinced, saying that she should at least be aware of the threat, hence the letter. He then heard a knock at the door, and he pushed back his chair, walking over to the door and opening it, coming face to face with Choryo.

"Hey, Shia. What's up with you?"

"Well, I figured that you'd be a little stressed about the whole escape thing, just like me, so I had an idea to ease our minds, at least a little."

Anthony cocked an eyebrow. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"No, no, a rematch! I mean, I kicked your ass last time, but for the first half of the duel, you were out of it until I knocked some sense into you. So, I figured that we could have a rematch, at full strength!"

Anthony grinned as he heard this plan. "I like the sound of that."

"Lord Anthony, did you complete the letter yet?"

Anthony turned to see Kannei with her arms folded, and Anthony nodded his head. "I just sent out a messenger."

"I would prefer to have sent it myself, but at least now Lord Renfa will be aware." She then noticed the presence of Choryo. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Lord Anthony and I are gonna have a rematch! Wanna watch?"

Kannei seemed to think it over, before speaking. "Very well. I'll get Shaoren and Non, and meet you in the arena."

"Then we better make sure that our duel will be awesome!" said Anthony with a huge childlike grin, which made Kannei blush as she left to gather her fellow members of Go.

~KD~

As the duo walked into the arena, they were surprised to see Totaku and Kaku sweeping the floor of the stadium. As Totaku let out a sigh and wiped her brow, she saw Anthony and Choryo and smiled warmly. "Anthony, Shia! How are you?" Kaku looked up and smiled, nodding in their direction before she went back to sweeping.

"Doing fine, thanks. Hey, are you girls almost done in here? Shia and I were about to have our rematch. I need to defend my title of King of Games, after all!"

"Well, we are now," said Kaku. "Come on, Yue, let's go."

"Wait, what!?" said Choryo. "No, c'mon! Why don't you guys watch us? You're friends, after all!"

"Please, Ei?" asked Totaku, and Kaku unfortunately found herself unable to resist the persuasive powers of her friend's innocence, as she let out a sigh, and began to walk towards the bleachers, as Kannei walked in, Sonshoko and Rikuson in tow.

"I found this one playing in the garden," said Kannei, pointing to Sonshoko, "and this one sleeping with her head in a book."

"I'm sorry, it's just that nothing gives me more pleasure than reading! So I was up until late at night reading, and I just passed out…" said Rikuson, embarrasses about the circumstances of her discovery.

"Are we late?" asked Sonshoko.

"Nope, we're just about to start! Go on, take a seat!"

They did so, walking up to where Totaku and Kaku were sitting and joining them, as Choryo and Anthony took their positions and shuffled their decks.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Choryo: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared Anthony. "I draw! And for my first move, I summon my Drillago!"

The drill-covered robot appeared on the field, drills spinning as it stared down Choryo (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"That's the monster that Lord Anthony used to beat me," said Totaku as she saw the monster, as Sonshoko backed up a bit in fear. "It has a rather powerful effect."

"I saw it before too!" said Rikuson. "He used it against Lord Renfa!"

"I think that I'll end my turn by setting a card."

"Then it's my turn!" declared Choryo. "And I summon my Marauding Captain to the field!"

The blonde knight appeared, swords at the ready (LV 3: ATK 1200), before he pointed one of his swords at the space beside him, and Valkyrian Knight appeared (LV 4: ATK 1900), and the two monsters crossed their swords.

"And when Marauding Captain is summoned, I can Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand, like Valkyrian Knight! And since Marauding Captain has an effect where only he can be targeted for an attack, and Valkyrian Knight is the only face-up Warrior-type monster you can attack when she's out and about, I've made an attack lock! Now my Valkyrian Knight will slice and dice that Drillago!"

Valkyrian Knight drew both of her swords and rushed Drillago, slicing it in two before the Machine-type exploded into pixels (Anthony: 4000-3700 LP).

"Now my Marauding Captain will attack directly!"

Her monster leapt towards the King of Games and slashed through him, furthering Choryo's lead (Anthony: 3700-2500 LP).

"Perfect! Now I set a card and send things back your way!"

"Okay, if you insist. I draw! And I summon my Sergeant Electro to the field!"

This new monster was made out of a bright white metal, with its head resembling a helmet, with a boxy shape and a blue visor. It had a wide torso with a thinner section connected to a base, and below it was a gem-shaped lower section that appeared to be attached by electromagnetism, with a blue tip at the bottom. In place of its right arm was a Gatling gun, and its left, a blade (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Okay, that's new," said Kaku. "What power does this monster possess?"

"And since I successfully Normal Summoned a monster, I play my Pineapple Blast!"

His card flipped up to show what appeared to be some sort of odd grenade, which was made of rings of yellow metal surrounding a blue core in the shape of a warhead, as the same bomb appeared over on Choryo's side of the field.

"Now you have to destroy monsters that you control until we both have the same amount!"

Choryo bit her lip with this remark. "I don't wanna have to say goodbye to either of my monsters, but if I have to…sorry, Marauding Captain!" And her monster was blown to bits by the Pineapple Blast, meaning that Anthony was once again free to attack.

"Now I activate the effect of Sergeant Electro! Once per turn, I can select one face-down card in your Spell & Trap Zone, and while this monster is on the field, that card can't be activated. Go, EMP Shockwave!"

His monster then smashed its main body and lower body together, sending out an electromagnetic pulse that caused the face-down to be ensnared in a cage of thin blue bolts of electricity.

"Now I equip my Sergeant Electro with 7 Completed, and increase its attack points by seven hundred!"

A red seven appeared as the power of Anthony's lone monster spiked (ATK 1600-2300).

"Now attack! Tesla Gatling!"

The rotary gun started spinning, and Sergeant Electro fired a salvo of electric blasts that fried Valkyrian Knight (Choryo: 4000-3600 LP).

"And that should end my turn."

"Alright, Lord Anthony has this in the bag!" declared Sonshoko.

"What are you talking about? He may have made a good move, but Shia still has the lead! And she's beaten him before!" argued Kaku, butting heads with the Lotus Princess.

"Are you going to argue over who's going to win, or actually watch the duel?" asked Kannei as she turned her attention to the action, as Choryo drew.

"I summon my Blade Knight, and equip him with my Lightning Blade!"

Her knight entered the fray (LV 4: ATK 1600), and it became equipped with the electric blade (ATK 1600-2400).

"Now it's strong enough to take down your monster!"

Her Blade Knight slashed Sergeant Electro in half (Anthony: 2500-2400 LP), and the face-down was free from its prison.

"I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I activate my Reload, shuffling my hand back into my deck and drawing cards equal to the amount that I sent back!"

Anthony sent his hand back to his deck as it was shuffled by his Duel Disk, and he drew three more cards, before he played one of them straight away.

"Now I'll use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Lightning Blade!"

The powerful storm raged across the field, as Lightning Blade was pulled from Blade Knight's hands and ripped into pixels (ATK 2400-1600).

"Now I summon Mechanicalchaser!"

The six-armed robot appeared before Anthony, ready to tear up the field (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Attack and destroy that Blade Knight with Arsenal Medley!" he cried, but as soon as his monster had begun its attack, silver armor that was covered in mirrors with mirrors surrounding them coated Blade Knight (ATK 1600-1850).

"Pretty sick, huh? My Mirror Mail makes my monster as strong as the one attacking it! So now, they're both destroyed!" And true to her words, both monsters went up in smoke, and Anthony set a card before Choryo drew.

"And now, I summon my Hayabusa Knight to the field in attack mode!"

The falcon-headed swordsman leapt into action, slashing at the air before it.

"That monster can attack twice per turn, so now Anthony is in for it," said Kaku.

"Come on, Anthony!" cheered Sonshoko. "Take her down!"

"Slice and dice Anthony's life points with Falcon Slash, Hayabusa Knight!" shouted Choryo, as her monster sped towards Anthony, only for it to run into an explosive that blasted it into pixels.

"Looks like your monster just met the business end of my Widespread Ruin!" said Anthony. "When you attacked, this card activated and destroyed your strongest monster!"

"Awesome! Now Lord Anthony finally has a chance to inflict some more damage!" said Rikuson as she clenched her fists in front of her, rooting for the Messenger from Heaven, as she knew him better.

"That is, if Choryo doesn't play another card, Non," said Kannei.

"Well, shit. I end my turn!"

"Ha! He can do some damage, Shishun!" said Sonshoko. "Show no mercy!"

"I summon my Machine King Prototype!"

This new monster sat on a metal throne, its hands on spheres and many wires in its body. Its head was made of gray metal with a red light shining through a gap acting as an eye, a T-shaped torso that was red on top, and gray on the bottom with a visible Tesla coil inside, with gray and yellow spherical shoulders and more Tesla coils in its arms, which were otherwise red, and red legs with Tesla coils in the calves (LV 3: ATK 1600).

"What is that? It looks like a much older version of his Machine King," said Totaku.

"That's because it is. This is the prototype, basically an earlier and incomplete model. But no less powerful! Attack with Proto Shock!"

His monster managed to lift one hand and fire a blast of green electricity that struck Choryo directly (Choryo: 3600-2000 LP).

"And that's all that I can do."

"Now things are starting to look more even," said Kannei as she drummed her fingers across her folded arms. "How will Choryo respond?"

"I draw! And I summon my Dark Blade!"

Her black knight came onto the field, both swords laying on his shoulders as he sized up his adversary (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Attack with Dark Sword!"

Her monster sprinted towards the robotic ruler and crossed his swords before uncrossing them, decapitating the Machine-type before it exploded (Anthony: 2400-2200 LP).

"That'll do!"

"Then I draw! And I end my turn by setting a monster."

"So I draw! And I play Reinforcement of the Army, to add one level four or lower Warrior-type monster to my hand!"

As Choryo took her deck out of her Duel Disk and began to search for the monster she wanted, Rikuson put her hand to her chin. "What do you girls think she's going to pick?"

"I have one idea," said Kaku.

"And so do I," said Totaku.

"Alright, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Her iron-clad warrior appeared, letting out a powerful battle cry as he swept his blade before him (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, I activate my Release Restraint, to tribute my Gearfried the Iron Knight and bring out my Gearfried the Swordmaster from my hand!"

The armor of Gearfried began to glow and crack before it shattered, allowing him to unveil his true form (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Incredible…" said Totaku, having never seen this monster before.

"And now, my Gearfried will destroy your monster! Mega Slash!"

Gearfried let out a war cry as he charged the defense mode monster, which flipped up to reveal it to be Battle Footballer (LV 4: DEF 2100). While the Machine-type had incredible defensive power, it simply wasn't enough to save it from destruction as it was slashed in half horizontally by the Warrior-type.

"Now my Dark Blade can attack directly!"

Anthony crossed his arms in front of him to block the attack as Dark Blade brought down both of his blades (Anthony: 2200-400 LP).

"Anthony, come on! Take her down!" shouted Sonshoko, waving her arms up and down.

"I end my turn."

Anthony drew, and grinned as he saw his next card. "I need to buy some more time if I want to beat you, and this is just how to do it! I activate Nightmare's Steelcage, which will prevent either of us from attacking for two more turns!"

The spiked steel cage was formed around Anthony, and he grinned as he flipped down his sunglasses. "I end my turn. Bring it on!"

"No problem! I draw! And I summon my Absolute Crusader to the field!"

Her Absolute Crusader appeared in a flash of light, sword and shield in hand (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And that's it."

"Well, I draw, and I set a card to end my turn."

"This is getting really boring," said Sonshoko as she propped up her head with her fists, squishing her cheeks. "When will they be able to attack again?"

"As soon as Choryo wraps up her turn," said Rikuson as Choryo drew, "things will get interesting again!"

"I tribute my Dark Blade and my Absolute Crusader to summon my Gaia the Fierce Knight to the field!"

Her armored monsters disappeared to make room for the lance wielding cavalier (LV 7: ATK 2300), and Totaku looked on in amazement. She didn't know that Choryo had that monster either!

"Go Shia! I believe in you!" cheered Totaku with a sweet smile on her face, as Choryo finished her turn, and the Nightmare's Steelcage shattered as Anthony drew.

"Okay, let's see what we've got here! I summon my Reflect Bounder in attack mode!"

The reflective robot appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1700), and the spectators leaned forward as they saw it appear. They were all aware of this monster's effect, but Choryo wasn't.

"Your move, Shia. Are you ready to face the future?"

"More than ready! I draw! And I equip my Gearfried with Metalsilver Armor!"

As the armor and weapons of Dark Blade were equipped to Gearfried, Choryo chuckled. "Now Gearfried is the only monster that can be targeted by your card effects, and when Gearfried the Swordmaster is equipped with an Equip Card, I can destroy one of your monsters!"

Gearfried began to run towards Reflect Bounder, swords ready to slice through some metal and glass, when it ran into a mine that exploded on contact, with a whole slew of mines on the field, as one blew up in Choryo's face (Choryo: 2000-1500 LP).

"What the fuck just happened to my monster?"

As Choryo was trying and failing to process what just happened, Totaku's eyes widened in recognition. "He used that Trap Card against Aisha. I think it was called Guard Mines?"

"Right you are, Yue! This negates an effect that would target and destroy a monster I control, and if I destroy the card, you take five hundred points of damage!"

"But I can still win! Gaia, take down that Reflect Bounder with Spiral Spear Strike!"

Her monster began to charge, and the mirror on the chest of the Machine-type began to charge up energy, as Anthony laughed. "Game over, Shia! By attacking Reflect Bounder, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

"Oh shit!"

"It seems that Anthony managed to pull off a victory after all," said Kannei, the tiniest hint of a smirk on her lips.

"I knew he could beat her!" said Sonshoko.

"Fire!"

Reflect Bounder shot a blast of light that knocked Choryo backwards (Choryo: 1500-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony), and as the holograms faded away, Anthony went up to her and helped her to her feet, with the girls in the crowd cheering and clapping. He then heard a clap come closer and closer behind him, and turned to see Kan'u, a smile on her face.

"Good job."

"Hey Aisha!" said Choryo with an eager wave and a huge smile, as Anthony tilted his head.

"When did you get here?"

"The wanted posters have been finished. In a month or so, they'll have been copied and sent all over China, so everyone should be aware of the White Clothes. I came to get you, but when I couldn't find you in your office or your room, this was the third place I thought to look. As for when, I arrived just in time to see your victory."

"Well, now I've completely redeemed myself, now that I've beaten Shunran and Shia," said Anthony. "Hey Aisha, wanna meet me for lunch?"

"I would be honored to. It was nice seeing you, Shia, and the same goes for everyone in the bleachers," said Kan'u, before she and Anthony left hand in hand. Choryo couldn't help but sigh.

'They sure are happy together, ain't they?'

Choryo had feelings for Anthony. That was no secret. But she couldn't be jealous of her idol. That would be extremely shitty of her, in her own opinion. Of course, there was one solution, but Anthony didn't like it. But maybe if she convinced Kan'u? She couldn't do it now, on account of all the stressful events that had happened recently, and the relationship between the lord and his first general becoming much stronger. But in due time, Choryo would have to have a chat with her hero.

* * *

 **The harem is coming, folks! I promise, it will be formed before the Go Arc begins, mark my words! Also, I made a new omake starring Inzektors that's in the same storyline as Beginning of a Journey and Mokey Mokey Morph, if you feel so inclined (hooray for shameless self-advertisement!). Starpion out!**


	57. Penance For Your Thoughts

The day after Anthony's rematch with Choryo, he was simply flipping through his cards while he sat at a table in the library, not having much to do. There were no meetings scheduled, he was on top of his paperwork: everything seemed fine. But there was one thing in the back of his mind that continued to bother him.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

"No, there's plenty of room for…Karin!?"

Much to his surprise, Soso had come out of hiding, after having avoided him all day yesterday. She was in her casual outfit, and she was nervously twiddling her fingers, a far cry from the usual haughty and proud Soso he had known and tolerated.

"Karin, where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you, when I asked your former peerage members they just dodged the question, it's like you've been avoiding me! Why?"

Soso sighed. "I have been, at least until you were alone and unoccupied, neither of which you've been until now. And even so, it's been a challenge. I know that you're there, Shunran, Shuran. Just wait outside and let us talk in private."

Kakoton suddenly fell down, having been leaning against a bookshelf to eavesdrop on the two. Kakoen came out to help up her sister, and Anthony felt his face become hot. He had never seen Kakoen in her casual outfit before now, and seeing her in the form fitting tunic which accentuated her curvy body made him rather flustered, until he reminded himself that he was in a happy relationship with Kan'u, and attempted to purge any impure thoughts, as he addressed the elephant in the room.

"Shunran? Shuran? Were you two spying on Karin?"

"She was," said Kakoen, pointing to her older sister. "I tagged along to make sure that she was alright."

"I was just worried, that's all!" said Kakoton, tapping her index fingers together as Kakoen led her out of the library.

"Now that we're alone, at long last, we can talk," said Soso, as she took a deep breath. "I want to ask you something that I expect you to answer honestly."

Anthony blinked, not knowing where this was going. "Okay…"

"Do you think that I'm a bad person?"

"What!? No, of course not!"

"I said answer honestly. I know that you hate me."

"Well, maybe in the past, but I'm willing to move past that!"

Soso made a face. "After all I've done to you and your peerage, you just want to forgive and forget? I'm not sure if you're too nice for your own good or just stupid."

"I just don't hold grudges. Anyway, why do you ask? Do you think you're a bad person?"

Soso folded her hands and looked down. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I mean, after everything that I've done, there are still people willing to forgive me. Besides you, there's Shunran, Shuran, Keifa, Ki, and Shia. But even though I wasn't in control of my actions, I still feel this guilt weighing down on me. And yet I'm allowed to live in this palace? Allowed to go free after everything I've done?"

"Well, that's one reason why you're not a bad person. You feel guilty. And you want to make up for what you've done. If you were truly a bad person, then you wouldn't regret your actions," said Anthony.

"It just feels like I was let off too easy. After all, what I did to that Bacho girl was certainly abhorrent."

"Karin, you were brainwashed. I mean, you wouldn't have sent her father to the Shadow Realm if you were in your right mind."

"True. I wouldn't have threatened Shuran or slapped Shunran in that case. But even before, I did horrible things. Like how I tried to force Kan'u to join me because of my selfish desires, or how I broke off my first friendship." Anthony felt his eyes widen. He had been curious about what had happened between them, but Ensho would never talk about it. Now was his chance.

"What happened between you and Reiha?"

Soso hardened. "We were friends for a few years, both coming from an esteemed bloodline, so our parents were rather close. Reiha was the first friend that I ever had, most kids only being nice to me because I come from an esteemed family. One could say I was born into royalty, although I split from them a few years ago to pursue my own path. But that isn't important. One day, we got into a friendly argument, bragging over who would be a better leader when we got older, but it began to get out of hand, very quickly. We…we started to fight. It started off harmless enough, with us just calling each other names, but then Reiha said that she wouldn't be caught dead being a friend with me if I was a leader." Anthony gasped, and although he was afraid to, he had to ask.

"Is that what ruined your friendship, or…did you say something back?"

Soso sighed, as she said something that made Anthony gasp. "I said that she wasn't really my friend anyways, that she was just faking it like the rest. Our friendship was irreparable after that, and I was once again friendless until Shunran and Shuran came into the picture. Just another person who was hurt by me."

"Well, there are two sides to every argument. I'm not going to justify what you did, but you aren't the only one in the wrong. Reiha did some horrible things in the past too, like willingly allying herself with the White Clothes to gain power, and letting them commit heinous acts like kidnapping Shion's daughter to make her duel for her in the tournament. But she's a much better person now! She's really been trying to be nicer after her loss, and you learned to trust people again. Even if you were a bad person before, it doesn't mean that you're a bad person now. Relax, Karin, you are a good person."

"Why…" Soso began to tear up, which shocked Anthony. Hopefully, Kakoton wouldn't kill him for making her cry.

"Karin, please, don't cry!"

"Why are people so nice to me? I don't deserve any of this!"

"Karin, it's okay."

"No it isn't! I want to make it up to Bacho and Reiha, really! I don't deserve their forgiveness!"

Anthony then snapped his fingers. "How about you duel them? It seems like a healthy way to take care of any baggage, have holographic monsters beat the crap out of each other. We can have Shunran and Shuran scout them out."

Soso dried her eyes. "What, and let them beat me?"

"No, just duel them. I'm not sure about Reiha, but Sui will be pissed if you don't give it your all. I'm sure that just a duel to let out any anger that they may or may not have should suffice."

Soso didn't seem satisfied. "Do you really think that a duel will resolve everything, especially with somebody who I've been in an antagonistic relationship with for almost a decade?"

"Hey, the late emperor decreed that duels are to solve confrontations, so clearly there's a lot more to this game than you know. Just give it a chance."

Soso sighed. "Fine." She then got up, and she and Anthony left the library, with Anthony giving the twins instructions to locate Bacho and Ensho and bring them to the arena with their cards, but not to mention that their opponent would be Soso. The two left to follow their instructions, and Anthony went with Soso to get her cards. As they stopped at Soso's room, when she came out with her Chaos Duel Disk in tow, Anthony smiled.

"And just so it's clear, I do think that despite your arrogance and misandry, you really are a good person deep down. Shunran and Shuran risked everything to save you, after all."

Soso smirked. "Well, despite your blind trust in others, your lack of tact or manners, and your little-to-no knowledge on how a proper lord should act, you're not bad yourself. You should be honored to be one of the few men to have earned my respect."

Anthony grinned. "Thanks, Karin."

"By the way, about Shuran…"

"What about her?"

Soso smirked slyly, and Anthony felt a chill run down his spine. "I saw your eyes linger on her for a while. Did you like what you saw?"

"I-I-I just haven't seen her in that outfit before," said Anthony as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling flustered, as Soso knew that she had him trapped. This would be fun.

"She really is something to look at, isn't she? Those strong, well-toned thighs, those buxom hips, those sizable but still perky breasts…"

"Karin, I'm asking you politely. Please stop."

"You really do have good taste, don't you?" she said with a wink, as Anthony began to reconsider his opinion of whether or not she was a good person.

~KD~

"Ow! Quit dragging me! I may not be a lord anymore, but I refuse to be treated like a rag doll!"

Ensho was busy complaining as Kakoton dragged her to the arena, feeling like her arm was about to be dislocated. She saw Kakoen standing by the doors with Bacho, and when the older twin and the former lord of En caught up with them, Kakoton and Kakoen opened the doors as Ensho and Bacho turned to each other.

"So why were you dragged over here?" asked Ensho as she folded her arms. "Because I was just told to grab my deck and Duel Disk before I was literally dragged to this spot."

"Same thing, only without the dragging part," said Bacho as she peered inside to see Anthony. "It looks like Anthony wanted to see us, but why did he bring us here?"

"Probably to duel us," said Ensho.

"If that's the case, then I'm getting pumped!" said Bacho as she punched her open palm. The twins ushered them in, and Ensho changed from annoyance to anxiety when she saw who was next to him with her Duel Disk, as the lord turned servant twitched.

"Hey girls! You remember Karin, right?"

"Yes," said Ensho under her breath, before she forced a smile. "I mean, of course I remember her! What, do I look like an idiot to you?"

"She seems nervous," said Anthony, "although at least she isn't insulting you. I told you she's improved."

"I didn't think that was possible. Are you some sort of miracle worker?" whispered Soso.

"No, I didn't really have that much to do with this. She just became better on her own."

"So what, you want us to duel her?" asked Bacho, pointing to Soso.

"You got it, Sui! Karin here thinks that she was let off too easy after all that she's done, so why don't you guys let out any leftover aggression in the form of wailing on her in Duel Monsters? It worked for Ishe and Toshi when they got into a fight, albeit with some help from Reiha, and don't worry, if things get ugly, the twins and I will intervene. Anyone want first shot at Karin?"

"Well, she sent your dad to the Shadow Realm, so obviously you're still bitter," said Ensho, practically shoving Bacho into the ring. "You should go first! I'll wait."

"Uh, okay. Because of the whole brainwashing crap, and Shion, I've mostly gotten over it, since Dad is okay now. But even so, I've always wanted a piece of you, Soso! Or can I call you Karin now?"

"That completely depends on whether or not you earn my respect," said Soso as she shuffled her cards, with Anthony, Ensho, Kakoton, and Kakoen making their way to the bleachers, and Bacho shuffling her own cards, ready to kick some ass.

(Soso: 4000 LP)(Bacho: 4000 LP)

"You can go first, Soso!" said Bacho. "I wanna be able to dish out some damage!"

"We'll see about that. I draw! And I activate my Zera Ritual, using my Headless Knight and The Portrait's Secret to complete the ritual!"

"Wow, Karin's really going all-out here, isn't she?" said Anthony with a smirk, as Kakoton and Kakoen grinned as the cards that they gave her were being used once more, with both Fiends appearing before the petite blonde before they were enveloped in purple smoke (4+4=8).

"Feel the wrath of the cursed king, Zera the Mant!" declared Soso as her most powerful monster hit the field (LV 8: ATK 2800). "And I end my turn with a face-down!"

"Not bad, but I bet I can do better! I draw! And I summon my Exarion Universe!"

The spear wielding centaur galloped into battle, spinning his spear like a baton (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now I play Wild Nature's Release, to boost his attack points by an amount equal to his defense points! And I don't think you know this, but my Exarion Universe has a lot of defense points!" she said as her monster began to glow red, his muscles expanding (ATK 1800-3700).

"Whoa, over three thousand! Karin is in for it now!" said Anthony, as Kakoton frowned.

"Don't let her beat you, Karin! Show her that you're the best in the land!"

"Exarion Universe, attack!"

Her monster was more than happy to oblige, as he charged the huge Ritual Monster and slashed it apart (Soso: 4000-3100 LP).

"And I end my turn by setting two cards, and Exarion Universe is destroyed by the effect of Wild Nature's Release," said Bacho, with her monster exploding as two face-downs materialized before her.

"Big mistake. I draw! And I summon my Opticlops!"

Her huge cyclops let out a roar as it towered over Bacho (LV 4: ATK 1800), and Soso's card flipped up to show three spirits being crushed in the hand of Dark Ruler Ha Des.

"Now I play my Soul Demolition! When I control a Fiend-type, as many times per turn as I want, I can pay five hundred life points to have us both target one monster in the other's Graveyard, and banish them! So I select your Exarion Universe!" (Soso: 3100-2600 LP)

"Hmm, I pick…Soul Demolition!"

"What are you playing at? Soul Demolition is a Trap Card, and on my field! I know you're not that stupid!"

"I'm not. I play Typhoon, destroying your Soul Demolition!"

The hurricane made Soso hold onto her skirt with one hand, and her hair with the other, as a lightning bolt struck the Continuous Trap and blasted it into pixels.

"A smart move," admitted Kakoen. "Now neither player has to banish a monster, and Karin still had to pay life points."

"Yeah, it sure was something," said Anthony earnestly. "What did you think, Reiha?" But Ensho was unusually quiet, staring at the floor as her hands were shaking.

"Reiha, are you alright?"

"O-Of course I'm alright? Why wouldn't I be? Ohohohoho!" But her normally haughty laugh seemed a bit more shaky than usual, as Anthony began to wonder if this was a good idea.

"Opticlops, attack!"

The Fiend-type began to charge in a headbutt, sharp horn aimed at Bacho, when Bacho played her remaining face-down, showing a male superhero making a pose while a female superhero blocked a blast of aquamarine fire with her hand, as Bacho held out her own hand, with yellow waves forming a barrier as Opticlops was stopped in its tracks.

"I play Impenetrable Attack, which can either make one monster unable to be destroyed by battle or card effects during the Battle Phase, or keep me from taking battle damage! So now I take no battle damage!"

Soso frowned as she ended her turn, and Bacho drew.

"Aw, yeah! I summon Panther Warrior!"

The sword swinging jungle cat pounced onto the field, holding its sword tight (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"I can't attack without a tribute, but at least this bad boy should keep you from attacking. I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I summon my Twin-Headed Wolf to the field!"

The two-headed wolf appeared (LV 4: ATK 1500), before it suddenly let out a loud howl as a purple aura briefly covered it.

"What was that about?" asked Bacho aloud.

"Whenever I have another Fiend-type on my field, Twin-Headed Wolf has its effect activated, negating the effects of all Flip Monsters that it destroys in battle. Not that it really matters, as I play The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler!"

Her card had an image of a purple demon being controlled by Dark Ruler Ha Des, as both of her monsters were pulled into a portal by strings, and something else began to come out.

"By selecting a Fiend-type monster in my Graveyard and banishing monsters on the field whose total levels equal that of said monster, I can Special Summon it! Come back to me, Zera the Mant!"

The Ritual Monster returned, with its distorted cry (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Now attack with Jagged Claw Attack!"

Her monster obeyed, slicing through the Beast-Warrior (Bacho: 4000-3200 LP).

"And that is all I can do for now."

"Okay, I draw!" And as soon as she did, Bacho began to smile extremely wide, which began to worry Soso. "And with his effect, I can summon my Beast King Barbaros without a tribute with less attack points! So come on out!"

Her signature monster appeared on the field with a mighty roar that demanded respect (LV 8: ATK 1900).

"But that's not all. I activate Forbidden Chalice, boosting his attack points by four hundred and negating his effects until the turn ends!"

The card had a picture of a brunette girl in a white tunic with flowers and fruit in her hair, standing under a tree in the heavens, while drinking from a golden chalice. The same cup appeared in the hand of Beast King Barbaros, and without hesitation he brought it to his lips and downed the contents, flexing as he gained incredible power and dropping the chalice before crushing it under one of his forelegs (ATK 1900-3400).

"I thought it was an increase of four hundred, not 1500," said Kakoton.

"She did say that her monster was weaker due to its effect," said Kakoen. "So by negating its effect, it regains those lost attack points, presumably even after Forbidden Chalice wears off."

"Now it's time to take down your Zera once again! Barbaros, bring it to its knees with Crag Spear!"

Barbaros plunged his lance into the arena as it spun and kicked up chunks of rock which covered the drill-like lance, and he charged the Fiend-type, piercing its chest with the stone-covered spear and destroying it (Soso: 2600-2000 LP).

"Now that should do it!" (ATK 3400-3000)

"Don't let her gain an edge, Karin! Crush her!"

"I'll have to wait on that, Shunran. I set one monster and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I activate my Book of Taiyou, switching your face-down monster into attack mode! So let's find out what you're hiding!"

The spellbook succeeded in flipping up the monster, revealing it to be a wicked looking skeleton on horseback. The horse had dark brown fur and a yellow mane and tail, with armor on its knees, head, and barrel, the latter of which acting as a saddle. The skeleton wore an iron helmet that exposed its face, with a long white plume coming out of the top, as well as more iron armor with red gauntlets and boots, a long tattered cape flowing behind it, and for its weapons, it had a flamberge in one hand, and a skull-shaped shield in the other (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Whoa, cool monster, Soso! Trade you for it?"

Soso spluttered at the offer, while Anthony shook his head and sighed with an amused smile on his face. Of course Bacho would like the undead horseman, horses were her favorite animal.

'I wonder if she ever offered to trade for Shia's Gaia or Swift Gaia.'

"No, I will not trade away my Doomcaliber Knight!"

"Aw, it even has a badass name! Too bad I've gotta destroy it! Go for it, Barbaros!"

Barbaros sprinted towards the Fiend-type, who attempted to block the attack with their shield, but the huge lance of the Beast-Warrior just drilled through it (Soso: 2000-900 LP).

"And that ends my turn!"

"Then I draw." As soon as Soso saw what she had drawn, she knew she could win this. "And I banish The Portrait's Secret, Headless Knight, and Doomcaliber Knight from my Graveyard to summon a monster that dwells in the most horrific night terrors and feeds on the fear of its victims! Dark Necrofear, show yourself!"

The demonic doll emerged, accompanied by the unfitting serene tune as she stroked her doll (LV 8: ATK 2200). Ensho grimaced, finding the monster to be unbelievably creepy, while Kakoton smiled and chuckled, Kakoen had the smallest hint of a smile appear, and Anthony kept on smiling.

"Still creepy as ever," said Bacho, shaking as she stared down the same monster that defeated both her father and Kan'u. "But I won't back down!"

"Neither will I. Attack that monster with Doom Gaze!"

Her monster glared at the Beast-Warrior-type, only to get run through by the giant lance (Soso: 900-100 LP), but as soon as Soso brought her turn to a close, Dark Necrofear returned to send out her spirit to possess the Beast King, and bring it over to her cold embrace.

"Now my Dark Necrofear is equipped to your monster, and I have control of it!"

Bacho bit her lip as she drew, and sighed as she saw what she had. 'I can't take down Beast King Barbaros yet, but I can at least defend until I can, and hopefully she'll summon a weaker monster that I can take out, if I get a lucky draw.' "I guess I'll just set a monster and end my turn."

"This duel is as good as finished!" declared Kakoton.

"I draw! And I play Pot of Greed, which will let me draw two cards!" And as Soso did, she began to laugh. She had this in the bag. "And now, I play Fiend's Sanctuary, to Special Summon a Metal Fiend Token!"

The tiny metal creature appeared before Soso (LV 1: ATK 0), only for it to immediately leave the field.

"And now I tribute it to summon my Mefist the Infernal General!"

Her new monster was yet another horseman, the horse having a wide mouth with pointed teeth, red eyes, curved horns like a goat, a skeletal tail with a tuft of blonde hair at the end, and black fur, with black armor all over it. Riding on it was a knight in dark gray plate armor, with long blonde hair, red eyes, a black cape, gauntlets that looked like claws, and a huge battle axe (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"Man, some of these monsters of yours are really cool, Soso!"

"I appreciate it, but I'd be more concerned if I were you. Mefist here deals piercing damage, so it's the end of the line for you! Attack!"

The general slashed through the set monster with his axe, revealing it to be Tiger Axe (LV 4: DEF 1100)(Bacho: 3200-2500 LP).

"And when Mefist the Infernal General deals battle damage, you have to randomly discard one card! And seeing as you only have the one, say goodbye to it!"

Bacho frowned as she was forced to send her Garoozis to the Graveyard, but she stood her ground, not going down without a final stand.

"Time to bring this duel to a close! Crag Spear!"

Bacho crossed her arms and endured the attack, as the lance hit her head-on (Bacho: 2500-0 LP)(Winner: Soso).

"Heh, that was pretty close. I almost got you," said Bacho, as Soso crossed her arms.

"How can you forgive me so easily?"

"Oh, trust me, it wasn't easy. I was about ready to tear you limb from limb, and I probably would have if Shion hadn't talked me down. And even before all that, you always rubbed me the wrong way. But that's all over now, and I'm ready to forgive you, Soso. Whether you deserve it or not."

Soso smirked. "You really are something. But if you really want to forgive me, then by all means, go ahead. And I think you've earned the right to call me Karin."

Bacho smirked as she shook the hand of the former lord, which left the one-eyed general in shock as she tried to say something, but just ended up stammering.

"Call me Sui, then! Better remember it when I crush you next time, Karin!"

"I look forward to seeing you try, Sui," said Soso, and as Bacho headed to the stands, the former lord of Gi turned to Ensho. "So, now it's your turn to take a shot at me. I know you're dying to make me pay for what I've done, so don't hold back." Ensho's eye twitched as she waved her hand back and forth.

"N-No, I'm rather tired. Maybe another time?"

"Weird, I figured you would jump at the chance to humiliate me. Guess you're just scared," said Soso, which made Ensho clench her fists, and she suddenly exploded into anger.

"Yeah right, you skirt-chasing shrimp! My cards will crush you!" The former lord of En shuffled her cards and made her way to the arena, as Soso shuffled her own cards. "You're going down!"

'It looks like she's been trying to hold back her anger and sadness that she's been harboring for all of these years, and she can't keep it up anymore,' thought Soso. 'Give me all of it, Reiha. I know I deserve it.'

(Ensho: 4000 LP)(Soso: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared Ensho. "And I summon Luster Dragon!"

The sapphire coated dragon appeared on the field with a loud roar (LV 4: ATK 1900), and Ensho slipped two cards into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"Now I set two cards and end my turn!"

"Then I draw," declared Soso, as Ensho flipped up one of her cards.

"I play Thunder of Ruler, which keeps you from declaring your Battle Phase this turn!"

"Not a problem. I play my Fiend's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Fiend Token, then I tribute my token to set one monster!"

The token briefly appeared (LV 1: ATK 0), before it vanished, and a face-down monster appeared in its place.

"I end my turn with two cards face-down."

"Neither of which can be activated, midget! I use my Royal Decree, negating the effects of all other Trap Cards while this card is active!"

As the Continuous Trap flipped up, Ensho drew, and removed her Luster Dragon from her Monster Zone before placing another monster in its place.

"Now I Tribute Summon my Luster Dragon #2!"

Her sapphire dragon was replaced by the emerald dragon, which let out a roar as it shot a pillar of fire into the air (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Now burn down that monster with Emerald Flame Attack!"

Her monster spat out a huge green blaze, with the monster flipping up to reveal Reaper of the Cards (LV 5: DEF 1930).

"When my Reaper of the Cards is flipped, I can destroy one Trap Card! Call of the Graveyard!"

Despite being covered in emerald fire, the reaper still managed to slice apart Royal Decree with its scythe before it was destroyed. Ensho snarled as she looked over her cards, before she set another card and ended her turn, as Soso drew.

"I summon my Malice Doll of Demise!"

The wicked doll appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1600), and Soso activated one of her face-down cards.

"Now I play my Soul Demolition, and pay five hundred life points so that we both banish one monster in the other's Graveyard! And I select Luster Dragon!" (Soso: 4000-3500 LP)

"No you don't! I play my Imperial Iron Wall!"

The card had a picture of a castle in a village, with a king and two guards looking in the distance, where a large iron wall stood proud. That same iron wall appeared behind Ensho, who pointed at Soso with a look of rage.

"You think that you can just make me forget? Well, you can't! My Imperial Iron Wall prevents monsters from being banished! Now you can't use your Soul Demolition, or your Dark Necrofear! How does that make you feel, you bitch!?"

"Ensho is acting differently than I remember her," said Kakoen aloud. "For as long as I've known her, she's always had a bad relationship with Lord Karin, always belittling her, and the same goes for Karin. But she's never been this angry before."

"I've called her rather unflattering and explicit names many times, and she didn't get this pissed," said Anthony as he watched in horror. "Why did I think this would be a good idea?"

"Well, I might not be able to banish, but I can still attack! Malice Doll of Demise, attack! Cleaver Heaver!"

"Are you an absolute moron!? My monster will turn your doll to kindling!" shouted Ensho, as Luster Dragon #2 fired a blast of fire, only for the Fiend-type to let out a powerful roar as Soso lost life points (ATK 2400-1500)(Soso: 3500-2600 LP).

"When a Fiend-type of mine battles, I can play Bark of Dark Ruler, paying life points to reduce the attack points of its opponent by an equal amount until the battle is over. And I pay nine hundred to have my monster be stronger than yours!"

The roar repelled the flames as Malice Doll of Demise cut down the Dragon-type (Ensho: 4000-3900 LP).

"And I end my turn!"

Ensho growled as she drew, and slapped a monster onto the field. "I summon my Hunter Dragon!"

The bladed dragon flew onto the field, and let out a shrill cry (LV 3: ATK 1700).

"Attack with Hunter Harpoon!"

Her monster darted towards Malice Doll of Demise and tore through it (Soso: 2600-2500 LP).

"And I end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I summon Doomcaliber Knight to the field!"

As the Fiend-type appeared (LV 4: ATK 1900), Bacho grinned as she saw it appear.

"Destroy her Hunter Dragon, my knight!"

The knight snapped the reins of the horse and it galloped over to the Dragon-type, before it bisected the monster with its blade (Ensho: 3900-3700 LP).

"Now I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I hope you're ready to really feel the power of my deck! I play Mausoleum of the Emperor, a card that lets us both pay life points rather than have to tribute high-level monsters! And I pay two thousand life points to summon my Tri-Horned Dragon!"

As the pyre appeared, the flames towered as her offering was accepted (Ensho: 3700-1700 LP), and the massive wingless dragon emerged (LV 8: ATK 2850).

"Is that what her signature monster was before she got and subsequently lost Tyrant Dragon?" wondered Anthony aloud. "It's spooky how similar their main monsters look to each other."

"Tri-Horned Dragon, rip her pathetic monster apart with Crushing Claw!"

The Dragon-type rose its claw and brought it down on Doomcaliber Knight, tearing it to pieces (Soso: 2500-1550 LP).

"And now I end my turn, but I look forward to inflicting more pain later!"

"Reiha, calm down!" shouted Anthony. "You're taking things way too far!"

"No," said Soso as she drew. "I deserve this. True, even when she was young, Reiha was a self absorbed brat, but then again, so was I, and I just happened to cross a line. All of this rage that you're sending my way," said Soso as she drew, "it isn't enough! For suggesting that you weren't my true friend…I deserve far worse!"

Ensho felt tears run down her face, as Soso played a Continuous Spell. "Now I play my Mirage of Nightmare, which will let me draw until I have four cards in my hand during your Standby Phase, but during my own Standby Phase, I need to discard an equal amount of cards. Now I set one card and end my turn! Go on, let out that fury!"

Ensho looked down, as tears continued to fall. "I'm…I'm not mad at you, Karin. I'm just sad, sad that you thought our friendship was a lie. And I'm sad that I wasn't a good enough friend for you to think otherwise."

"Holy crap…" said Anthony, as Kakoen clutched her chest and Bacho sniffed loudly as her eyes became wet.

"But after spending so much time with Ishe and Toshi, and realizing how horrible I've been…I…I want to be friends again!"

"What? But…she was so angry at Karin!" shouted Kakoton.

"I'm confused…" said Bacho.

"She was faking it, trying to hide her sorrow," said Kakoen. "It makes sense now. She's a very proud person, and she doesn't want anybody to see her like this."

"Unless she absolutely needs to," said Anthony. "I've seen her this vulnerable before, when her best friends, Ishe and Toshi, got into a fight."

"Hey, I've forgiven her for worse," said Bacho. "I believe that Reiha wants to be friends with Karin again."

"If you really want to be friends with me again after all I've done," said Soso, "then you really have changed. But for now, let's finish this duel."

Ensho dried her eyes, and for the first time since the duel began, she allowed herself to smile. "Ohohohohohoho! With pleasure! I draw!" And as Ensho drew her next card, Soso drew three due to the effect of her own card. "Then I summon my Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"

As the ethereal dragon appeared (LV 4: ATK 1500), Ensho pointed at Soso. "Now my Tri-Horned Dragon will attack!"

"And that activates my Malevolent Catastrophe, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!" declared Soso, as her card destroyed Mausoleum of the Emperor, Soul Demolition, Imperial Iron Wall, and Mirage of Nightmare. And as the attack closed in on Soso, she discarded a card, and the attack was blocked by a small brown fur ball with yellow and purple eyes, as well as tiny green arms and legs (LV 1: ATK 300).

"And by discarding my Kuriboh, I take no battle damage from that attack," said Soso. "Not too shabby, hmm?"

"Well, my Ragnarok can still attack!" declared Ensho, as the LIGHT monster blasted the shorter blonde with lightning (Soso: 1550-50 LP), with Kakoton and Kakoen being on edge, now that Soso had a mere fifty life points. "And I set one card to end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and since my Mirage is gone, I don't discard! And now that I can banish again, I banish three Fiend-type monsters from my Graveyard to summon Dark Necrofear!"

Soso removed her Kuriboh, Malice Doll of Demise, and Reaper of the Cards from her Graveyard, and brought out one of her best monsters (LV 8: ATK 2200), only for her to be trapped in a Spellbinding Circle.

"Yes! Now your monster can't attack or change her battle position!"

"True, but I have a backup plan! I play Zera Ritual!"

Soon, her Dark Necrofear became enveloped in smog (8=8), and Zera the Mant came forth (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Now attack that Ragnarok! And during the Battle Step, I can Special Summon Juragedo from my hand, gaining one thousand life points in the process!"

Out came a very bizarre creature that was purple and orange in color, with a pair of horns, eyes on stalks sticking out on either side of its head, spiked shoulders, three claws on its hands, and rather than legs, a spherical base with a spike on the bottom like a stinger (LV 4: ATK 1700)(Soso: 50-1050 LP).

"Now I tribute Juragedo so that my Zera the Mant gains a thousand attack points until the end of next turn! It's game over, Reiha!"

The smaller Fiend-type turned into smoke that was absorbed by the bigger one (ATK 2800-3800), and it ripped through the Dragon-type (Ensho: 1700-0 LP)(Winner: Soso). As the holograms faded, the peanut gallery made their way to the arena, with the Kako twins hugging Soso in congratulations, and Anthony and Bacho checking up on Ensho. Soso made her way over to the servant when she was released from the grip of her lovers, and Ensho smiled.

"So, do you want to regain the privilege of being my friend?"

Soso smiled herself, and nodded. "I suppose, although I still can't help but feel that I'm being let off too easy."

"Then how about I give you the same punishment as Reiha?"

Everyone turned to face Anthony. "I'll make you a servant, Karin, probably the lowest position you can have, but I'll still call upon you if I need to, and you still get paid, and get to live in the palace. Plus you can repair your friendship with Reiha. Sound good?"

Soso smirked. "I'm sure I'll be able to manage."


	58. Wild Fire

One day after Soso had been given her new role of servant, Chohi hummed a merry tune as she went inside the palace, having just finished her patrol, and looking forward to lunch, the third most important meal of the day. She opened the door to the dining hall to see that she wasn't the only one, which made her happy. Chohi liked spending time with her friends. But as she looked around after getting her food, she was disappointed to see that Anthony was nowhere to be found, and she pouted.

Sure, she had a lot of fun with Ryofu, with the super strong general bringing a few of her dogs on patrol to help out, and of course she let the smaller redhead pet and cuddle the pooches. And although Kan'u took her role as general much more seriously than her sworn sister, the two of them still made small talk and tried to have fun. But she didn't really get to spend a lot of one on one time with her sworn big brother anymore. She still saw him and talked with him, of course, but with the growth of Kikai and more and more additions to his peerage, the amount of time that they spent together had unfortunately dwindled. It wasn't his fault, Chohi knew that, but she was still unhappy.

"Hey Rinrin, over here!"

Chohi brightened up when she saw Bacho sitting by herself and went to join her, with their table being adjacent to Soso, Kakoton, and Kakoen, who were having tea, with small cakes and cherries as snacks, with Kakoen slapping her sister's wrist as she made a grab for the cherries, which were the bluenette's favorite food. Chohi slapped her plate of dumplings onto the table and began to chow down, taking breaks between bites to talk to her friend. "How are you, Sui? You seem happy!"

"I'm doing great!" said Bacho. "Earlier today, I went out riding with Silver Flash. Have you ever gone horse riding before, Rinrin?"

"Rinrin has! It was so much fun! My mommy took me riding one day when I was small, and I learned how to ride alone from big sis!"

"Neat! I've always been close to horses, especially the ones on the farm I grew up on, so one day, my dad decided to show me how to ride one. Before I took up dueling, I spent most of my free time riding or taking care of them. Even the most wild ones, who would throw off a man twice my size, were no match for Bacho Moki!"

"And you still have time for them? Rinrin hopes they aren't lonely."

"Sure do, although I also like to hone my dueling skills, which have really paid off. Yesterday, I nearly took down Karin!" If Soso heard this, she didn't acknowledge it, as she simply took a sip of tea, not even looking at the adjacent table. Bacho shoveled several jiaozi into her mouth, and after swallowing, she snapped her fingers. "Not to mention I beat that Ki girl who beat you! But then again, I wasn't gonna let her off that easy after she beat my best friend!" she said, making Chohi smile, as Kakoen invited herself to their conversation.

"So you're the one who managed to defeat Ki? That's rather impressive."

"Hey, who's talking about me behind my back?"

Everyone turned to see Kyocho, holding a massive tray of dim sum, with her Duel Disk on her wrist like Chohi. She walked over to where her former lord was and set down the tray, before she reached into her pocket and pulled out three pairs of chopsticks, handing them out to Soso, Kakoton, and Kakoen, before she grabbed a dim sum in each hand and went to town.

"It took you long enough," said Soso as she grabbed one with her chopsticks, being more well-versed in etiquette than the young general. "I was worried that you had gotten lost. Another minute, and I would have sent Shunran to retrieve you."

"Sorry, Karin, I just took a quick stop before I got our food," Kyocho said between mouthfuls.

"What do you mean?" asked Kakoton, although her tone made it sound more like an interrogation.

"Lord Anthony! I wanted to check out those cool monsters of his!"

Chohi, who was bringing a dumpling to her mouth, suddenly froze. Bacho noticed something was up and tried to get her friend's attention, as Chohi turned to Kyocho and began to listen in as Kyocho went over what happened.

~KD~

 _As Kyocho stood before the door that led into her new lord's room, she knocked on the door three times, and began to balance herself on the balls of her feet as she waited for a response._

" _Come on in."_

 _She smiled at the invitation, as she opened the door to see Anthony filing some reports that she couldn't care less about. Better to leave the thinking to those smarter than her, after all. She noticed the lord tilt his head as he noticed her walk in. "Hey, you're Kyocho, right? What are you doing here?"_

" _Hey, you can call me Ki! And I just wanted to look at your cool cards really quick!"_

" _Um, sure! Just let me get them out real quick…"_

 _Anthony pulled out his cards and handed them to Kyocho to look at, as she was flipping through them with intrigue. She stopped when she saw one particular monster that he had used before, in his duel with Soso._

" _You know, I've never seen this monster before," she said, as Anthony looked over her shoulder to see that she was referring to UFO Turtle._

" _Yeah, nobody else has either, or any of my Machine-types."_

" _I'm surprised too! I use FIRE monsters, and with this one's ability, I figured that I would have at least heard of this one, but until I saw you duel…"_

 _Anthony turned to the pink-haired general. "You want my UFO Turtle, don't you?"_

" _Is it that obvious? I mean, it was so cool, and it would work so well with my deck!"_

 _Anthony sighed and shook his head, before he pulled out his extra cards and flipped through them, before he pulled out a card and gave it to her. "Here. I have three of them, so I can easily let you have one."_

 _Kyocho almost dropped the deck she was holding, her eyes wide. "Really? You'll just give me your card?"_

" _Why not? It wouldn't be the first time."_

 _Kyocho felt like crying in joy, as she set down his deck, pulled her own deck out of her Duel Disk, and took the card from him, before she added it to her own deck, and gave him a hug. "Thank you so much! You're the best!"_

" _Not a problem," said Anthony, as Kyocho left with a spring in her step, until she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to get lunch for her friends and rushed to the kitchen to grab something._

~KD~

"And to prove it, check this out!" said Kyocho as she finished her story, pulling UFO Turtle out of her deck and showing it to her friends, with them giving various degrees of approval. "The guy was really nice to me too. He's kinda like the older brother I never had!"

"He's Rinrin's big bro, not yours!"

Chohi smacked both palms onto the table, shaking its contents, as she got onto both feet and glared at Kyocho. "Don't steal big bro from me!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't steal him from anybody!"

"You're trying to take him away from me! But Rinrin won't let that happen! Big bro is Rinrin's big bro!"

"I wasn't aware that they were siblings," said Soso as she watched the scene unfold in amusement.

"They aren't. Rinrin considers Anthony to be her big brother, and Aisha to be her big sister," explained Bacho. "Obviously, Anthony and Aisha don't consider each other as siblings, since that would be weird, but they do treat Rinrin like a little sister back."

"How touching," said Kakoen, as Chohi shuffled her deck.

"Rinrin challenges you to a duel for big bro! Got it?"

"Not really, but if you want a rematch, I'll gladly give you one! Get ready to be burnt to a crisp!"

"They're going to duel here!?" asked Soso incredulously as Kyocho hopped off of her seat and shuffled her own deck. "Are they insane?"

"Hey, where they duel doesn't matter, as long as it's cool to watch!" said Bacho. "Kick her ass, Rinrin!"

"Don't you dare tarnish the reputation of Karin's generals by losing to this whelp!" screamed Kakoton as she bashed her fist on the table, getting caught up in the excitement. "Crush her, Ki!"

(Chohi: 4000 LP)(Kyocho: 4000 LP)

"Rinrin will go first!" shouted Chohi as she drew her sixth card. "And now, I play Poison Fangs, and as long as it's on the field, when Rinrin's Beast-types deal damage, you take five hundred points more!"

"Now who's stealing from who?" joked Kyocho. "I'm the master of burn damage here, so don't go trying to play with fire!"

"Rinrin will do plenty of damage with her Dark Zebra!"

Her monster materialized as a zebra with a single horn like a unicorn (LV 4: ATK 1800), as Chohi ended her turn with a face-down, prompting Kyocho to draw.

"Let's start things off right with some major damage! I play Meteor of Destruction, dealing a thousand points of direct damage!"

A meteor came careening towards Chohi and crashed into her (Chohi: 4000-3000 LP), but as the (holographic) dust settled, Chohi was completely unfazed. Kyocho then slapped a monster onto her field.

"Now I summon Flame Spirit Ignis!"

Her monster was some odd fox spirit, with a brown snout and orange fur on its face, with seven eyes, six small blue ones and one gold one in the center of its forehead, and long pointed ears. It had brown fur on its torso and upper arms, but orange fur on its forearms and hands, metal cuffs, and a long orange flamelike tail, with five fireballs surrounding it (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"But my monster just isn't strong enough on his own just yet, but I'm about to fix that! I equip him with Salamandra and Burning Spear!"

The fireballs congregated into a dragon of fire as a flaming spear appeared in the hand of the Pyro-type (ATK 1500-2600).

"Attack!"

Her monster did so, throwing the spear like a javelin as the flame dragon surrounded it, the combination tearing through Dark Zebra and destroying it (Chohi: 3000-2200 LP).

"And I end my turn with one card face-down!"

"Hah! This should end swiftly," said Kakoton. "Ki is in top form today."

"Don't count out Rinrin just yet!" said Bacho. "She still has a lot of fight in her!"

"Rinrin draws! Now she summons Gyaku-Gire Panda!"

The enraged panda appeared (LV 3: ATK 800), and when it saw Flame Spirit Ignis, it became even more angry (ATK 800-1300).

"And this monster gets stronger with each monster you control! And he'll be stronger when I play Wild Nature's Release, gaining attack points equal to his defense points!"

As her monster bulked up (ATK 1300-2900), Chohi pointed at the opposing monster. "Now attack! Kung Pow Paw!"

The Pyro-type was soon blasted away by a tremendous palm strike (Kyocho: 4000-3700 LP)(ATK 2900-2400), and as that happened, the effect of Poison Fangs kicked in, with the green-stained fangs closing around the pink-haired general (Kyocho: 3700-3200 LP).

"An impressive play, but due to the effect of her Spell Card, she's about to leave herself wide open," said Soso, only to be surprised as she was quickly proven wrong.

"Now Rinrin plays Beast Soul Swap, bringing my panda back to my hand and Special Summoning one of my Beasts with the same level from it! Like The All-Seeing White Tiger!"

Her panda returned to the hand, and out came a white tiger with a scar over its right eye (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"It seems that she's more resourceful than I first thought," said Soso, as Bacho grinned. Kyocho may have come out on top against her friend in the past, but now Chohi was in control.

"Now White Tiger, attack with White Claw!"

Her monster pounced towards Kyocho, only to be stopped in its tracks by a barrier of fire as Kyocho pulled her Flame Spirit Ignis out of her Graveyard.

"I activate my own Trap Card, Firewall! Now I can banish a Pyro-type from my Graveyard to negate your direct attack!"

"Well, that's all for Rinrin."

"Then it's my turn! And I pay five hundred life points to keep my Firewall burning hot! Now I set one monster and end my turn." (Kyocho: 3200-2700 LP)

"It seems pretty even so far," said Kakoen as Chohi puffed up her cheeks in anger at her opponent and drew her next card. "But perhaps your friend can change that."

"For big bro, Rinrin won't lose! And Gyaku-Gire Panda will help!"

Her panda returned, gaining power from the opposing monster's presence (LV 3: ATK 800-1300).

"And this monster deals piercing damage! Kung Pow Paw!"

The Beast-type struck the face-down monster, revealing a woman with brown hair that went down the left side of her head, a feather headdress, an aquamarine headband, red earrings, tattoos on her upper arms, and a blue dress (LV 4: DEF 1000)(Kyocho: 2700-2400 LP)(ATK 1300-800). Before she shattered, she managed to make three daggers appear as Kyocho drew three cards, and set them on fire before tossing them at Chohi (Chohi: 2200-1400 LP), and the Poison Fangs closed around Kyocho (Kyocho: 2400-1900 LP).

"What just happened?" asked Chohi, confused at why she lost life points as Kyocho slipped Kickfire, Solar Flare Dragon, and Molten Zombie into her pocket.

"It's the Flip Effect of my Lady Assailant of Flames, which has me banish the top three cards of my deck and deal eight hundred points of damage!"

"Well, okay, I'll have my monster attack directly!"

The tiger jumped at Kyocho, and again it was blocked by Firewall.

"Rinrin is done for now, but she will win! Big bro is my big bro!"

"Why don't we just focus on what's important? The duel! I draw! And I choose to destroy my Firewall rather than pay the cost!"

As her Continuous Trap shattered, she smiled a bit before she summoned her next monster.

"Now I summon my UFO Turtle!"

The monster appeared (LV 4: ATK 1400)(ATK 800-1300), and Chohi felt her rage boil, as suddenly, as if the planets had aligned, Anthony walked in.

"Hey girls, what's going…oh, it looks like Ki is using the card I gave her already! Against…Rinrin?"

"Big bro! She's trying to take you away from Rinrin, but I won't let her!"

"What the fuck did I just walk in on?" he said.

"Rinrin is mad because Ki talked to you earlier, and she said you were like the 'older brother she never had,'" answered Bacho, as Anthony let her words sink in.

"Oh…so…she's jealous?" Anthony turned his attention to the duel as he sat beside Bacho, worried about Chohi.

"UFO Turtle, attack that Gyaku-Gire Panda!"

The Machine-type tucked in its head and legs, with jets of fire shooting out of the holes as it spun around and slammed into the panda, destroying it (Chohi: 1400-1300 LP).

"And that should do it!"

"Grr…Rinrin draws! And I tribute The All-Seeing White Tiger to summon Berfomet!"

Her tiger was replaced by the four-armed Fiend-type (LV 5: ATK 1400), and Soso smirked. "I wasn't aware she used Fiend-type monsters in her deck."

"Just the one," said Bacho.

"It's so Rinrin can bring out her favorite monster," added Anthony.

"And when Berfomet is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, Rinrin can add Gazelle to her hand! And now, Rinrin plays Polymerization, fusing Gazelle and Berfomet into Chimera!"

Both monsters entered the swirling blue portal, and Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast emerged (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"Now destroy that turtle! Pulverizing Pounce!"

Her monster tore through the FIRE monster (Kyocho: 1900-1300 LP), and the Poison Fangs did their job (Kyocho: 1300-800 LP). But as soon as the Poison Fangs receded, a red portal appeared, and out walked Flame Ruler (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"You should probably know this, but when UFO Turtle is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can bring out a FIRE monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck! Like my good buddy Flame Ruler, for example!"

"Rinrin ends her turn!" screamed Chohi, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Okay, this is starting to get really ugly," said Anthony.

"Starting?" asked Kakoen.

"I draw! And I play Hinotama, dealing five hundred points of damage!"

The fireballs shot into the air and came back down onto Chohi, hitting the area around her (Chohi: 1300-800 LP).

"And since my Flame Ruler here can be used as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a FIRE monster, I tribute him to bring out my best monster to burn my opponents to ash! Infernal Flame Emperor!"

Her Flame Ruler became surrounded in flames that became a blazing pillar, which burst apart to unveil her signature monster (LV 9: ATK 2700).

"Now I use his effect to banish Flame Ruler from my Graveyard and blast Poison Fangs apart!"

Her monster tossed a fireball at the Continuous Spell, blasting it to pixels.

"Now take down her Chimera with Blaze of Destruction!"

Infernal Flame Emperor shot two blasts of fire from its hands and torched Chimera, destroying it (Chohi: 800-200 LP), and Berfomet appeared (LV 5: DEF 1800).

"What the heck? Where did he come from?"

"It's the effect of Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast," said Anthony. "When it's destroyed, she can Special Summon either Berfomet or Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from her Graveyard."

"Well, I end my turn!"

As Chohi put her hand on the top card of her deck, Anthony stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Go Rinrin! Show her your strength!" The redhead smiled, and with his support behind her, she knew that this duel was hers as she drew her card, and played it.

"Rinrin plays…Ayers Rock Sunrise!"

Her Spell Card had a picture of a view from atop Ayers Rock, with a beautiful sunrise in the distance, as something rose behind Chohi. It was a massive sandstone monolith, wide and relatively short with a bumpy and rounded trapezoidal shape from the front. This was Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, a famous Australian landmark. It then began to glow red as the sun rose from behind it, rays of light shining bright as they peeked from behind the stone.

"It's…beautiful…" said Kakoton.

"I've never seen such a lovely sunset," said Kakoen.

"Neither have I," said Anthony, as Kakoen and Bacho blushed. Even Chohi turned around, curious about what the fuss was about, and was completely starstruck, her eyes twinkling with astonishment.

"It's so pretty!" she said, before turning back to Kyocho. "And it's gonna beat you! Now Rinrin can Special Summon one Beast-type from her Graveyard, and if I do, all your monsters lose two hundred attack points for each Beast, Plant, and Winged Beast-type in my Graveyard!"

"Wait, so if she brings one out, then how many…" began Bacho, counting on her fingers.

"Four, and eight hundred attack points," said Kakoen.

"Which means that if she revives what I think she will revive, she'll have the most powerful monster in play, in addition to Berfomet," said Soso.

A mixture between a roar, a bleat, and a hiss could be heard from atop the monolith, and down flew Chimera (LV 6: ATK 2100), as Dark Zebra, Gyaku-Gire Panda, The All-Seeing White Tiger, and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts all began to weigh down the Pyro-type (ATK 2700-1900), as Kyocho smiled nervously.

"I'm doomed, aren't I?"

"Now Rinrin switches her Berfomet into attack mode, and had Chimera attack with Pulverizing Pounce!"

Her Fiend-type rose to its full height, flexing its fingers (ATK 1400), and the Fusion Monster pounced, tearing apart Infernal Flame Emperor (Kyocho: 800-600 LP).

"Berfomet, finish this!"

Her monster flew towards Kyocho and let loose a series of punches, as Kyocho was sent backwards (Kyocho: 600-0 LP)(Winner: Chohi), and both Bacho and Anthony began to cheer as the holograms faded away, with Chohi running over to Anthony and giving him a hug, face buried in his chest as he returned the hug.

"You did great, Rinrin. You really blew that duel out of the water." And speaking of water, he felt his jacket become wet as he heard soft sobbing muffled by his jacket, and he pushed Chohi away, hands on her shoulders. "Rinrin, why are you crying? You won, didn't you?"

Chohi sniffed as she brought her hands to her eyes and began to rub away the cascades of tears spilling down her face. "Big *sniff* bro! You…you don't like me anymore! *sniff* *hiccup*"

"What are you talking about? Of course I do!"

"But you gave her a card!" she said, pointing Kyocho. "And you gave big sis a card, and Shuri two cards, but you never gave Rinrin anything! And you never have time to play either! Uwaaaaaah!"

"Rinrin, look at me," said Anthony, as he tilted her head back so that she looking directly at him. "I'm sorry that I haven't been able to spend as much time with you as we would both like, but that doesn't mean I don't like you. By blood or not, you're my little sister, and family should be there for each other. And as for the card thing, I just haven't received or currently own any cards that would work with your deck. But I can make it up to you, as soon as you apologize to Ki for your accusations, okay?" He wiped a stray tear off of her left eye, and Chohi nodded, her lips quivering. He let go, and she waddled over to Kyocho, seemingly finding the ground quite fascinating.

"Rinrin's sorry…can we be friends?"

"Sure thing!" said Kyocho. "It's not a big deal." She then gave her fellow general a high-five, and Chohi ran back over to Anthony.

"Rinrin said sorry! Now what?"

Anthony turned to Bacho. "Hey Sui, if you see Aisha or anyone else, tell her I took Rinrin into town to go card shopping with me, okay?"

"Big bro's gonna take me card shopping!" cheered Chohi as she followed the lord of Kikai out of the dining hall in a carefree skip, elated to spend some time with her big brother.

~KD~

Come morning the next day, Kan'u was sitting in front of her mirror with her hair down, brushing it as she struggled to get out the stubborn knots. She smiled fondly as she remembered the afternoon before, when Chohi came bursting through the front door with a spring in her step. She had originally been peeved that Anthony and Chohi had gone card shopping rather than performing their normal duties, but Chohi's smile and eagerness to show off her new cards made her forget her anger. She was happy to look at the new cards they had collected, and she was eager to see them in action. As she reminisced the previous day, she finished brushing her hair and did her ponytail. As she slipped into her shoes, she heard a knock at the door, and she opened it to reveal Choryo, who was looking more nervous than she usually did.

"Hello, Shia. What brings you here? And why do you seem so stressed?"

Choryo sighed as she walked into the black-haired general's room, Kan'u closing the door behind her, as she took a deep breath and turned to look at Anthony's first general. "Aisha…I need to talk to you."

* * *

 **And now things are really starting to get going! Besides the harem situation, this chapter was mostly to give Rinrin some much-needed focus, seeing as she is a main character, who's been around since chapter two, and hasn't gotten as much screen time (does "screen time" work for written works?) as she deserves. It's not easy with such a large cast, but I'm trying, dammit. Starpion out!**


	59. Troubled Waters

"Of course. What do you want to talk to me about?" asked Kan'u as she sat on her bed and patted the empty space on her right, motioning for Choryo to sit next to her. Choryo wandered over and sat down, staring at her feet. This wasn't going to be easy. She was sitting right next to her hero, her inspiration, and rather than overwhelmed with either joy or anxiety, she was scared. Scared of how Kan'u would react to what she had to say. After all, it had only been four days since Anthony and Kan'u had…affirmed their love for one another, and here she was asking if she could share him with her! What if she freaked out!? What if her idol hated her!? Choryo felt like she might be sick, but she gathered up all her courage, and decided to lean into it a bit. "It's…about Lord Anthony."

"What about him? Is something wrong?"

"No, no! Nothing is wrong with him!"

"Okay, so why did you want to see me about him?"

Choryo sighed. "I…I like the guy. Like, a lot. Like…you like him. I love him, is what I'm trying to say."

Kan'u's immediate response was to massage her temples, which made Choryo's stomach twist. "I'm aware. I've known since the day you and the twins invaded."

"Yeah, I guess it was a little obvious I liked him, right?" Kan'u then turned back to Choryo, and the purple-haired general finally looked her in the eye.

"So what, you're afraid of him knowing and you're worried if he'll feel threatened?"

"No, he knows. I kinda let it slip out when I was calling him out on his bullshit when we first dueled. And afterwards, I kinda…kissed him?" she said, hands on her head as Kan'u backed away from her number one fangirl.

"What!? You two kissed, and nobody told me!?"

"No, I kissed him! He didn't kiss back. He actually flipped the fuck out and started worrying about what would happen if you found out." This seemed to calm Kan'u down, as she relaxed her posture.

"So, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Well, I don't want to get in the way of your or his happiness. But…dammit! I wanna be with him!"

"So what do you need me to do? As your friend, Shia, I'm happy to help you out."

"I have an idea." This was it. The big moment. Choryo took another deep breath, steeling herself. "What if we... shared him?"

"Excuse you?"

"Well, we would both be dating him, and he would be dating the both of us! Everyone wins, right?"

Kan'u just blinked at this suggestion. "What!?"

"Look, I already suggested it to Anthony, but he shot it down. But that's why I'm asking you! If anybody can convince him, it's you! Please? I'd rather share him than be forced to fight over him with you!"

Kan'u didn't answer for quite a while, thinking her words over. On the one hand, she liked how things were now, with just the two of them. But to want him all to herself, when there were so many others who also had feelings for him…it felt selfish. And Kan'u Uncho was not selfish. She took a deep breath, then turned to Choryo. "You aren't the only one who also has feelings for our lord. Perhaps we should extend this discussion for those who also share our feelings for him, and see if the others are as on board with this idea."

Choryo grinned. "Hell yeah! But we're gonna need a way to keep Anthony preoccupied while we round up everyone and talk this out." The both of them then heard grumbling coming from outside Kan'u's room, and Kan'u got up from the bed and walked over to open it, revealing Jun'iku, stomping down the hall with her Duel Disk in tow.

"Keifa? What are you so upset about?"

"Miss Hawawa and the Boob Monster are forcing me to spend time with them in the library. Honestly, do I look like I have any interest in going there?"

"Then why are you going?" asked Choryo as she propped her elbow against the doorframe.

"Because if I don't, they'll just barrage me with questions about why I didn't come, and I'd rather just get my misery over and done with than have to deal with it later. Why do you two care?"

"And here I thought you liked being in pain," joked Choryo.

"Oh, go jump off a cliff."

"Keifa, wait!" said Kan'u, as Jun'iku began to walk away. "If you see Anthony at any point, could you keep him busy for us? We need to do something important."

"Oh, cheating on your boyfriend with a lady, hmm? How naughty. And I thought you said that you didn't like girls when you declined Lord Karin's offer, Shia. What, are you too good for her?"

"No, we just need to gather some people and have a meeting, and we don't want him to know what we're up to until we're finished! Please, just do this, for us?" said Kan'u. "And besides, as a founding member of Kikai, I believe that I outrank you, and shouldn't you follow a superior's orders?" Jun'iku groaned, muttered a "Fine," and stormed off, as Choryo turned back over to Kan'u.

"So, just how many girls are we talking here? Besides the two of us, there's four, right? Shuran and…Shion?"

"Try eight."

"Wow. Just…fuck. Well, let's get goin'!"

~KD~

"So, you're telling me you've never read The Third Crusade?"

"S-Sorry, Non, but I haven't."

"I'm surprised, Shuri! It's a great fantasy story about a group of teenagers with magical powers trying to survive a time when magic is feared! And you know I love fantasy! But I'm also into nonfiction books, if the topic catches my eye! Gaining knowledge is wonderful!"

"Oh yes, I remember you saying that you've read The Art of War six times."

Shokatsuryo and Rikuson were having a blast, talking about what they loved most: books. Rikuson had gotten the book she was reading, The Third Crusade, from the wide selection of books, as well as three other books: The Thief and the Butcher, Howling at the Moon, and Violet's Garden. Shokatsuryo, on the other hand, only had two: The Sais of Passion, and Slave to the Sword. Jun'iku had no books, and wasn't participating in the conversation or even listening, just flipping through her cards. Sure, she loved reading as well, but these two were just so obnoxious about it! Not to mention having to distract her new (inferior) lord, for who knows why. She let out a sigh, which made the others turn towards her.

"Hey, Jun'iku, what do you like to read?" asked Rikuson.

"Your obituaries," muttered Jun'iku without missing a beat, making her fellow strategists uncomfortable.

"Hawawa…Keifa, we invited you because we thought you would like this. C-Can you at least try?" asked Shokatsuryo.

"I would prefer not to," said Jun'iku, as Shokatsuryo shrunk back. She was really hoping that the former Gi strategist would have lightened up, but she was just as rude as always.

"Hey girls, everything alright in there?"

Shokatsuryo couldn't be more relieved to hear a friendly voice as Anthony strolled in with a friendly smile on his face as she politely waved, with Rikuson waving much faster, and Jun'iku continuing to flip through her cards without so much as an acknowledgement. Anthony walked over to their little table and stood beside it with his arms folded. "How are you girls? Shuri, Non, you having fun?"

"The best, Lord Anthony!" said Rikuson, as Shokatsuryo nodded.

"F-F-Fine. Non and I are having a lot of fun. Keifa, though, hawawa…"

Anthony rose an eyebrow at this as he turned over to Jun'iku, whose mind was going into overdrive. 'Okay, Lord Anthony is here, now what? How can I distract this man, and for how long?'

"What's wrong, Keifa? I figured that you would have a little bit of fun." Jun'iku immediately stiffened at this and glared at the King of Games.

"I never gave you permission to use my secret name, you clod. Take it back."

'So this is what Peridot would look like as a human,' thought Anthony. "Maybe not from you, but Karin gave me permission. Is that fine?"

"Not really." Anthony scratched the back of his head nervously.

"So, are you having fun?"

"What does it look like to you?" At these words, Shokatsuryo let out a "hawawa" and put her head in her knees, while Rikuson looked upset as she went back to reading. Anthony just sighed.

"Okay, just being nice. Nice seeing you, Shuri, Non. I should head back."

Jun'iku began to panic. 'No, no, no! He can't leave yet! I need to get him to stay!' She then had an idea, and she grinned wickedly. She knew how to make him stay, and maybe get in some payback. As Anthony was putting his hand on the door, Jun'iku scooted out of her chair and walked in front of the table before pointing at him.

"Hold on! I have a score to settle with you, you cretin! You've humiliated my lovely Karin twice now, and I don't intend to forgive that so easily!"

Anthony spun on his heel with a determined grin. "Let me guess, you wanna duel? Okay, then let's head to the arena right now and duke it out!"

"No!" said Jun'iku a little too quickly, and she panicked again as she tried to cover her tracks. "I mean, why wait? I'd rather humiliate you here and now!"

"Hawawa! You c-c-c-can't! N-Not here! Not in the library!"

"Why not?" asked Jun'iku. "Your precious books will live. Anyway, on to my wager. If you lose, then you'll have to grovel before me for forgiveness, and admit that Karin is better than you'll ever be!"

"Gasp!" said Anthony out loud. "Looks like you're pulling out the big guns, huh? Alright, I'll play. But if I win, then you have to let me call you by your secret name, and you have to be nice to these two for the rest of this little get-together." He pointed behind her to Shokatsuryo and Rikuson, and Jun'iku sighed.

"I accept. Now let's duel!" she said as she shuffled her deck, while Anthony did the same.

"Let's have some fun!"

"This should be awesome!" said Rikuson as she marked her page and set her book aside.

"I hope so," said Shokatsuryo, curious as to how this duel should play out.

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)

"So who's first?" asked Anthony.

"Go ahead," said Jun'iku. "It won't matter."

"Okay, I draw! And I set one monster, and three other cards. That should do."

"Then I draw! And I summon Ocean's Keeper!"

Her monster looked like a large three-eyed goldfish with orange and white scales and purple fins, with its pectoral fins having two thin orange appendages like like tentacles, which were holding a trident (LV 3: ATK 1500).

"Anthony had better be careful," said Shokatsuryo. "That monster can inflict piercing damage."

"I don't intend to attack with this monster," said Jun'iku. "I'm going to tribute it, to summon my Cranium Fish!"

The goldfish-like monster was surrounded by a waterspout, which then dispersed to reveal a new monster, which looked like a massive orange and white goldfish with purple fins, as well as a huge yellow brain that was visible for all to see, and a few blue remora swimming nearby (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Incredible," said Shokatsuryo, as Rikuson nodded while adjusting her glasses.

"Now I use the effect of my monster to discard a WATER monster, like my Red Archery Girl, to destroy a face-down card! Like your defending monster!"

As she sent her card to the Graveyard, the Fish-type sent out a series of waves from its brain, and the remoras suddenly stopped moving, then all focused on Anthony's only monster, before they shot towards it like living torpedoes. However, Anthony managed to play one of his face-down cards in the nick of time, as his Guard Mines appeared and intercepted the fish, with the bombs floating over to Cranium Fish and blowing it to pixels, and one exploding right in Jun'iku's face (Jun'iku: 4000-3500 LP), which made Rikuson try to hide her laughter.

"You should've gone for one of my other cards, because then my Guard Mines wouldn't have negated the effect and destroyed your monster, not to mention dealing damage!"

Jun'iku growled as she activated a Normal Spell that had Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness fishing Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 out of the ocean with its crane, as Jun'iku reached into her Graveyard. "I use my Salvage to add two WATER monsters with 1500 or less attack points back to my hand. Then I set one card and end my turn!"

"Okay, I draw! And I summon Reflect Bounder!"

His mirror covered monster appeared (LV 4: ATK 1700), but as soon as it did, Jun'iku smirked as she played her face-down.

"Now you've fallen into my trap! I activate Torrential Tribute, destroying all monsters on the field!"

Her card flipped up and shot a barrage of water at both monsters, only for Anthony to activate another Trap Card.

"I play my Virus Cannon, tributing my Reflect Bounder and my face-down Blast Sphere to have you send two Spell Cards from your deck to the Graveyard!" The monsters were absorbed into the mobile blaster as it shot the deck of the strategist, and she looked through it, sending her Power of Kaishin and Steel Shell to the Graveyard before she reshuffled and replaced it.

"And that's all that I can do at the moment."

"Uh oh, now he's wide open!"

"Perfect. I draw! And I'd like to bring back a familiar face, Ocean's Keeper!"

Her fish was summoned again, floating before its master (LV 3: ATK 1500).

"And now, I play Aqua Jet, to boost its attack points by a thousand!"

Her monster was connected to the jet, gaining a huge boost in power as a result (ATK 1500-2500).

"Now attack directly!"

Her monster was jetted forward as it struck Anthony in the chest with its trident before returning to where it once was (Anthony: 4000-1500 LP).

"And I end my turn, with the increase being permanent!"

"Hawawa…that isn't good," said Shokatsuryo as her lord drew. "How can Lord Anthony counter that?"

"Like this, Shuri! I equip Ocean's Keeper with Flint, which will decrease your monster's attack points by three hundred, not to mention it can't attack or change its battle position!" The tentacled orb soon wrapped itself around the Fish-type (ATK 2500-2200), as Anthony played another monster. "Now I summon Flint Lock!"

"What is a Flint Lock?" asked Rikuson, as she quickly got her answer. Out came a spaceship that was mostly silver in color, with a cockpit similar in shape to a bird's head, with a metallic blue glass making up the cover. It had three wings in segments, with one on top pointing forward, and two below on the sides pointing backwards, as well as several smaller tail fins, including one red one, and in the back, a single rocket thruster (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"But wait, there's more! I play my face-down Flint Missile, to destroy a monster equipped with Flint! And then my Flint Missile goes back to my deck, and Flint is equipped to another monster! Like my Flint Lock!"

As Flint exploded, taking Jun'iku's monster with it, Jun'iku just scoffed. "And why would you equip that card to your own monster?"

"I don't know, why would I?"

The pieces of Flint came back together as the orb zoomed towards Flint Lock, and to the shock of the three girls, it went into its back, clicking into place as the tentacles locked into the wings.

"As you can see, Flint Lock is immune to the effect of Flint when it's equipped! Now attack directly!"

His monster fired three blue lasers, one from each wing, that focused in on Jun'iku and knocked her backwards, her hood falling back (Jun'iku: 3500-2000 LP). She then got back to her feet, keeping her hood down as she growled, although she couldn't lie, it felt kind of good.

"Wow, what a combo!" said Rikuson. "Those cards work amazingly well with each other!"

"That should end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I think it's time to show you what I'm really capable of! I summon Red Archery Girl!"

The clam appeared before opening to reveal the mermaid archer inside (LV 4: ATK 1400), but then Jun'iku played another card as her monster was swept away by a tidal wave, with Flint Lock flying out of harm's reach.

"Now I use my Big Wave Small Wave to destroy her and Special Summon my strongest monster from my hand!"

"What, Crab Turtle? But that's a Ritual Monster."

"No, even stronger than Crab Turtle! A beast that commands the tides and stirs the seas, with a great flood washing over my foes! Rise from the deep, Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

Her huge Sea Serpent rose from the wave, roaring as it towered over the duelists (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Now attack and destroy that monster with Levia Stream!"

Daedalus spat out a torrent of water that completely enveloped Flint Lock (Anthony: 1500-400 LP), but as Jun'iku smirked, she was surprised to see that the Machine-type was still intact.

"What the heck? How is that piece of trash still around? My Daedalus should have demolished it!"

"When equipped with Flint, Flint Lock can't be destroyed in battle!"

"Whatever. I end my turn."

"Come on, Anthony," said Shokatsuryo. "Take her down."

"I draw! And I play my Card Destruction, which will let me discard my Fiendish Engine Omega and draw a new card! And since your hand is empty, you don't have to do anything. Then I activate the effect of Flint Lock, unequipping Flint from it and equipping it to your Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

The Equip Spell was launched at the Sea Serpent-type, managing to bind its jaw shut (ATK 2600-2300).

"Then I'll tribute Flint Lock to summon Jinzo!"

As the space fighter disappeared to make room for the horrific cyborg (LV 6: ATK 2400), Jun'iku cringed. "And here I thought that you were hideous. What in the world is that thing?"

"Jinzo, one of my best Machines. And he's about to take down your best monster with Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo built up a ball of black electricity and shot it forwards, the blast striking Daedalus in the chest and blasting it apart (Jun'iku: 2000-1900 LP), as the Flint wrapped itself around Jinzo (ATK 2400-2100).

"And that ends my turn."

"This is crazy!" said Shokatsuryo as she gripped her head in her hands. "Now Anthony has the only monster on the field, but it's been equipped with Flint!"

"It all comes down to what Jun'iku draws," said Rikuson, biting her nails in anticipation.

"I draw! And I set one card and end my turn!" Inwardly, Jun'iku smirked. Her set card was Drowning Mirror Force, so if he attacked directly, all of his monsters in attack mode would be flushed back into his deck, and that would get rid of that pesky Flint! It was foolproof! Or so she thought.

"I draw! And I play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy my Flint!"

"Perfect! Now his Jinzo can attack again! Lord Anthony's won this duel!" said Rikuson as the whirlwind shattered the Equip Spell (ATK 2100-2400).

"I sure can!" said Anthony as he flipped down his sunglasses. "Attack directly, Jinzo!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself now!" bragged Jun'iku. "I play my Drowning Mirror-"

But before she could play her card, Jinzo shot a red beam from his eyes that froze the card in place.

"Sorry, but Jinzo's ability, Trap Search, negates the effects of any and all Trap Cards, and prevents them from being activated. So in other words, this duel is over!"

"Wh-What!?"

"Get ready to face the future, Keifa! Jinzo, Psychic Wave!"

His monster held out his hands, palms out, as pink waves of energy came out and hit the strategist head-on, as she fell backwards, groaning in humiliation (Jun'iku: 1900-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony), as Anthony hopped into the air with his fist pumped.

"Woo-hoo! That duel was awesome! Great job, Keifa!"

"You were amazing out there," said Shokatsuryo with a sweet smile on her face as Rikuson helped Jun'iku to her feet, with the brunette pulling her hood back over her head as she pulled her arm out of the grip of the green-haired girl's grasp.

"So, Keifa, do you think that you could be a little nicer to these two? Who knows, you might make some friends."

Jun'iku muttered something unintelligible, but it didn't sound like a no, and as she walked over to the table and sat down, she said, "I like romance novels myself."

"Oh, well, so do I," said Shokatsuryo, not expecting her to answer Rikuson's earlier question earnestly. "I actually have a few here, if you'd like to look at them." Jun'iku took the top book of the stack and read the synopsis on the back, gave a hum of intrigue, and gave it back to the fellow strategist.

"I may have to check this out later."

"Hey, I have some cool books too!" said Rikuson, as Anthony smiled, only to feel a tap on his shoulder, and spun around to find Kan'u.

"Hello, Anthony. I've been looking for you. Would you care to come with me for a moment? I'd like to ask you something."

"Huh? Oh, sure. Uh, bye girls!" he said, waving to the strategists, as Kan'u gave a wink to Jun'iku which the other two didn't notice. She then began to lead him to the meeting room in the palace, while she thought about the previous assembly she had held there.

~KD~

 _Kan'u looked around as she sat at the table in the meeting room, with both her and Choryo managing to gather Choun, Bacho, Kannei, Kakoen, Ryofu, and Kochu. After gathering everyone's attention, she cleared her throat and began the emergency meeting. "I'm sure that you're all wondering why you've been gathered here."_

" _Kinda, yeah," said Bacho. "What's up, Aisha?"_

" _Well, it's come to my attention that everyone in this room, to some degree, shares romantic feelings for one man. That man being the lord of Kikai. Am I wrong? And please, be honest." Once this was said, everyone except Choryo then began to give various forms of confirmation._

" _I have no shame in admitting my feelings for him," said Choun. "After all, he definitely has his good qualities." Ryofu nodded at this, her face glowing a bright red._

" _Like his kindness and his selflessness, not unlike you, Aisha," added Kochu._

" _Both are becoming increasingly rare in recent times," said Kannei, "so I'm happy to know that he's an exception. That, and there's the fact that he's brought a smile back to the face of Lord Renfa."_

" _And he helped save Karin out of the kindness of his heart alone," said Kakoen. "I won't ever forget that."_

" _Y-Yeah, you know, Aisha," said Bacho, flinching as she remembered her reaction. "But that still doesn't answer my question."_

" _Earlier today, Shia here came to my room and told me in private. And she had a request for me. She wanted to…share Lord Anthony, between the two of us." Everyone then turned towards the girl in question, until Kan'u continued. "I was shocked at first. After all, to ask somebody if they can share your boyfriend isn't exactly a normal request."_

" _It really isn't," said Kannei bluntly._

" _Yeah," said Ryofu._

" _But this brought something to my attention. If I were to keep him all to myself, as things are right now, then it wouldn't be fair to the rest of you, would it? To deny you potential happiness, it isn't honorable. Which is why I'd like to make a proposition to you all. Whether you say yes or no is completely up to you."_

" _I have a feeling that I already know what this proposal is," said Kochu._

" _Pretty sure you're right," said Choryo._

" _I propose that the eight of us share Anthony, to avoid having to fight over him."_

" _What!?" shouted Bacho, nearly falling out of her chair. "What, you want all eight of us to date him? Is that even allowed?"_

" _Need I remind you that I am one of three women who are in a relationship with Karin," said Kakoen, as Bacho then remembered Soso telling Anthony that lords were, in fact, allowed to form harems._

" _Even if it is legal," said Kochu, putting her hand on her chin, "I've suggested the idea to him before, and he almost immediately shut it down, saying that it's a horrible idea in execution."_

" _Then the eight of us will just have to convince him otherwise," said Choun, a sultry smirk on her lips._

" _Exactly what I was thinking, Sei," said Kan'u. "If we're able to show him that we're all comfortable with the arrangement, then perhaps he'll be more comfortable as well. But first, I need to know if all of you are comfortable with this yourselves. Please state your standings, and you shouldn't feel pressured into saying yes. You already know mine."_

" _Same here," said Choryo. "I've got no prob sharing him with my friends. Better than having to fight over him."_

" _I have no problems with the concept of multiple partners," said Kakoen._

" _I suppose that this will do…" said Kannei._

" _It's fine…" said Ryofu._

" _Hey, I'm not gonna turn this down!" said Bacho. "It's not what I pictured, but a second chance is a second chance!"_

" _I must say, I'm curious," said Choun._

" _I would be happy to share him with you all," said Kochu._

" _Then it's decided," said Kan'u. "Now all that's left to get the guest of honor. Stay here while I go get him, girls, I have a feeling I know exactly where he is."_

~KD~

'Keifa played her part well, and everyone is on board. Now all that's left is to break the news to Anthony and get him to say yes.'

"Hey, I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

"No, Anthony, nothing of the sort, or at least, I hope not." She paused. "Did you?"

"Not that I know of. So what's going on? Why all the secrecy?"

"It's…a surprise."

Anthony gave a nervous smile. "Okay, lead the way."

And she did, as she stood before the meeting room door. She then grabbed hold of it, and slowly opened it, and as she went inside, Anthony was surprised to see that it was already occupied, while Kan'u went to sit on the far end of the table. He looked over the group, seeing the group of girls looking over him, and he couldn't shake the feeling of dread.

"Hey girls. What's up?" 'And why do I have this fear and worry inside me?'

"Girls," said Kan'u, "whenever you're ready."

"If you insist," said Choun, as she looked at Anthony with half-lidded eyes, her smile lustful. "Anthony, I love you." The lord's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything, as the other girls pitched in.

"I-I like you too!" said Bacho. "A lot, in fact."

"As do I," said Kannei, the faintest hint of a smile on her face.

"You're already aware of the feelings that I hold for you," said Kakoen.

"Same here!" said Choryo.

"Love you," said Ryofu, putting her hands in the shape of a heart.

"I've also fallen for you," said Kochu, and Anthony just absorbed all of this information, and everything clicked, like the pieces of a puzzle all perfectly coming together.

'No…'

"And as a result…" began Kan'u.

'Oh no…'

"Instead of being forced to compete for your love…"

'No, no no no, no no no no no…'

"We've made a decision…"

'NONONONONONONONONONONONO-'

"To share you, among the eight of us, equally. All of us are willing to share you, but we still need your answer. So what do you say?" asked Kan'u, folding her hands together as everyone waited with bated breath for his response. And they got one. In the form of the object of their affections falling backwards.

'Anthony_ has stopped working. Checking for a solution…' And it all went dark as his back hit the floor.

~KD~

"Girls, I think he's waking up!"

'Huh? Aisha?'

"Oh man, I can't believe that he fainted! We really screwed up!"

'Sui?'

"Don't worry, Sui, it wasn't your fault, it was just too much for him to take in at once. When he's up and about, we'll try to keep him calm."

'Sei? What's going on?' Anthony managed to open his eyes, and he saw Kan'u upside down, looking right at him.

"Anthony, you're awake! When you fainted, we all panicked, so we placed you onto the table and-"

"What do you mean, 'we?' I just remember you taking me into the room, and then I had this horrible nightmare that I was in a harem, and-"

"Anthony, that wasn't a dream," said Kochu, as Anthony then sat up and checked his surroundings, and every consecutive face that he saw made his eyes shrink in fear. It wasn't just a bad dream. This was actually happening.

"Oh, no. No way, not a fourth time!" screamed the King of Games as he slid off of the table and turned to the eight of them. "I have already made it perfectly clear that I will not be forming a harem, not in this or any other lifetime! I don't know how you managed to rope Aisha into this, but I have half a mind to-"

"They didn't rope me into anything!" said Kan'u, holding back her boyfriend as he began to march towards the group. "Look, this was my idea, at least partially."

The Messenger of Heaven blinked as he heard this revelation. "Wait, what now?" Kan'u groaned, and she began to explain everything.

"Earlier today, Shia came to me and told me that she had feelings for you too, and that she wanted to share you with me, just the two of us. And that made me realize that monopolizing you isn't fair to the rest of these girls. They all love you just as much as I do, maybe even more. And as much as I want you all to myself, I don't have it in me to enjoy my happiness at the expense of theirs. That's why I brought them all together, and explained my intentions of having everyone who's willing share you. Please, do it for them, if nothing else."

"But-but-but…it's not right! I mean, if I'm dating all of you, what if you girls get jealous or possessive? I don't want to cause any animosity between you girls!"

"Then you, and all of us, will have to work together to avoid that, and I'm sure that some outside help would be fine," said Kakoen.

"Well, what if I can't make the time to everyone, and I end up leaving some of you feeling left out? I don't want to make any of you feel unwanted."

"That is a valid point," admitted Kochu, "but what if there was a way to test that?"

"Like what?" asked Anthony, having a bad feeling, with the other girls leaning in.

"Simple. Take each of us on a date, one at a time. One a day, perhaps?"

"Make it four a day," said Kannei. "In three days, Shaoren, Non and I will be en route to Go."

"That might work even better," said Choun, "as it will test to see if he can make time for all of us despite a busy schedule."

"But…but…" Anthony clenched his fists, then he pulled out a chair and sat down, looking down at the table, the rim of his hat hiding his eyes as he sighed in resignation. "Fine. But I'm picking the order!"

"That's fair," said Kan'u. "So what do you have in mind?"

"I betcha he wants to go with Aisha first," Choryo told Ryofu, the redhead nodding.

"You're not wrong. If only so that there's some familiarity." An idea then sprung into his head. "How about alphabetically, with secret names? So, on the first day, it'll be Aisha, Ren, Sei, and Shia, and on the second, Shion, Shishun, Shuran, and Sui," he said, pointing to each girl as he said their name. "Is that fine?"

"Of course," said Kan'u with a grin as she folded her arms.

"Mmhm," nodded Ryofu, a rare smile on her face.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Choun with a sly smile.

"It's cool with me," said Choryo as she folded her arms behind her head and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm fine with whatever order suits you," said Kochu with a soft smile.

"It's fine," said Kannei in her usual tone.

"Sounds lovely," said Kakoen, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Kinda sucks that I'm last, but that just means that I'll have to make our date the best one of all!" said Bacho as she pounded her fist into her palm.

"Okay then, now to plan eight dates," said Anthony.

"Just let us take care of that," said Kan'u as she got out of her chair. "The eight of us can plan out the dates and share our ideas at the end of the day. Sound good, girls?" She got various sounds of agreement, as the girls then said goodbye and told Anthony that they were looking forward to their dates, but Kan'u ended up staying behind with Anthony as the others left, sitting down next to him as she put her arm over his shoulders.

"This is either the worst thing to happen to me or the best. There's no gray area."

"Anthony, you have come out victorious against many an adversary, including both Karin and Lord Renfa, twice each. Compared to that, how can this possibly be that bad?"

Anthony sighed. "There's one other reason why I don't want a harem. Aisha, you know I love you, right?"

"Of course," she said, putting her hand close to her heart. "Just as I love you. I still remember the day that we confessed with immense fondness, as well as the night we shared our first kiss."

"But what if I can't do the same with them!?" said Anthony. "They said it themselves, they love me, and I really do care for them, but what if I can't return those same feelings that they have? They'll be crushed, I just know it! This is why I just want to be with one girl at a time!"

Kan'u then physically turned Anthony in his chair, hands on his shoulders as she looked directly at him. "I want you to listen, Anthony."

"Listening."

"You are one of the kindest people that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. And I know that you would literally put your soul on the line for those that you care about. I'm positive that you can have it in your heart to love all eight of us equally."

"But what if I can't, Aisha?"

"Stop that. Stop saying that you can't, and just try, for our sake."

Anthony sighed, and he managed to crack a smile. "I will. Thank you, Aisha."

Kan'u returned his smile. "Don't forget, I'm always happy to help somebody in need." She then kissed him on the cheek, and she got up and made her way to the exit, when Anthony got up and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Hold up, Aisha! One last thing! Where are you taking me on our date tomorrow?"

"I'll have to confirm if the time and place are acceptable with the others, but I do have an idea, although it's a surprise. I'll come and get you when it's time."

"Okay then. Well, I should probably get back to work," he said, as they both left the conference room and hugged before leaving in different directions. "Love you, Aisha!"

"I love you too."

Anthony let out a resigned sigh as he entered his study and got out a brush and ink. 'The next two days will be hectic, I know it. Hopefully I'll be able to survive.'

* * *

 **Well, the harem has finally been formed (sort of)! The next two chapters, which will most likely be long as shit, will focus on the dates, which means we're going into the great unknown. Two entire chapters...without card games!**

 ***dramatic gasp***

 **But don't worry, the card games will be back in chapter 62, when the Go Arc begins. Starpion out!**


	60. Harem Scarem, Part 1

As Anthony woke up the next morning, he let out an involuntary groan. As he swung his feet over and sat up, he recalled the events of yesterday. Kan'u had offered to share Anthony with seven other girls, despite earlier stating that he had no intention of participating in a harem, and now he had to go on a date with each of them. It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to going out with them, but still, this whole harem situation had him losing his mind. He tried to push those thoughts to the sidelines as he made himself presentable, and after grabbing his satchel, he left his room and began to search for a certain servant of his, to request a few favors of her. Eventually, he found her underneath a pavilion outside, with company.

"Hey Karin, Shunran, Keifa. How goes things?"

Jun'iku didn't look up, but Kakoton shot Anthony a dirty look, which told Anthony that Kakoen had told the others, as Soso smiled.

"Well, well, well, the man of the hour. Finally putting your status to good use, I see."

"Look, the whole harem situation wasn't my idea."

"True, but still, count yourself lucky. Yours is almost three times the size of mine, and we even share a member."

"Yeah, I hope it's okay if I end up going out with Shuran, Shunran," the Messenger from Heaven said to the one-eyed general as he scratched the back of his head.

"Let me make something perfectly understandable. I cannot even begin to describe the explicit pain that I will inflict upon you if you dare harm my sister in any manner."

"I can describe it," said Soso. "Hurt her or make her feel bad, and I castrate you with a sickle."

"Jesus fuck, Kronos!" shouted Anthony. "And here I was asking you to do me a favor!"

"What does your perverted mind want from my Karin?" said Jun'iku.

"YOUR Karin!? I beg your pardon, you repulsive dwarf?" snapped Kakoton, and as the two had their quarrel, Anthony addressed Soso directly.

"Look, I'm gonna be really busy for the next two days, and I need somebody to take care of a few of my duties while I'm occupied," he explained. "You were a lord in the past, so you know how to handle things like meetings and paperwork, right?"

"Of course," said Soso as if it were obvious, which it really was.

"Well, do you think that you can fill in for me today and tomorrow?"

"Oh, finally using your head, are we?" said Soso. "I'm amazed that you're entrusting me with such an important task."

"Okay, would you cut that crap out? I trust you, Karin, and I'm going to prove it. Until I'm done with all of these dates, I want you to hold onto this for safekeeping."

Anthony proceeded to take off his satchel and hand it to Soso, who didn't take it from him, but rather rose an eyebrow. "Why are you giving me your oversized purse?"

"First off, it's not a purse, it's a satchel. Secondly, this bag holds my Duel Disk, as well as all of my cards. And I'm entrusting you with keeping them safe for now. This is a big deal to me, Karin. Do you doubt my trust in you now?"

Soso's eyes widened at this revelation, and with a brief moment of hesitation, she accepted the bag, as Jun'iku and Kakoton fumed in jealousy over this.

"I won't let you down, Lord Anthony."

"I know you won't."

"Ah, there you are."

Anthony then turned around as Soso craned her neck to see behind him, as Kan'u stood there in her dress and hair clip, with Soso letting out a low whistle.

"And I thought she was beautiful before. You clean up spectacularly, Aisha. You know, I'm always looking to expand my own personal circle, if you're interested…"

"I'm good, thanks. Disregarding our earlier discussion, I'm not interested in women," said Kan'u, frowning at the now pouting servant. "And how did you manage to retain your harem anyway? You've lost your status."

"I gave her permission," said Anthony as he walked over to his girlfriend. "So where exactly have you planned on taking me?"

"As I told you, it's a surprise. Now come, and keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them." Anthony did as instructed, as Kan'u locked her elbow around his and led him away into town, with Soso watching them as she looked at the bag, holding it loosely by the strap.

'I once thought you were just a foul-mouthed and ugly man who was in way over his head, but somehow, you've managed to completely subvert my expectations, Anthony Calem. Perhaps those rumors floating through town that you were the fabled Messenger from Heaven that Kanro predicted aren't the bull I believed them to be.' She then tightened her grip, filled with resolve.

~KD~

"So can I open my eyes yet?"

"For the third time, not until I say. Your lack of trust in me is worrisome," said Kan'u, starting to lose her patience. She then came to a stop, which signaled Anthony to do the same. "Okay, now you may open them." He did so, and before him was a familiar restaurant.

"Hey, isn't this the same place that you took me on our first date about three months ago?"

"It is. You said that you wished to have me be the first date for sake of familiarity, right? So I decided that it would be fitting to return here."

"Hopefully it won't be exactly like last time," said Anthony, and Kan'u scowled as she recalled Yokubo.

"If I went the rest of my life without seeing that leech again, I would be happy," she said.

"Hey, at the very least, seeing you wreck her in Duel Monsters was pretty cool. The way that you sent her packing with those poker knights? Super cool!"

These words made Kan'u brighten up as she led him inside, and after being greeted by the staff, they were led to a small table with a glass vase holding Chinese roses. After sitting down, the couple took their menus and ordered water, and when the waitress brought out their drinks, after they ordered their food, Kan'u noticed Anthony sigh as he stared at the flowers, head propped up by his right arm.

"Is there something that you need to tell me? I thought that we had gone over this yesterday."

"I'm just wondering how you're okay with all of this. I mean, I thought it just gonna be the both of us."

"So did I, but it would be dishonorable to refuse to share my happiness with my sisters in arms."

"Look, it's just, where I'm from, two-person relationships are the norm, plus all of the other reasons I've listed."

"I'm sure that you can adapt your way of thinking. I certainly did," said Kan'u. Anthony then turned his gaze to her as he sat up straight.

"What does that mean?"

"I've already told you this, but when I was growing up, I was told that women were weak. This mentality kept me from seeing myself as such, and being described as such, or with words like 'pretty' and 'beautiful,' I took as insults. Until one man suggested that I adapt my way of thinking," she said as she jabbed Anthony in the chest, with the man wincing on account of her strength, and his lack of it.

"I did say that, didn't I…" he said. "And I said that you were the most beautiful girl that I ever knew. And to be honest, despite meeting many beautiful women in my adventures here, that still holds up."

"You know, you've never told me what makes me so beautiful," said Kan'u. "What stands out the most about me?"

Anthony was thrown for a loop by this question. "Wha-What does that matter? I love you for who you are on the inside!"

"As do I, but I'm curious."

Anthony took some time to think of a decent response, but he found the answer surprisingly simple.

"All of it."

"That's not what I meant," said Kan'u, displeased with the broad answer.

"Well, it's what I'm sticking with. Look, your body has plenty of great qualities. Your long and luscious hair, your lively and twinkling eyes, your…*cough*…buxom curves…" This last part was much quieter, as Kan'u shook her head in a mixture of annoyance and amusement, mostly the latter, as Anthony got back on track.

"Regardless, all of those are good, but meaningless on their own. Sort of like a machine. Each gear, each spring, each wire: they're all just parts, parts that when put together become something great. And each piece has a role of equal importance: without one component, the machine can't run. Do you understand?"

Kan'u just sat there, staring blankly, when she got out of her chair and walked over to Anthony. Afraid that he had somehow managed to anger her, he steeled himself, ready for the worst, when she locked him in a hug, giggling to herself.

"That was…so sweet!"

"*cough* Anytime, Aisha," choked out Anthony, as other patrons began to turn to the scene. A waitress then came over with their food, and cleared her throat, which prompted Kan'u to release her boyfriend and return to her chair in slight embarrassment. As the waitress distributed their food and left the two, Anthony then raised a piece of char siu to his mouth, but before he took a bite of the barbecued pork, he had to ask something of Kan'u.

"Well, what's your favorite part of my body? If you don't mind me asking," he asked awkwardly.

Kan'u smiled as she took a drink of water, and pointed at his face. "Your infectious smile. Whenever you smile, it seems to put everyone else into a good mood." As if to prove her point, Anthony beamed at this compliment, and her own smile widened. They then ate their meals, making a little bit of small talk, as the date went off without a hitch, and Anthony's concerns about the harem debacle were lightened, at least for a little bit.

~KD~

"You really didn't need to pay for the bill yourself," said Kan'u as she took Anthony back to the palace.

"Well, why not? It was the gentlemanly thing to do," said Anthony. "So did you have a good time?"

"I certainly did," said Kan'u as she gave her boyfriend a kiss goodbye before she left, presumably to do her patrol. No rest for the weary, he supposed, when she then turned around, as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, and Ren told me to tell you this. Stop by her room and she'll take you on your date. As for where you're going, that's not for me or anybody but her to reveal. Have fun!" As Anthony waved as she left into town, he sighed as he made his way to Ryofu.

~KD~

As Anthony opened the door to the room of the insanely strong general (well, even more so, seeing as all of his generals had incredible strength, even the petite Chohi and Kyocho), he was greeted by an adorable scene that was honestly par for the course when it came to Ryofu. Scattered around her room were dozens of cats, dogs, birds, and other animals that were dozing off, taking a nice afternoon nap. And on her bed was Ryofu Hosen, holding one of her dogs that had a red bandana around his neck, named Sekito, in her arms. The small dog let out a soft growl as he opened his eyes, and Anthony froze in place, and mouthed a request for the dog to wake his owner. And Sekito seemed to understand the command, as he turned his head and began to lick Ryofu's face, and her face scrunched up as she opened her eyes, as Anthony felt his heart skip a beat on account of a cuteness overload. She then slowly got out of bed, but not before snuggling with Sekito, as she then went over to Anthony and, to his surprise, gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek with no provocation, his face lighting up like a traffic signal as her fairly large chest was pressed against his. It was incredibly awkward, as expected from someone like Ryofu who didn't exactly have the best social skills, but at the same time, he couldn't help finding it cute and charming,

"Hi, Anthony," she said as she let him go, giving him a chance to regain his composure.

"What's up, Ren," Anthony whispered, careful not to wake up her pets. "So where to?" But rather than answering him right away, she then turned to Sekito and nodded, giving a nonverbal command to the dog to be in charge in her absence, before looping her arm around his and pulling him out of the room, making the man let out an unintentional yelp at the sudden movement. She led him through the palace in silence, until they reached an outside area contained within the palace, filled with various forms of plant life.

"Oh, you're taking me to the garden? That…doesn't sound so bad. Nice pick, Ren!"

The woman blushed, as she let go of Anthony, as she began to walk through the garden, with Anthony walking by her side. Ryofu always liked coming here, whether alone, with her friends from To, or with her pets. Being surrounded by nature, the quiet and tranquility, it was all lovely, and it made for a perfect place to spend her time off. And now, she could share that time with the man that she loved.

"Hey Ren, check it out!"

Ryofu turned to see a small swallowtail butterfly fluttering lightly through the garden, as her eyes went wide, sparkling as she slowly followed it, Anthony in tow. It eventually came to stop in a patch of orchids as it hovered over one of the flowers and uncoiled its proboscis, stopping for a snack of nectar, as the pair watched as they crouched down.

"So pretty," said Ryofu, as Anthony felt inclined to agree, as he reached for a pink orchid and gently picked it, before he tapped Ryofu on the shoulder, as she turned towards him, as he handed her the flower.

"Heh, uh, I thought I should get you something, so I picked this for you. Is that-mmmph!"

Anthony was cut off as Ryofu suddenly kissed him, on the lips this time. Was this common in To? She then broke away, said, "Thank you," and slipped it into her blouse, on the right side. She then stood up, as she grabbed Anthony's hand and pulled him up, as they kept wandering through the garden, mostly just enjoying each other's company in the tranquility. Anthony smiled: Ryofu was just so cute in her own socially awkward way. When he had first met her, her quiet nature and neutral face came off as intimidating and serious, and having heard of her monstrous physical power and being able to create Shadow Games didn't help in that regard. But as she dueled against Kan'u, her true colors shone through, showing her to be a kind-hearted animal lover who was ruthless in battle, but a total sweetheart outside of it, who just wasn't the best at talking to people.

"Here."

Ryofu stopped, and Anthony did as well, as they stood before a peach tree that stood in the center of the garden, supposedly a gift given to a previous lord years ago. Seeing as it was spring, the fruits had only begun to bloom, a light green signifying that they weren't ready to be picked and eaten yet. The pink flowers that decorated the branches at least made it lovely to look at, as Ryofu then walked up to the tree and sat down underneath it, as she patted the grass next to her, as Anthony sat beside her, looking up as he did. The sky was partially concealed by the branches and flowers, with the sun's rays trickling through the cracks, resulting in the two of them sitting under a shadow that had rays of light scattered across, which added to the two-toned outfit of Ryofu. Anthony leaned back and let out a sigh, the peaceful atmosphere relaxing him, as he felt Ryofu rest her head on his shoulder.

"You were napping when I came to get you, and now you're getting ready for another one? What's going on?"

"Stayed up late…busy with pets all morning…so tired…"

"Well, don't fall asleep on me just yet. After all, if you're asleep, then I can't spend time with you." Ryofu managed to smile at this, as she then wrapped her arms around Anthony, and he did nothing to stop her.

~KD~

"That was nice," said Ryofu as she and Anthony walked back to her room, having spent about two hours in the gardens together. "Did you have fun?"

"I could say that I didn't, but I would be lying," said Anthony. "I just hope that you had a good time." Ryofu nodded as the two of them reached the door, and Ryofu then grabbed Anthony by the collar of his jacket and pulled him in for a second kiss on the lips, although this time, the lord of Kikai found himself returning the kiss, and after about ten seconds, they split up.

"Love you," said Ryofu. Anthony smiled, but he thought about how he should respond. He couldn't just say "I know," or something like that, but the thing was, did he love her? He had found himself asking that same question about all of the girls barring Kan'u, and it was his primary worry about the harem, but now, he had a definitive answer for at least one other girl.

"I love you too, Ren."

Ryofu smiled as she opened her door, and as an afterthought, she turned back around. "Sei is in the marketplace. Have fun." Anthony nodded as he walked off, and after greeting all of her furry/feathered/scaly friends, Ryofu sat on her bed, and then took out the orchid that Anthony gave her, and smiled as she smelled it. It was sweet, just like he was.

~KD~

"Why, hello there, Anthony. I've been expecting you," said Choun as Anthony saw her on the market street, tucking the cards she had been looking through into her dress.

"Well, I wouldn't leave you hanging," said Anthony as he walked up to her. "So what's the plan? Why'd you want me to come out here?"

"Well, I figured that for our date, we could browse the shops. Is that fine, or would you prefer something more…exciting?" she said, as she got way into his personal space and began to stroke his chest with her finger, as Anthony blushed before lightly pushing her back.

"No, no, shopping is good."

"If you insist," said Choun as she began to walk through the street of shops, Anthony tagging along. For a while, they simply passed by many a stand, selling various wares, such as food, clothes, and even furniture. But the first stand that Choun insisted that the two of them look at sold masks, and Anthony could only guess why, what with her Butterfly Mask persona.

"Oh, such an interesting collection!" said Choun as she looked over a white domino mask, with a birdlike appearance and black markings around the eyes. She put it over her eyes and turned to Anthony, striking a pose. "Your thoughts?"

"You look like a thief," he said. "Although it definitely looks cool."

"Why, thank you for your wonderful feedback, although I would prefer something more heroic," she said as she removed the mask and returned it to its display. "Anything that would better fit that description?" she asked the shopkeeper, as she looked behind the counter.

"What's wrong with the yellow swallowtail mask that you have already? I like it."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. The original truly is the best," said Choun, as she grabbed a black domino mask and went up to Anthony before placing it on him. "But you should wear a mask! Especially if you're to be my partner in crime! Or should I say, crime fighting!"

"What now?" asked Anthony.

"Ah, now that's a look!" said the shopkeeper as she took out a mirror and handed it to Anthony, as he checked out his reflection, and he had to admit, it did look good on him. While it also looked a little like a thief, it did look more like something that a superhero would wear to conceal their identity, or at least, a magician. However, he didn't really think that he needed a mask.

"Maybe another time," he said as he set it down, and as they left the stand, Choun seemed upset.

"Shame, I even thought up a backstory. You were a man who had been wronged one time too many, and from behind the black mask, you took it upon yourself to prevent anyone else from having to suffer the same hardships as a hero."

"How did you think all of that up so fast?"

"It's been a work in progress."

Anthony chuckled at this. Honestly, the behavior of Choun had baffled him for almost as long as he knew her. At first, she seemed a bit arrogant, but rather smart and level-headed at the same time, as well as a bit playful. But after their duel, he began to notice that she was a bit more…eccentric than he first thought. Between her occasional perversion, her "Butterfly Mask" persona, and her borderline obsession with a certain condiment, she certainly seemed like an oddball when compared to some of the other girls in his peerage…but that wasn't a bad thing. If anything, he kind of liked that about Choun. Her uniqueness was what made her stand out from the crowd, and he wouldn't make her change for anyone, although he wouldn't mind it if she would understand how personal space worked. As his date was busy looking at a jewelry stand, Anthony heard a low growl, and Choun put her hand on her stomach.

"Sorry, I didn't have a chance to eat lunch, on account of me keeping our fair city clean of crime."

"No biggie, we can just stop at a vendor real quick and grab you an early dinner," said Anthony, as he scanned the street for anyone who was selling food. "Anything catch your interest?"

"How about that noodle shop over there?" asked Choun, pointing to a shop near the end of the street.

"If that's what you want. I mean, I'm not getting anything."

"Very well. Come on," she said, tugging him over as they both sat down, as the old man who ran the shop looked up.

"Can I help you two?"

"I'll take one bowl of noodles with extra menma, if you would be so kind," said Choun, as the man nodded as he went behind the counter to make it, with Anthony chuckling lightly as he turned to the bluenette.

"You are obsessed with that stuff, I swear."

"Why shouldn't I love the best food in the world? When I was growing up, we lived next to a bamboo forest, and my mom used to cook with it all the time. It was absolutely wonderful."

"If you say so," he said, as Choun smiled as her food was placed before her, wasting no time slurping down the ramen. She ate in relative silence, and as she slurped the rest of her soup from her bowl, Anthony looked in shock to see that her precious menma remained!

"Sei, are you sick or something?"

"No, I simply wanted to save the best for last. It's truly divine, don't you believe?"

"Can't say. I've never had it before."

"What!?" said Choun, the sliver of fermented bamboo in her chopsticks falling back into her bowl. "That simply can't be true!"

"I never even heard of the stuff before I saw you eating it straight up and asked Aisha about it. It just doesn't sound like something I would like, if that's okay with you, Sei-mmmph!"

Anthony found himself cut off as Choun stuffed a piece of her beloved menma into his mouth, as she removed the chopsticks and smiled in glee as she ate her own, with Anthony swallowing. "I truly feel bad for you, but now, you've been enlightened. I trust that you loved it?"

"*cough* Well, I wouldn't say love, but it was better than I thought it would be. Thanks, I think."

"Anytime for my favorite man, although I do expect you to return the favor."

"No problem. This meal is my treat."

"Oh, how generous," said Choun as she finished her meal, setting aside her dishes. "And afterwards, we can continue our shopping spree?"

"Anything that you want, Sei." Her lips curved into a smile at this, an idea popping into her head.

~KD~

"Thank you so much for accompanying me," said Choun as she and Anthony walked to her room, her fingers having his in an iron grip. "I was worried that with the suddenness of our proposal, and your aversion of the idea, you would have denied me a lovely afternoon."

"Oh please, I'm not an asshole. Besides, I had fun with you, Sei."

"As did I," said Choun, as she gave him a sultry stare, as the King of Games suddenly became worried. "But you know, I still feel like you owe me for having me share my most precious menma. I'm thinking…dessert." She then pulled his shirt collar and kissed him passionately, and Anthony found himself returning the kiss, and after a while, they broke apart, with Choun grabbing ahold of her door, as she smiled.

"You know, if you wanted to, you could stay here, and we could get to know each other MUCH more," she said, Anthony lighting up almost immediately.

"W-W-Well, I'm flattered, but I need to go see Shia, so if you could tell me where she is, that would be nice."

"Pity. She's supposed to be on the outskirts of town, by the entrance to the forest. Have a nice time with that one, you two seem perfect for each other. Love you," she said with a wink.

"Love you too," was the automatic response that he gave, and Choun closed her door before Anthony could correct himself. But did he need to be corrected? He thought about it as he walked towards the palace gates; did he love Choun? The answer, he found, was yes.

~KD~

"Yo, took you long enough," said Choryo, although her smile indicated that she wasn't upset, and to be fair, Anthony was quite punctual. She was just a little impatient about having to wait so long for it to be her turn. At least she wasn't last, but she had already confessed to him way before and she was the one who suggested forming a harem to Kan'u. That had to be worth something, right?

Anthony waved hello, and he saw that Choryo was holding a bamboo box in her hands. He briefly considered asking what was inside, but he figured that it would be a surprise, and decided to ask something else. "So, where to?"

"Where do ya think?" said Choryo, jerking her head back into the forest, before she lifted the box. "Thought you could join me for a picnic. Sound good?"

"Definitely," he said, as Choryo smirked as she began to walk into the thicket, with Anthony following her. They were both quiet for a minute, before Choryo decided that she needed to break the silence.

"So how did you meet Aisha anyway? I mean, there has to be an incredible story about how you met one of, if not the greatest hero in all the land!"

"Well, I was ambushed in the desert outside of town, and she came to my rescue."

"Awesome!" said Choryo as Anthony pushed back a tree branch, letting her walk past it. "So she saved you from the danger?" As Anthony let go of the branch, it ended up swinging backwards and slapping him on the back of the head, as he let out a sharp help before he rubbed where he was hit.

"No, I ended up dueling their leader, and afterwards, Rinrin showed up, and after I dueled them, beating Rinrin but losing to Aisha, they offered to bring me along with them, and of course I said yes."

"Sweet!" said Choryo as she stepped over a creek, Anthony hopping over it. "Man, she really is the best, isn't she! Being allies with her is the best thing that ever happened to me! Wait, no, that was my duel with her. But my duels with you were pretty up there too! At least in my top ten favorite moments!"

"What about what you did to Ukitsu?" asked Anthony.

"Oh, that is definitely top five material. Decking him in his smugass face and knocking his ass out put me on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Sorry about breakin' his Duel Disk, though, we coulda used that."

"No big deal," said Anthony, putting his right arm around her shoulders. "We still got his deck and put it under lock and key, and now he's a fugitive. We'll catch that bastard and whoever's behind this White Clothes crap, I promise," said Anthony.

"Damn straight! They'll pay for what they tried to do with Yue and Karin," said Choryo, as she then stopped, the two of them in an empty space surrounded by trees, a perfect location. The circle of trees gave them a bit of privacy, with there being plenty of space for them, and the flat grass was perfect to sit on and lay out their dinner, as Choryo was currently doing, removing the top of the basket as she began to take everything out and set it all up.

"Hey Shia, you need any help?"

"Not really, but if you wanna help, go ahead."

Anthony nodded as he helped her unpack, and as he laid out the sheet that she had grabbed as a picnic blanket, he couldn't help but think about her. While she was a pretty recent addition to his peerage, he couldn't deny the impact that she had, and how much he owed her. If it hadn't been for her and Kan'u, he either would have been trapped in the Shadow Realm, possibly for eternity, or he would have never left the palace, which likely would have resulted in the total conquest by Gi, and eventually the White Clothes. Not to mention, he loved her fangirl side and laid back attitude when off duty. She really was an amazing girl, and he was glad that she was there for him when he needed it most.

"And that should do it!" said Choryo, as the food was laid out along with two plates, two pairs of chopsticks, and two cups, with there being two jugs, one filled with water, and the other with wine. Choryo wasted no time filling her cup with the booze, as she took a sip, savoring the flavor. "Want some?" she said, holding out the jug.

"No thanks, I don't drink alcohol," said Anthony as he put some dumplings on his plate. "I'll just take some water."

"Your loss," she said, reaching over for his cup and filling it with water, before handing it back, and as he grabbed the cup, Choryo seemed to make sure that his fingers touched hers, as when he went to grab the top as she held the sides, she jerked her hand up, and as he took the cup, he got the message, and as she filled her own plate, Anthony moved his dishes over so that he was sitting beside her, and she grinned in victory.

"So when did you find this place? It's so peaceful."

"Found it with Ren the other day during our free time. We played rock-paper-scissors over who got to bring you out here, and I won. We woulda dueled, but nobody wanted the extra attention. Didn't want any snitches!"

"Guess not," said Anthony as he took a bite of his food, and he made sounds of enjoyment as he chewed. "This is pretty good, Shia! Where'd you find these?"

"I made 'em myself, you like?"

"Yeah, I do!" said Anthony as he took another bite. "I didn't know you could cook!"

"Hey, I'm full of surprises," said Choryo, wrapping her arm around Anthony's torso and bringing him close. "And it's the least I can do. If it wasn't for you, Aisha would have been stuck in the Shadow Realm!"

"You don't owe me shit," said Anthony. "If it wasn't for you, we'd probably all be there. I may have been the one to stop Karin, Shia, but you were the real hero."

Choryo's response was to glomp the man, knocking him onto his back as she squeezed the man, laughing like a little kid. "That was so corny…but I fucking loved it!" She then began to give him a shower of kisses, and Anthony began to laugh as well. He had to admit, he definitely didn't hate it.

~KD~

"Oh man, that was a blast!" said Choryo as she jumped out of the woods and pumped her fist in the air, Anthony carrying the dishes and leftovers in the basket. "That was the best date I've ever gone on!"

"Really? How many dates have you gone on, Shia?" asked Anthony.

"Not important," she said as she walked over to him, grabbing the basket, as she once again put her hands on his purposely, a sly smile on her face. "Because this one is the one that matters." She then kissed him, and Anthony found himself returning the kiss, unlike the surprise kiss she had given him before. When they finished, she took the basket from his hands and chuckled, and as she turned around, she said, "Love you!"

"Love you too," was the reply, which made Choryo smile even more. And honestly, compared to Ryofu and Choun, this was the easiest. Ever since their first duel, Anthony felt a lingering attraction for Choryo, although he put those to the wayside, on account of his heart belonging to another. But for her sake, as well as Choryo's, he could do this. Suddenly, he realized something was missing. "Wait, when and where do I meet Shion tomorrow?"

"She said not to tell you either of those," said Choryo. "Guess that since she's up first tomorrow, she wanted to tell you personally or something."

"Okay, well, I'm heading to my room. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Of course you will. We're all gonna be there when you decide whether or not you'll be on board with this! Later!"

Anthony sighed (he was doing that a lot lately) as he saw her leave. 'I do have feelings for her, and Ren and Sei, but even if the same goes for the other four, I'm just not sure if I can go through with this, even if Aisha says it's okay with her. But I guess we'll just see tomorrow evening.' As he entered his room, he saw a note on his bed, and with caution, he picked it up and read it.

 _Dear Anthony, please meet me tomorrow morning at eight in the palace courtyard, and be sure to bring a bathing suit. Or don't._

Anthony swore that he could see Kochu winking as he read this.

 _Love, Kochu Kansho_

"Sigh," said Anthony aloud as he went to his office to grab some spending money, and afterwards, to head into market and get some swim trunks.

* * *

 **Sorry that this one took a while, but don't worry, I'll try to keep gaps between chapter uploads at a maximum of one week. Next time, the dates continue, and after that, we'll begin Go! Starpion out!**


	61. Harem Scarem, Part 2

As Anthony rolled out of bed, he noticed that there was a note beside his hat and sunglasses on his nightstand, which served as a reminder that he had a date with Kochu that morning, and later with Kannei, Kakoen, and Bacho, before he had to make his final say on whether or not the harem would happen. After he hopped out of bed and got dressed, he grabbed some emergency spending money and a bag containing his purchase from last evening, one that had been requested by Kochu. After slinging it over his shoulder, he made his way through his palace to reach the courtyard, where he saw Kochu holding a bag of her own, this one significantly bigger, and Riri was humming to herself as she sat on a bench, scribbling in her notebook. The little one noticed the leader of Kikai before her mother did, and she hopped off of the bench and ran up to him with a smile.

"Hi, Lord Anthony! Wanna see a drawing I made for you?"

"Of course," said Anthony, unable to say no to the adorable little girl. She then flipped through her notebook as Kochu smiled, walking up behind her. Riri then raised her sketchbook, and Anthony felt his heart warm up as he saw a drawing of his own favorite monster, Machine King.

"You like it? I've been working extra hard on it!"

"It's great!" said Anthony, honestly impressed by her artwork, with Riri thanking him as Kochu chuckled.

"It really is quite well-done, Riri."

"Thanks, mommy!" said Riri as Kochu got onto one knee and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"You're welcome, Riri, but listen. I'm going to be with Anthony for an hour or two. Could you be a good girl for me until we're done?"

"I will, mommy! I'll be super good, pinky promise!" She then held out her pinky, which Kochu locked with her own, before kissing her daughter on the forehead. Riri then skipped away, as Anthony decided to finally greet the reason why he was here.

"What's up, Shion? What's in the bag?"

"Ah, my swimsuit, as well as a pair of towels that I collected from the bathhouse."

"And I brought my own, as per instruction," said Anthony, while Kochu was a little disappointed. "So where to? I mean, if you were taking me to the bathhouse to relax in the hot water, then you wouldn't have brought the towels."

"You'll find out soon enough. Now come on, follow me." She then headed towards the gates, and Anthony followed her, the two of them walking through town in relative silence, until Anthony decided to ask about something, or rather, someone.

"So what was your husband like, Haruto?"

"Well, that's his secret name," said Kochu, as the older woman and her date went into the mouth of the forest. "To others, he went by Riki Hinata."

'So that's where Riri's name came from,' thought Anthony. "Well, what was he like?"

"He was a very spiritual person, as I've said before. Not in a religious manner, but more in a moral manner. He always tried to be the best person that he could, and always encouraged others to do the same, believing that everyone had the potential to be great."

"Wow, he sounds like he was an amazing person, Shion."

"He truly was," said Kochu, her smile faltering, as Anthony then got close to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, making her blush.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Shion!"

"No, it's fine."

"Hey, look, I can never replace your late husband, and I don't want to. But I do want to make you happy, Shion."

The buxom Fairy-type duelist blushed even more, when she looked forward and smiled, as Anthony felt his jaw drop.

"We're here."

Before his eyes was a lake, surrounded by a rocky shore, with a waterfall not that far away. "When did you find this!? I never saw it when I was here before! Granted, this is only the third time I can remember that I even went into this forest, but still!"

"I found it some time ago when Riri and I went on a walk together. Do you like my surprise?"

"Yeah," said Anthony, admiring the scene. The water looked crystal clear, and he couldn't wait to hop in, but for now, he needed to change into something that was more suitable for swimming. "Hey, I'm gonna head behind those rocks and change real quick, okay?"

"I was about to do the same."

"And no peeking! I won't peek at you, Shion, and I expect you to do the same."

"As you wish," said Kochu as she went behind some rocks away from Anthony with her bag, pouting in disappointment, as Anthony went to change, pulling out a pair of red swim trunks. As he began to change into his swimsuit, his mind turned to Kochu. Out of the eight girls who were currently pining for him (Anthony severely hoped that there weren't any others out there), she was the last one that he had met, as well as the oldest. At first she appeared to be a new friend, but she quickly turned out to be a dangerous adversary, only to show that she was just trapped in a horrible situation. But Anthony and his peerage refused to let such a horrible deed go unpunished, and after they rescued Kochu's daughter, she ended up becoming one of their most valuable allies. Her wisdom and skills had proven useful in the past, and they would certainly continue to be in the future, not to mention her sweet and caring attitude made her great to be around. As Anthony finished putting on his bathing suit and put his sunglasses on his forehead, the rest of his garments in the bag, he stood up and called out to Kochu.

"Hey Shion, I'm ready to - oh my god."

Kochu was dressed in a rather risqué purple bikini, and Anthony felt his jaw lock in the "open" position as his vocal cords tightened, with Kochu only giggling behind her hand at his reaction. She was knew that she was beautiful, and it was always nice to receive compliments about her beauty, whether it was her fellow generals asking her how she looked so nice (in general, not "at her age," since asking that would provoke her cold fury), or the occasional man who would yell "Nice boobs, lady!" from across the street. Of course, she knew that Anthony cared about more than her body, which is what she liked in a man, but to see his reaction to her body was just hilarious, and a little flattering.

"Do you like what you see?" she teased, rendering the lord of Kikai a stuttering mess as his sunglasses fell over his eyes.

"Uh, yes-I mean, no-I mean-"

Kochu giggled again as she pulled out two towels, one red and one purple, before she tossed the red one to Anthony. "Let's enjoy ourselves, shall we?"

"Sure thing, Shion," said Anthony, as he adjusted his glasses and laid out his towel on a smooth patch of rock, one that would be more comfortable to lay on, as he walked over to the edge of the lake and dipped his foot into the water, checking the temperature. It was cold, but not freezing: prime swimming conditions. Kochu set her own towel parallel to Anthony's, and was about to lay down when Anthony called over to her, being ankle deep.

"Hey Shion, you coming in?"

"Actually, I was planning on lying down and relaxing for a while before I join you, if that's okay with you."

"Okay, but, isn't this supposed to be a date? And besides, I'd rather spend time with you then have fun without you," said Anthony, blushing as he scratched the back of his head. Kochu once again laughed, as she got herself onto her feet and walked into the lake, shivering a little as her body adjusted to the cold.

"See? It's not so bad," said Anthony, as he went up beside her, the two of them walking until they were waist deep. "It's actually pretty relaxing."

"You're right," said Kochu, "it is rather-ahhhh!"

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt water splash against the back of her head, and as she whipped around, she saw Anthony laughing hysterically. "Sorry, Shion, but I couldn't resist!"

"Oh, oh my. It seems like a war has been declared," said Kochu, her eye twitching as she put both hands into the lake and threw as much as she could right into the face of Anthony, and as he spluttered and spat, his sunglasses once again falling over his eyes, as it was Kochu's turn to laugh. "You were right, it is more fun in the water."

"I'll say," said Anthony as he grinned, and he didn't waste a second splashing her back, and the two of them had a blast as they continued their little water war.

~KD~

"Man, that was a blast!" said Anthony as he dried himself off while Kochu laid down on her towel. "I definitely had a great time with you, Shion!"

"The same goes for you, Anthony," said Kochu as she sat up, and after getting up and putting her towel on her shoulder, she went back to where her clothes were stashed away, as did Anthony, although they still talked with one another. "Spending time with you…I felt like a kid again. It was great."

"Hey, like I said, I wanna make you happy," said Anthony, as he took off his trunks from behind his cover and began to put his clothes back on. "And I just hope that I succeeded."

"I'd say that you passed with flying colors," said Kochu. Anthony smiled as he adjusted his hat, and as he stood up, he saw Kochu was walking up to him. "Although there's one last part." She then grabbed his jacket collar (Anthony had begun to notice a pattern) and kissed him, and Anthony gratefully returned the kiss, although considering the quality of her kiss, he didn't feel like he had done it justice.

"That was…amazing…" he said as their lips parted.

"Well, I've had a lot of practice," said Kochu, as she took Anthony by the hand. "And I'm definitely willing to hone my skills with the man that I love."

"I love you too," said Anthony, still flushed, as he then regained his composure. "So now what?"

"Now? I'm taking you to Kannei. She's waiting by the entrance of the forest, if I remember correctly. Come on." Anthony obliged, happily following Kochu.

~KD~

As the two arrived at the forest's entrance, Kannei was flipping through her cards as she leaned against a tree trunk, looking up as she heard the approaching footsteps, as she slipped the cards into her outfit, as her Duel Disk was in her temporary room. She nodded at Kochu, with the older woman saying goodbye to Anthony and taking his bag off of his hands, and whispered, "Good luck," into the ear of the Go bodyguard. Her fierce eyes flickered over to Anthony.

"Hello, Lord Anthony."

"How are you, Shishun? You look nice today."

"I appreciate the compliment," said Kannei, pulling up her scarf.

"Hey, so, why did you want to meet here?"

"I was wondering if you would like to share a walk in the woods with me."

Anthony smiled, and nodded. "Whatever you want is fine with me, Shishun."

"Very well." She then began to walk into the forest, in a different direction than Anthony had gone with Kochu, as he began to trail behind her, picking up the pace until the two of them were side by side. And as Anthony looked around, he could definitely see at least one reason why Kannei chose a walk in the forest for their date: it was absolutely beautiful. As spring was in full bloom, so were the trees, as flowers blossomed on every branch, creating an explosion of pink yellow. Combined with the peaceful atmosphere of the forest, Anthony found himself having a good time, although he felt like something was missing, and as he looked at Kannei, it clicked, as he reached for her hand, only for her to jerk it just out of his reach.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I was just…trying to hold your hand," he said, his tone less hurt and more confused. "You know, make it a little more, I don't know, romantic? I mean, we are on a date."

Kannei blushed again. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I'm not used to this."

"No, it's fine. But is it okay if I hold your hand?"

"I suppose."

She moved her hand back, and Anthony went to hold it again, this time without resistance. Anthony blushed: her hands were surprisingly soft.

"Thanks, Shishun," he responded, with Kannei nodding. Out of the eight girls, Kannei Koha was the most mysterious, and being the one that Anthony had spent the least amount of time with prior to this definitely didn't help that. She was definitely a nice person, Anthony was sure of that, although at first glance, she didn't seem like that, with her stern and somewhat intimidating appearance. He really wanted to get to know the real Kannei, and hopefully, their date would let her shine.

For the most part, they walked in silence, hand in hand, enjoying each other's company, but after a while, Anthony felt Kannei's grip on his hand falter, and he caught a quick glimpse of her looking more concerned than she usually did, which naturally worried the man.

"Shishun, is everything okay? You look sad."

Kannei let out a sigh as she stopped walking, taking back her hand as she crossed her arms. "Don't worry about me, it's nothing important."

"Now that's a load of crap if I've ever heard one. Something is bothering you, I know it. Are you not enjoying the date? Because if so, then we can do something else. Whatever you want, I'll be okay with, I swear."

Kannei shook her head. "No, it has nothing to do with the date, I've had a splendid time so far. In fact, it has nothing to do with you at all, which is why I don't want to dump my problems onto you. This is for me and me alone."

"No, Shishun," said Anthony, "it's not. I want to make you happy, and that includes helping you out with things like this. So please, tell me what's wrong."

Kannei could do nothing but relent after he said this, as she stared into the distance. She couldn't say no to him, he just wanted to help. And that kindness of his was what drew her to him in the first place. "I'm just worried about Lord Renfa, is all. I understand that you sent out that warning, but with the man who brainwashed Soso on the loose, and with me being so far away from her, I'm worried that something will happen to her. And I can't stand being unable to do anything about it." She then clenched her fists and closed her eyes, bringing her head down. "I shouldn't have listened. I should have just stayed behind, or at least returned before we were scheduled to."

"But if you stayed behind, then Shia and I might have been delayed, if there weren't three of you to stop those White Clothes goons," said Anthony. "And if you left early, well, I wouldn't be here with you right now. And that would kinda suck."

Kannei turned back towards Anthony as he continued. "I get that you're worried about the woman that you've sworn to protect, Shishun, and there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, I'm worried about her too. And with good reason. And I'll be honest, I can't promise her safety, as much as I want to. But here's something that I can do. I can try to alleviate your fears, Shishun, at least for right now. Because I don't like seeing you like this."

Kannei just stayed still for a moment, before she closed the distance between them with a tight hug. "Thank you, Lord Anthony."

Anthony smiled, and he returned her hug. "Not a problem." When the two broke apart, Anthony then felt his smile widen. "Hey, you're smiling."

"Am I?" asked Kannei, her lips curved into a small smile.

"Yeah, and I like it. You really should smile more often."

Kannei's face returned to normal, albeit with some more red around her cheeks. "I'll…keep that in mind. Now then, shall we continue?"

"I would love to."

~KD~

"Thanks for this, Shishun," said Anthony as the pair walked out of the forest. "I had a fun time with you, and I just hope that you did too."

"I did, although a part of me feels that our date is incomplete," said Kannei with her arms folded, as she walked over to Anthony. "Perhaps this should amend that." She then brought her lips to his, and Anthony gladly returned the kiss, and as they broke apart, Kannei smiled once more. "Thank you again."

"Hey, I'm happy to help. I just didn't want to see you beating yourself up like that."

"You're a lot like Renfa," said Kannei. "Always thinking about others. That kindness of yours…that's why I fell in love with you."

"I love you too, Shishun, and I just hope that you feel a little better about Renfa."

"Not much, but a little," admitted Kannei. "Thank you again. Oh, and before I leave, I should tell you that Kakoen is waiting for you in her room." She then left, Anthony waving goodbye, as he took off to the palace.

~KD~

As Anthony made his way to the room of Kakoen, he knocked on the door three times, before he heard Kakoen respond with, "Come in, the door's unlocked." Obliging, he opened the door to find Kakoen in her casual outfit sitting on her bed, her cards laid out in front of her. As she heard the approaching footsteps, she looked up with a smile, brushing her hair out of her eye.

"Ah, right on time. Sorry about the cards, I was just rebuilding my deck while I was waiting."

"Hey, you don't have to apologize for that, Shuran," said Anthony. "If you had come to get me, I probably would have been doing the same when you came to check up on me. And I have to say, you look really nice," he added, blushing slightly as he scratched his head, with Kakoen blushing as well, giggling.

"Thank you. I was told that you were fond of my casual outfit, so I made sure to wear it for our date."

"Goddamnit, Karin," muttered the lord of Kikai. Of course the former lord of Gi had told her peerage what happened, she had no reason not to outside of common decency. Why did he entrust her with his duties and his cards again?

"I'm actually flattered," said Kakoen, patting her hand on Anthony's shoulder. "It's comforting to know that you find me attractive. Now come on, I wanted to share lunch with you, if you would like that." As if on cue, Anthony's stomach growled, as the brunette remembered that he had not yet eaten anything today.

"Food sounds like a wonderful idea."

"Splendid. Let's not waste anymore time, shall we? Follow me, Lord Anthony," she said, holding out her hand for Anthony to grab onto, and as he did, she led him out of her room, slowly shutting the door behind her so as not to accidentally stir up her cards (cleaning up the spilled cards would be a nightmare), and led him by the hand to their destination.

~KD~

"Well, here we are."

As Kakoen came to a stop and held out her hand, Anthony came face to face with a restaurant, although not one that he had been to before. Despite being the one in charge of authorizing the construction of new buildings, he didn't remember each and every one that he had allowed to be built.

"It's brand new, only open for one week now, according to the owner. The food is wonderful. And since Aisha took you to the place where the two of you had your first date, I decided that we go somewhere new."

"Well, I'm not opposed to the idea," said Anthony, as he held the door open for the bluenette. As the two of them entered, they were seated by a jittery hostess, who clearly wasn't expecting the lord of the town to show up, even if one of his generals had visited in the past. The equally high-strung waiter gave them menus and waters, and Kakoen ordered stir-fried tofu and fried rice almost immediately, evidently being what she had gotten the first time around, while Anthony took a little more time making his decision, eventually settling on carp and white rice, with Kakoen also asking for oolong tea. As the waiter took their menus and bolted towards the kitchen to relay their orders, Anthony turned to his date.

"What's up with them?"

"They might be from Gi. Karin always did have very high expectations from others, if within reason, so they're probably desperate to leave a good impression."

"So the seven of you with me and vice versa," joked Anthony.

"I suppose so," said Kakoen, taking a drink of water. "So, is there anything you'd like to talk about while we wait? Although I'm sure that you would be satisfied with simply staring at me."

Anthony groaned at her teasing, which only made her smile widen as the server brought them their tea. As she poured herself a cup, Anthony then had a question pop into his head. "Well, I've kinda wondered why you use Harpie cards."

Kakoen blew on the steaming cup and took a drink, and after swallowing, she responded. "It's because they're sisters that look out for each other and fight together, much like Shunran and I. The Harpies always work best as a team, with my favorite monster, Harpie Lady Sisters, being a prime example, having three sisters fight as one. After all, isn't that the purpose of an archetype: cards that work well with each other?"

"I hear you," said Anthony.

"And what about you? Surely the lord of Kikai must have some grand reason for using his special cards, cards that have never been seen before."

"Nah, I just think they're a lot of fun to duel with, plus they look really cool. And that's enough of a reason for me."

"Well, if it works for you, then I suppose I can't really complain," said Kakoen, and just then, their food arrived. "Well, let's continue our talk once we're done, shall we?" As she popped a piece of fried tofu into her mouth, Anthony began to eat his own meal, while thinking about Kakoen. When he joined the Anti-Totaku Alliance, he was almost immediately at odds with Soso and her followers, with one exception: Kakoen Myosai, the younger twin sister of Kakoton Genjo. Kakoen was the one that helped him get over his trauma after his duel with Kayu, with some assistance from Kan'u, and later she was a vital part of Soso being freed from her brainwashing, along with Kakoton, and a certain Ritual Monster that they gave to her as kids. As the most grounded member of Gi, and having the ability to stay calm in almost any situation, Kakoen was a wonderful addition to the team, and honestly, Anthony was a little smitten with her. As soon as the pair finished their meals, the waiter came up with a dessert menu, and he gave it to Anthony, the King of Games taking it from the shaky hands of their server and flipping through it, not finding anything particularly pleasing. He then handed it to Kakoen.

"Anything catch your eye in here?"

Kakoen looked on in curiosity, not having tried the desserts at this establishment, as she took the menu and scanned its text, her eyes coming to a stop and widening at a certain selection.

"Cherries, please," she said, rather quickly, as she thrusted the menu back to the waiter, who yelped in surprise. As he left, Kakoen turned back to Anthony, whose eyebrows threatened to reach his hairline.

"Sorry, I really like cherries."

"No kidding," said Anthony, tipping up his hat.

"Well, they've been my favorite food since I was young. They're just so sweet and juicy."

"That makes one of us," said Anthony. "Uh, please don't get upset because I don't like cherries! I don't want Karin to chop my balls off, and who knows what Shunran will do to me!"

"They threatened you, didn't they?" said Kakoen in a deadpan tone. "Don't worry, I'm sure that the others will keep their threats from coming to pass, in the unlikely event that you do manage to upset me. And I have no problems with you not liking my favorite food. That simply means more for me. If you ate my cherries without permission, however, that would be a problem."

"What kind of problem?" asked Anthony.

"Shunran has done it before. For every cherry that she ate, I didn't speak to her for one day."

"Holy crap, Shuran, and here I thought you were the sane one. Next thing you know, you'll be out on the town at night in a mask."

"Trust me, I am the sane one, I just take my favorite food seriously. And where did you get a ridiculous idea like that?"

"Sei."

"Interesting," said Kakoen, as a dish with eight cherries on it was placed before them. Kakoen smiled as she grabbed the nearest one and plucked off the stem before popping it into her mouth, her face lighting up with delight as she savored the fruit, with Anthony smiled, mentally declaring this date to be a success.

~KD~

"I hope that you enjoyed the meal, Anthony," said Kakoen as the pair left the restaurant.

"I sure did. Thanks, Shuran."

"Not a problem, although you didn't have to pay for the check yourself."

"Why not? It was the nice thing to do."

"I suppose so," said Kakoen. "However, I notice that you didn't have your dessert yet." She then brought him into a kiss, and Anthony returned it in full, and as their lips parted, he chuckled.

"You know, Sei used a line about dessert before she kissed me, too. But yours was pretty clever."

"Thank you, I just came up with it. Oh, look at the time, you should probably go and meet with Sui."

"Okay," said Anthony as Kakoen began to walk away. "But where is she?"

"The stables," said Kakoen, and Anthony rolled his eyes. Why didn't he think of that? "Oh, and Anthony?" She then blushed before brushing away her hair, making Anthony blush. "I love you."

"And I love you too, Shuran," said Anthony before he sprinted towards the stables, and Kakoen blushed as she ran back towards the palace, as she wanted to finish building her deck before the decision was made.

~KD~

"Here you go, girl, nice and easy."

When Anthony walked in, he saw Bacho feeding a carrot to one of the horses in the stable, which were much fuller than before. As a gift for freeing him and returning his territory, Lord Bato had granted Kikai a team of horses, much to the delight of his oldest daughter. She took it upon herself to take care of them, having the most experience with horses. Anthony cleared his throat, and Bacho turned around, blushing furiously.

"L-Lord Anthony! I didn't think you'd be here so soon!"

"It's two in the afternoon, Sui. I thought that was the right time."

"I guess it is, but you just surprised me," said Bacho, her arms crossed. She then flashed a cocky smile as she patted the door of the stable. "But now that you're here, we can get down to business! You see, being the last girl to have a date with you, I wanted to really make this date one to remember! And while I bet you had a lot of fun in the gardens, out shopping, swimming, and all that stuff, I bet none of them will be as exciting as what I've got in store!"

"Let me guess. Horseback riding?"

"Oh, you know it! Think you're up for it?"

Anthony just shook his head in amusement. "You and your horses, Sui."

"Well, they are my favorite animal!" said Bacho as she went over to pet Silver Flash. "They're not just majestic, but they're super fast and strong!" As she nuzzled her loyal steed, she pointed at Anthony. "So what's your favorite animal? Something really cool, I bet!"

"Hmm, that's a tough question," said Anthony, thinking over it long and hard as he leaned against the wall. "I guess spiders?"

"Spiders!?" repeated Bacho, flinching as she heard the answer. "You've gotta be kidding me, right? There's no way that those things can be your favorite animal!"

"Do you have a problem with spiders?" asked Anthony as he crossed his arms and tilted his head, a little offended.

"Well, it's just, they're kinda freaky, with all of those eyes, and those legs…"

"I think that they're cool, and even a little cute," said Anthony, as he put his right arm on his hip, which made his general do a double take.

"Cute!? I can buy cool, but cute!?"

"Have you ever seen a jumping spider?" asked Anthony. "They're so adorable! They're super tiny, even compared to most spiders, and they have these short little legs and big eyes! They're like the kittens of the spider world, only they stay small and cute as they grow up!"

"I'll take your word for it," said Bacho as she opened the door to Silver Flash's stable and walked in, closing the door behind her as she went into the corner to grab his stable. "Besides, you can't ride spiders, can you?"

"No, but if there was a spider that was big enough for me to ride on, you can bet that I would totally do it!"

"Well, I'll stick with these guys," said Bacho as she fastened the saddle to Silver Flash, then went to attend to his hooves, placing leather covers over them to protect the walls of his hooves from the rough terrain, an early form of horseshoes. Once he was ready to go, she looped a bag of carrots over her shoulder, led Silver Flash out of the stable and took Anthony by the hand, leading the horse out with the other. "Now come on, hurry up!"

"Wait, where's my horse?"

Bacho blushed as she looked away. "Well, you see, I kinda figured that you've never ridden a horse before. So I'm just bringing out Silver Flash so that I can take you on a ride with me, and maybe I can let you take the reins and teach you a little if we have time. I mean, if it's cool with you, anyway." It was just then that Anthony realized that the white stallion had been equipped with a double seat saddle, something he hadn't noticed when he was talking with Bacho.

"That's fine, just make sure that we go at a reasonable speed. I've gotten used to living."

"I promise, I'll be careful!" said Bacho a little louder than she meant to, and Anthony smiled. For the most part, Bacho Moki was brash and headstrong, often rushing into fights and never backing down. This had a tendency to get her into trouble, although it had also gotten her out of trouble, and despite her hard headed nature, she was still fairly easy to get along with, and although she often held grudges in the past, including a short-lived one with him the day they met, she had begun to improve with a little help from Kochu, all while staying the same old Bacho that Anthony knew and…loved? Well, he would have his definitive answer soon enough, as the two of them had brought their horse outside the town and into the wasteland that stood just outside it. It was a flat land, perfect for horse riding. Bacho hopped onto the front seat of the saddle with the skill of a professional, and she held out her hand.

"Come on, I don't have all day!"

Anthony took her hand as she helped him into the back seat, and Bacho grinned.

"Alright, let's take things slow for now, and later we can really get things going. Nice and steady, Flash!"

The white stallion began to trot forward at a comfortable speed, hooves making contact with the stone in the form of a satisfying series of "clops." It wasn't bad at all, although the view wasn't exactly exciting. Still, Anthony was happy that Bacho had listened to him, enjoying what was essentially a carriage ride without the carriage. Of course, Bacho found herself getting bored, but for her date's sake, she did manage to stick it out for fifteen minutes, until it became nearly unbearable.

"Okay, Anthony, get ready, because it's time to get things going! Hyah!"

With this, she snapped the reins, which made Silver Flash increase his speed, breaking into a full-blown gallop. Anthony was thrown backwards by the sudden acceleration, and to keep himself from falling backwards, he unconsciously wrapped his arms around whatever was in front of him, which happened to be the torso of Bacho. Bacho immediately blushed as this happened, the sudden gesture taking her by surprise, but she focused on the task at hand, and a grin crept onto her face as she felt the wind blow through her hair and against her face, as Anthony let go of her and moved his head to the side to avoid getting slapped by her ponytail, holding his hat with one hand, as he began to laugh.

"This is actually pretty cool, Sui!"

"What did I tell you? Hey, in a few minutes, we'll take a quick break before we head back, if that's okay."

"No problem, Sui," said Anthony, as the two of them whooped in excitement as Bacho had Silver Flash jump over a patch of rocks in their way. Bacho was true to her word: this was definitely the most exciting date he'd had in the past two days.

~KD~

"Oh man, that was awesome, Sui!" cheered Anthony as he jumped in the air with his fist raised, Bacho smirking as they left the stables.

"Hell yeah it was! I knew you would like it!"

"Hey, thanks for this, Sui. I was actually pretty nervous about this, but hey, you managed to show me a good time. I had a blast with you."

Bacho couldn't help but blush. "Thanks, Anthony. I had a good time too. And I know that you know this, but-"

She then found herself cut off as Anthony kissed her on the lips, the Messenger from Heaven having done this song and dance enough to know exactly what was coming up. She was surprised at first, but found herself kissing him back, and when they split apart, she opened her eyes to see Anthony smiling at her.

"I love you too, Sui."

Bacho found herself unable to say anything, until Anthony was about to leave. "Hey, you're gonna meet with us in a few hours to make the final say, okay? Aisha will come get you!"

"Thanks for the heads-up, Sui!" called Anthony, as he walked over to his room, in order to think over his decision.

~KD~

"This is so much harder than I thought it would be."

As Anthony sat on his bed, he let out a frustrated sigh as he weighed his options. On the one hand, he didn't know if he could go through with dating eight girls at once, even if they were on board with the idea. On the other, he really did care for each of those girls. He couldn't make up his mind! If only there was someone who knew what he was going through that he could talk to…

*knock knock*

"Are you busy in there, or can I come in?" asked Soso from the other side of the door, as Anthony buried his face in his hands.

'Wow, I can be stupid sometimes. Of course, Karin!' He then got up and opened the door, revealing Soso holding his satchel, as she held it out for him.

"Your cards, safe and sound. Don't worry, I didn't steal any, although I did look through them when I was bored. Pretty good, all things considered. You want them back or not?"

Anthony took his cards back from her, and as he did, he beckoned her inside. "Hey Karin, I need to ask you something. Is that okay?"

"All of these favors," muttered Soso as she walked inside his room, taking a seat on his bed as she folded her arms and crossed her legs. "How may I be of service?"

"Well," said Anthony as he shut the door behind them, "I was thinking about this harem situation, and I need some advice. First off, why did you form a harem?"

"Ha! Is that it? Simple! Both Shunran and Shuran confessed their love to me at the same time, and I was presented with a difficult decision. If I chose one girl, the other one would be heartbroken. So I took a third option, and chose them both. After all, I did love both of them. And I'm sure that you are in love with all of the girls that have fallen for you?"

"Yeah, I am. Though I didn't realize it until I went out with each of them that I realized that I had feelings for them. Is that weird?"

"Not at all. It's possible that you've always had some lingering feelings for them, but it wasn't until they confessed that you truly realized them."

"Yeah, I guess. But I was already in a relationship with Aisha, one that we were both happy in, before the other seven joined in."

"Well, Keifa came along after I was in a relationship with the twins. And yet I still couldn't reject her, and even though I wasn't immediately enamored with her, I still grew to find room in my heart for her."

"Even so…" began Anthony, only to be interrupted by Soso.

"But if you want, you can say no to the proposal. That is, if your conscience can handle knowing that seven girls will be leaving that room with their hearts in pieces."

Anthony looked down. "Can't argue with that…I think I've made my decision, Karin. Thanks, not just for this, but for all the help that you've given me recently."

"Anytime," said Soso with a smirk, as another knock rung on the door, as Anthony, who was still standing, opened it to reveal Kan'u.

"Hello, Anthony," she said, before noticing the former ruler of Gi. "And…Karin."

"Hello, Aisha."

"Hey Aisha, I was just talking with Karin about something. Anyway, I'm ready to make my decision."

"Great! We should leave right away, so as not to keep them waiting," said Kan'u as she took the Messenger from Heaven by the hand and led him away, as Soso left his room once they were gone.

"Good luck, Lord Anthony. Don't disappoint me."

~KD~

"We're here, girls," said Kan'u as she walked into the room with Anthony in tow, and as the brunette sat down, he saw Kan'u walk over to the other side of the table, and looked over the room to see the girls in various forms of anxiety, from Bacho nervously tapping her fingers on the table, to Kannei who simply looked in his direction with her stoic face.

"Well, it's time, Anthony," said Kan'u, nodding.

"Indeed. Now you must make your final say," said Choun as she twirled her ponytail.

"So what is it?" asked Bacho, steeling herself.

"Either you can remain with only Kan'u…" said Kannei, tilting her head down with her eyes closed.

"Or you can be with all of us," said Kakoen with a smile, her hands folded as she rested her chin on her interlocked fingers.

"We can't do any more to persuade you, so whatever you pick, it's your choice, not ours," said Choryo as she leaned back in her chair, with Ryofu nodding.

"And whatever your decision is, we'll accept it," finished Kochu, with all eight girls patiently awaiting his decision, with Anthony taking a deep breath before he spoke up.

"Well, it took a lot of time and thinking, but after talking with Karin, I realized that if I were to say no, then I would completely crush the hearts of all but one of you, and I can't go through with that." Everyone in the room suddenly felt their hearts skip a beat, as the King of Games had their undivided attention. "And…I've discovered that I have feelings for each of you. So…I've decided to go through with the harem."

The second he finished speaking, he felt himself get launched across the room, as Bacho and Choryo each tackled him into a hug, as the rest of the girls were ecstatic, although a little more reserved. Anthony couldn't help but smile as Choryo and Bacho began to rapidly thank him. This would definitely take some getting used to, but as Kan'u had said before, he'd been through worse. Besides, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

~KD~

The capital of Go stood tall, with the palace that was the home of Lord Sonken standing tall, as a man in a tan cloak admired it from the city outskirts, moonlight flashing off his glasses, as he pulled back his hood, partially revealing his tattoo of the Millennium Symbol, as he recalled his orders.

~KD~

" _Gi has fallen, but the blasted Kikai Kingdom remains," said Genho as he paced before Ukitsu. On either side of the bespectacled man stood another higher-up of the White Clothes. On his right was the vicious Zombie-using masochist, Dokuro. On his left, however, was a new face. She was a teenage girl, with yellow eyes and blonde hair that was done into a messy bun, with large fang-shaped strands sticking out every which way, and as she giggled, it was revealed that her canines were particularly large, almost like a pair of fangs. She wore a cream-colored sweater, similar to the kind in a Japanese girl's school uniform, only there were many sewn-up tears and patch marks all over it, as well as red splotches of dye designed to resemble blood splatters. It also had a tattered blue collar, and she wore a red shirt underneath it, with a red ascot. She wore a red skirt, and a pair of brilliant white stockings that went up to her thighs, as well as black shoes with red soles. With her look completed by her Chaos Duel Disk, this was another of Genho's elites, known as Kurenai._

" _Yeah, because of this loser!" she said, giggling as she pointed at Ukitsu. "He was so sure of himself, thinking that he would take down Kikai and Go by taking over the mind of that midget, even giving her one of our special Duel Disks and that adorable monster, but guess what, Dokuro? The master had to bail him out and replace his deck and Duel Disk! How funny!"_

" _Pathetic, more like it," said Dokuro. "A complete embarrassment."_

" _Enough, you two," said Genho, flashing a leer in their direction, as he turned to Ukitsu. "Ukitsu, you may have failed, but I still have use for you and your powers. So now, I have a new mission for you, if you think that you can handle it."_

" _Not a problem, Lord Saji," declared Ukitsu. "I will not fail you a second time."_

" _You had better not."_

~KD~

'Now,' thought Ukitsu as he walked through the gates, 'it is time to finish what I started.'

* * *

 **Sorry for the late upload, everyone! Don't worry, I'll try to keep gaps between uploads no longer than one week.**

 **Anyway, the harem has been officially formed, and the Go Arc shall begin next chapter, with a new villain being introduced! Meet Kurenai, whose name means "deep red" or "crimson" in Japanese, and yes, she is pretty much an expy of Himiko Toga from My Hero Academia. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out what deck she'll be using, and for her age, she's sixteen. Also, the poll has been closed, and with a whopping two votes in two months, it's been decided that Chosen will not be in this story. Starpion out!**


	62. Double Feature

"Are you sure that you don't need anymore supplies for your return to Go? Food, water, anything?"

It was noon, on the day after Anthony had officially formed his harem, and coincidentally, the day that Sonshoko, Kannei, and Rikuson were to return to Go. The three of them were standing outside the gates of his palace, with Anthony, Kan'u, and Shokatsuryo facing them.

"Nah, we'll be fine, Lord Anthony. We're traveling through the forest, remember? If we have to, I bet that we can just get our own stuff! Right, Shishun, Non?"

"You aren't incorrect."

"I guess so."

"See? We'll be perfectly fine!"

"If you say so," said Kan'u with her arms crossed, as the three of them said their final goodbyes for now.

"See ya later, Shuri!" said Rikuson with a cheerful wave.

"You're welcome anytime, Non," replied Shokatsuryo.

"Do you think that you can manage to stay out of trouble?" asked Kan'u, raising an eyebrow at the teenage princess.

"Not a problem! I'll be a total angel!" said Sonshoko.

"I'd like for you to visit whenever you can, if I'm unable to do so," said Kannei as she returned a hug given by her newly dubbed boyfriend.

"Of course!" said Anthony, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek before they separated. "You're one of my girls, after all! Plus, it would definitely be a treat to see Renfa and Meirin again."

"Alright, girls!" said Sonshoko, as she pointed opposite to the palace, "it's time to go! My sister's waiting for us!"

"Very well," said Kannei as she waved goodbye.

"Hope to see you guys soon!" said Rikuson as she jogged over to the others, who had already begun to walk. The lord of Kikai, his first general, and his first strategist wished them a good journey to Go, while also hoping that his fellow lord and ally, Sonken Chubo, was doing well.

~KD~

"Let's see…schedule a meeting with the Minami Commanderies…check on food inventory and farms…expecting return of Shaoren, Shishun, and Non either tonight or early tomorrow morning…*yawn*"

In her study, Sonken Chubo had her work cut out for her. Despite her kingdom being in a state of peace, one that she desired to keep intact, there was no rest for the weary, and she hadn't had any free time, by her own accord. She was determined to be a ruler that Sonsaku would be proud of, and as such, she was doing everything in her power to keep her people happy. What didn't help matters was the message from Kikai that she had received a few days prior: the message warning her about a man known as Ukitsu, who supposedly had the ability to brainwash victims. It definitely seemed like a far-fetched claim, but Anthony wasn't a liar, and neither of them were strangers to supernatural occurrences: the Shadow Games being an example that Sonken wished to never take part in. So this information put her on edge, as she was concerned not only about her own safety, but that of her friends, including her fellow lord, and her sister and peerage members who were on their way back by now. Between the looming threat and her duties as a lord, she had no time for breaks.

"Lord Renfa, may I speak with you?"

"Come in, Meirin," said Sonken as she approved a request for the remodeling of the city's inn by means of stamping the Go insignia onto it, and the door opened, with Shuyu walking in, her arms folded as she saw the state that her lord was in.

"Oh dear. You definitely seem busy."

"That's because I am, Meirin. I don't have a lot of time to talk right now, so what do you need?"

"For you to relax. For the past four days, all that you've done is eat, sleep, and work. and not nearly enough of the first two. If you don't take a break every once in a while, Renfa, you'll burn yourself out."

"I'm perfectly fine, Meirin," said Sonken, flipping through a stack of documents, as Shuyu adjusted her glasses.

"You know, even Sheren took an occasional break."

"Well, I'm not my sister!" snapped Sonken, before she slapped her hands over her mouth, with Shuyu tensing before sighing. "I'm sorry, Meirin. I've just been a little tense lately."

"I understand. And I miss her just as much as you do. But I know that Sheren would want me to help you become a great lord, and that includes taking a break once in a while. And I won't take no for an answer."

"Fine," relinquished Sonken as she stood up, with her following Shuyu out of her office and into the throne room. "Any ideas?"

"I have one that should be entertaining for both of us," said Shuyu as she snapped her fingers. "Daikyo, Shokyo, could you two come here?"

"Coming, Meirin!"

Out of the doors to the throne room sprinted two young teen girls, identical twins who even had matching outfits. Both sisters had indigo eyes and pink hair done up with two yellow buns that had the Go insignia written on them, each girl having a cowlick on the top of their head, with long blue ribbons tied to the buns and trailing down to their feet. They also had dog collars, for some strange reason, and white tops with pink collars, ties, and cuffs, as well as puffy shoulders, gold trim, and pink flower marks around the side. On their backs they had large pink sashes ties into bows, with green beads on the end, and each wore a pink-trimmed Duel Disk. To complete their looks, they wore long purple stockings and white shoes with bows on them. However, there were differences to tell them apart. One had her hair slightly parted to her right, and her blue ribbon on her left, as well as the flower print on her right, with rather soft eyes. This was the older sister, Daikyo. The other one had her hair parted to the left, the ribbon on her right, flower pattern on her left, and harsher eyes. This was the younger sister, Shokyo. The two of them were Shuyu's personal entertainers given to her by Sonsaku, and would often sing, dance, or duel for her amusement.

"Daikyo…"

"And Shokyo…"

"Are at your service!" said the two twins in tandem, right arms in the air, as Sonken sweat dropped as she saw the two.

"Hello, girls. I was just wondering if the two of you could have a duel, not just for me to watch, but for Lord Renfa here," said Shuyu, putting her hand on the shoulder of her lord. "Think that you can make it entertaining enough?"

"We'll do our very best!" said Daikyo.

"Get ready for a show!" said Shokyo.

"Good answers," said Shuyu as the twins began to make their way to the palace arena, as the strategist followed the duo, bringing Sonken along.

"So your idea is just to watch these two duel?"

"Of course. Trust me, their unique decks will never get old to watch."

~KD~

As the queen and strategist of Go sat in the indoor arena, the twins smiled as they shuffled their decks.

"So, little sis, do you wanna go first?" asked Daikyo.

"Nah, I wanna go second, so that I get the first attack!" shouted Shokyo.

"Prepare yourself, Renfa," said Shuyu. "The show is about to start."

(Daikyo: 4000 LP)(Shokyo: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And let's see…I know! I summon my Decayed Commander to the field!"

Daikyo placed a card into her Monster Zone, and out came a zombie samurai in blue armor, wielding a broken sword (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"And now, I activate his special ability, to Special Summon Zombie Tiger from my hand!"

Her monster let out a groan, and he held out his sword as another monster burst out of the ground, being a saber toothed tiger that was wrapped in dirty bandages like a mummy. The right side of its face had decayed, revealing a purple skull, and its left eye was red. The monster let out a roar as it finishes pulling itself out, revealing itself to be huge compared to the other Zombie-type (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"And now I equip my Zombie Tiger to my Decayed Commander!"

Sonken looked on in surprise as Decayed Commander climbed onto the back of Zombie Tiger, his power increasing as a result (ATK 1000-1500). "How did she do that?"

"Zombie Tiger is a Union Monster," explained Shuyu, "a type of monster that can be equipped to another. And Daikyo specializes in them."

"Now I end my turn!"

"Then it's mine, and I draw!" shouted the younger sister. "And I activate my Herculean Power!"

This card was a Continuous Spell, showing Evocator Chevalier creating a huge blossom of fire in his hand, as Shokyo plucked a card from her hand. "With this card on my field, once per turn, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Gemini Monster from my hand if you control a monster, and I don't!"

"Gemini? Is that some sort of archetype?" asked Sonken.

"It's a type of monster that counts as a Normal Monster on the field and in the Graveyard, but can be Normal Summoned again on the field to become an Effect Monster," explained Shuyu. "Both sisters have very unique decks that guarantee that every duel will be different."

"And now, I Special Summon Goggle Golem!"

Shokyo's card began to glow as a new monster jumped out. It was a golem made of tan stone, with a pair of orange goggles around its neck, black fingerless gloves with spiked metal cuffs, and black leather pants with chains (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Not bad, Shokyo, but don't forget, our monsters are of equal strength!" said Daikyo, wagging her finger.

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know my cards! I Gemini Summon my Goggle Golem, which will raise its original attack points to 2100!"

Her monster clenched its fists as its true power was unlocked, before letting out a guttural battle cry (ATK 1500-2100).

"And now, my monster is powerful enough to take down Decayed Commander!"

The Rock-type put on its goggles before it jumped towards the zombie soldier and the mummified Smilodon it was riding, and aimed a powerful punch at the rider, only for Zombie Tiger to take the brunt of the attack instead, with the Union Monster being destroyed (Daikyo: 4000-3400 LP)(ATK 1500-1000).

"Well, as you know, when Decayed Commander would be destroyed by battle when it's equipped with Zombie Tiger, it's Zombie Tiger who's destroyed instead!"

"I know, but now I've dealt the first blow! And I end my turn with a face-down card!"

"Pretty fun to watch, hmm?" asked Shuyu.

"I suppose, but I'd much rather be doing my royal duties."

"And you will, after they're finished," said Shuyu. "You know a short break won't kill you."

"I draw!" said Daikyo, as she slapped her newly drawn card onto the field. "And I summon Dark Blade!"

The black knight leapt into action, blades by his side (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And since you have a pretty cool Continuous Spell out, then I guess that I should bring one out too! I play Frontline Base!"

A card showing Dark Blade atop Pitch-Dark Dragon on the top of a castle wall appeared, as Daikyo smirked. "And you should be well aware of this card. Now once per turn, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Union Monster from my hand, and unlike your card, I don't need to have no monsters, or have my opponent control one! So I bring out Pitch-Dark Dragon!"

A large black dragon flew out of the Continuous Spell and landed beside Dark Blade (LV 3: ATK 900).

"And guess what? I equip my Pitch-Dark Dragon to my Dark Blade!"

Her Warrior-type leapt onto the back of the dragon, and the pair took to the air, hovering above the battlefield (ATK 1800-2200).

"Now my monster is strong enough to destroy yours! Go, Dark Sword!"

Pitch-Dark Dragon zoomed towards Goggle Golem, who put up its fists to try and counter the attack, but the effort proved fruitless as Dark Blade cleaved through the Gemini Monster with one of his swords (Shokyo: 4000-3900 LP). As soon as this was done, the dragon and rider landed beside Decayed Commander, only for Shokyo's face-down to flip up, revealing a card that had an ethereal Goggle Golem making holes for Goblin Attack Force to fall into, as the spirit of the Gemini Monster appeared to recreate that scene, with two large holes appearing in the arena floor for Pitch-Dark Dragon, Dark Blade, and Decayed Commander to fall into, shattering into pixels as they hit the bottom.

"Thanks for that, big sis!" said Shokyo with a grin. "By destroying a Gemini Monster that was treated like an Effect Monster in battle, you let me play my Gemini Trap Hole, which destroyed all of your monsters!"

"And now, Daikyo is open for a direct attack next turn," said Sonken, and Shuyu smiled. It looked like the Lotus Queen was finally getting into the duel. She then turned her attention back to the twins, not wanting to miss any of the action herself.

"Pretty good move, Shokyo, but now you can't use the effect of your Herculean Power. I set one card and end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" said Shokyo, and her smirk widened as she saw what she had drawn. "And you of all people should know that I have many ways of summoning multiple times per turn! I play my Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon or set two monsters this turn!"

"Hmm, now I'm intrigued," said Sonken. "Will she summon two monsters? Summon one and Tribute Summon? Or summon one and summon it again to give it its effect?"

"This is why I love watching the duels between these two," said Shuyu. "You never know what to expect."

"I summon Dawnbreak Gardna and Aquarian Alessa!"

Two monsters appeared on Shokyo's field. One was a knight in bulky iron armor with heavy gauntlets that had small shields attached to them, and two small gems: a green one on his chest, and a red one around the large neck guard (LV 3: ATK 1500). The other was a woman with blue hair done up in four tails, two in the front and two in the back, and a laurel wreath on her head, with five chains of flowers trailing from it. She wore a white tunic with a purple corset and wide translucent sleeves, as well as a black skirt, gold bracelets and anklets, and loose light blue bracelets, while she held white flowers in her hand (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now my Dawnbreak Gardna and Aquarian Alessa will both attack directly!"

Dawnbreak Gardna clanged his fists together before charging Daikyo, slamming his forearms into her (Daikyo: 3400-1900 LP). Daikyo didn't get a reprieve, as Aquarian Alessa shot a blast of water from her bouquet at the older sister (Daikyo: 1900-400 LP).

"And I end my turn!"

Daikyo beamed as she drew. "Pretty cool, but let's see what I can do! I play Pot of Greed!"

"Ah, this should be interesting," said Shuyu. "Now Daikyo might be able to make a comeback."

"I play my Monster Reincarnation, discarding one card to add a Monster Card from my Graveyard to my hand!" And as the crest appeared, Daikyo slipped a card into her Graveyard as she pulled another one out, and placed it onto her Duel Disk. "And I bring back my Dark Blade!"

The dark swordsman came back to the field (LV 4: ATK 1800), and the face-down flipped up, showing Perfect Machine King being equipped with Heavy Mech Support Platform, becoming centaur-like in appearance. "Now I play Roll Out! This card lets me equip a Union Monster in my Graveyard to a monster on my side of the field!"

"Let me guess," said Shokyo, "you're gonna bring back your Pitch-Dark Dragon?"

"Nope!" said Daikyo, popping the "p." "I equip Dark Blade with Kiryu!"

Out of the Trap Card flew a large, long red dragon with blue eyes and an underbite (LV 5: ATK 2000). It let out a roar as it dove down and landed beside Dark Blade, a flap of its wings kicking up a small ring of dust. Dark Blade leapt into the air and landed on the back of the huge Dragon-type, as his power spiked on account of his mighty steed (ATK 1800-2700).

"Now things are really starting to get interesting, aren't they?" asked Shuyu.

"Yeah," said Sonken, the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

"Dark Blade, attack with Dark Sword! Destroy that Dawnbreak Gardna!"

The dragon and knight combo sped towards the LIGHT monster and cut it down to size (Shokyo: 3900-2700 LP), as Shokyo crossed her arms. "Smart move, destroying my Gardna."

"That's why I did it!" said Daikyo. "I know that when that monster is Gemini Summoned, its original defense points become 2300! And now, I set one card and end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Shokyo, as she switched her Aqua-type into defense mode (DEF 500). "I switch my Aquarian Alessa into defense mode, then I set one monster and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn, and I'm going to win! I summon another Pitch-Dark Dragon!"

A new copy of the black dragon appeared (LV 3: ATK 900).

"Next, I unequip my Kiryu from Dark Blade to Special Summon it in attack mode!"

The Warrior-type jumped from the back of the scarlet dragon, which let out a roar (ATK 2700-1800)(LV 5: ATK 2000).

"Pitch-Dark Dragon, attack Aquarian Alessa!"

The weaker of the Union Monsters shot a fireball at the Gemini Monster, blasting her into pixels.

"Now Kiryu, attack the face-down monster!"

Her dragon darted towards the defending monster, which was revealed to be Lucky Pied Piper, a green haired fairy with white wings, a brown winged cap, a green outfit, yellow gloves, clogs, and of course, a flute (LV 4: DEF 500). The Fairy-type was crushed in the jaws of the dragon, and Kiryu looped back over to Daikyo, before it sped towards Dark Blade, with said monster jumping into the air, and landing on the back of Kiryu once more (ATK 1800-2700).

"What in the world? How did Kiryu get equipped to Dark Blade? It's still the Battle Phase!" said Sonken, as Shuyu merely smirked and pointed at a card showing, appropriately enough, Dark Blade riding Kiryu, with electricity crackling around the two.

"And now, I activate Formation Union, so that I can equip my Kiryu to Dark Blade! And now, he's strong enough to finish you off!"

Dark Blade pointed one of his swords at Shokyo, and Kiryu shot a purple stream of fire at her, bringing her life points down to zero (Shokyo: 2700-0 LP)(Winner: Daikyo).

"Aw, man! I thought I had you that time!" said Shokyo, before brightening back up. "But I'll beat you next time, I'm sure of it!"

"Hey, no matter how many times we duel, or who ends up winning, it's always fun!" said Daikyo, as she high-fived her sister, before they turned to the two in the stands, with Shuyu clapping, and Sonken giving an earnest smile. "Did you two enjoy the show?"

"As always," said Shuyu.

"I'll admit, it was pretty fun to watch, although I should probably get back to work now," said Sonken, before she stood up, only to have her hand grabbed by Shuyu.

"Remember, while work is important, you can take a break now and then. You've been doing a phenomenal job, Sonken, and I don't want you to burn yourself out." As she released her grip, Sonken smiled even wider, grateful for all the help that she had been given by the strategist.

~KD~

"Ah, Shuyu Kokin, one of my favorite customers! The usual, I presume?"

"What else?"

Shuyu smirked as the bartender began to search through his collection. The bar that she was in was a small establishment, but a good one nevertheless, one that she would often visit on her evenings off. She smiled solemnly as she began to reminisce about Sonsaku. A part of her longed for the days before her disappearance, the days when Sonsaku dreamed of uniting the country through conquest, and due to Emperor Reitei's decision to have Duel Monsters settle disputes, she had the means and ambition to do so. But even so, she pushed these feelings to the back of her mind. Sonken was a wonderful person, and Sonsaku would want her to help her become the best lord that she could. Besides, there were upsides to the peace, such as the increase in downtime. She was brought out of her thoughts as somebody in a dark hood sat beside her.

"Hello there, miss. Would it bother you if I sat beside you?"

"If you're attempting to flirt with me, I'm not interested in a relationship right now," said Shuyu as the bartender gave her her drink.

"You misunderstand me," said the man, a faint glow coming from his hood that nobody noticed. "I just wish to talk."

* * *

 **And with that, Daikyo and Shokyo have made their debut! Both sisters are thirteen, and Daikyo uses Union Monsters, while Shokyo uses Gemini Monsters, to fit the whole "twin" theme. Starpion out!**


	63. Coup de Go

"Talk, hmm? I suppose this will do," said Shuyu as she took a sip of her drink, while the hooded man ordered his own. "Why me?"

"Well, it isn't often that anyone has such an opportunity as to speak with the esteemed Shuyu Kokin, legendary strategist of the Go Kingdom," replied the mystery man. "The woman whose brilliant mind, in combination with her powerful LIGHT deck, made her a force to be reckoned with."

"I was quite the infamous opponent," said Shuyu, "but I've retired from dueling now."

"A shame," said the hooded man. "But still, it must be an honor to serve the amazing Lord Sonken Chubo, isn't it?"

"Of course," said Shuyu. "I was unsure at first, but she's come a long way in these past few months. If Sheren could see her now…"

"Ah yes, her older sister, the original leader of Go. An ambitious woman who wished to continue her mother's legacy, and conquer the country in hope of uniting the people in peace under her rule."

"True, although by means of Duel Monsters, unlike her mother."

"Yes, her mother, Sonken Bundai, killed in battle prior to the late emperor's decree. A legendary warlord, if I remember, said to kill as easily as she breathed with her legendary sword, Conqueror of the Southern Sea. Whatever happened to such a legendary blade?"

"It was reforged into the petals on Sheren's Duel Disk, as both a way of remembering her, and as a symbol of Sheren fighting for the future, but not forgetting the past."

"Sonsaku Hakufu. Truly somebody to remember fondly. And I assume that Sonken wishes to continue the legacy as well?"

Shuyu didn't answer right away, choosing to take a sip of her drink first, as the man smiled. 'I have her now.'

"Not quite. She still wishes to bring peace to the country, but unlike her mother and older sister, she has no interest in conquest. True, she did ask me to teach her how to duel, but she insists to use it only for friendly games, saying that that's how it should be."

"Please, Duel Monsters may have started as just a game, but it's become so much more."

"True, but I have to respect her wishes. It's what Sheren would have wanted. And I have no reason not to listen to Lord Renfa anyway."

The man took a slow sip of his drink. "So you're perfectly fine with Sonsaku's dream being left forgotten?"

Shuyu almost choked on her drink. "Excuse you?"

"Well, I imagine that you and her were close, correct?"

Shuyu felt her face heat up, although she knew that it wasn't because of the alcohol: there was very little of it in her drink. "One could say that about us."

"And from what I've heard, you would do anything to make her dream become a reality."

"Well, yes, but now I'm going to make Renfa's dream a reality. As I said, it's what she would have wanted."

"Is that what she would have wanted?" asked the man as he pulled down his hood, hiding the glow of his tattoo, as suddenly, Shuyu's pupils dilated. "Or would she want somebody to carry out her greatest desires? Someone like you?"

Shuyu, eyes now faded, smiled as she finished her beverage, placing coins onto the counter. "You're right. If I don't carry out the legacy of Sheren, then nobody will. I will make her dreams come true, and first, there's a little problem that needs to be taken care of." She then got out of her seat and made her way to the exit, before she stopped right in front of the doorway and turned back around. "You know, you never gave me your name."

"Just know that I'm a friend," said Ukitsu as he held his drink, a wicked grin spreading over his face as the now brainwashed Shuyu made her way back to the palace. Everything was going swimmingly.

~KD~

As she finalized the meeting time with the Minami Commanderies, Sonken let out a yawn. It wasn't that late, but she hadn't been getting much sleep on account of her stress. Well, perhaps she could go to bed early tonight? After all, she had to be well-rested to think straight and keep her decision-making skills sharp. She summoned a messenger to take the note and make prints of it to deliver them to those who ran the commanderies, and as he left, one of her guards came into her office.

"My lady, Miss Kokin wishes to have a private meeting with you in the throne room."

'What could this be about?' wondered Sonken as she stood up from behind her desk. 'Is Meirin going to give another lecture? Whatever the reason, the least I can do is hear her out.' She grabbed her Duel Disk just in case and slipped it onto her left wrist, as the soldier led her to the throne room. He didn't follow her inside, as she walked in to see Shuyu standing in front of the throne, facing away from Sonken as she stared at the Duel Disk of Sonsaku, which was hung on the wall above the throne.

"Hi, Meirin," said Sonken. "What did you call me here for?"

Shuyu didn't answer right away, as she tilted her head down for a second, before going back to the Duel Disk. "Sonsaku Hakufu. Wasn't she an inspiration to us all? Her tenacity, her ambition, her skill, all traits of an amazing woman, aren't they? And her dream to unite China was an admirable one, wasn't it?"

"It was," said Sonken with a smile.

"Unfortunately, she vanished before that dream could become reality."

Sonken was sad for a moment, before she became determined. "I know, but now, with the help of Lord Anthony, we can bring peace to-"

"And it's a pity that her successor lacks those traits."

This took Sonken by surprise, as Shuyu brought her hands to her side and looked down, showing that in her left hand was a deck. Specifically, her own deck, which she hadn't touched in months. "Meirin, what are you saying?"

"But it's a good thing that I don't!"

Without warning, Shuyu stepped onto the throne, which was weird in of itself, but the next thing she did shook Sonken to the core. She grabbed Sonsaku's Duel Disk, which had been forbidden to be used or even touched by anyone, a decision made by both Sonken and Shuyu, and took it off of the wall, before she slipped it onto her left wrist, and put her deck into its respective slot. She then turned around for the first time since Sonken stepped into the room, a mixture of fury and contempt across her face as she jumped off of the throne and began to walk down the steps, as Sonken tried to find her voice.

"Meirin! What in God's name are you doing? You of all people should know that that Duel Disk is for decoration only! Even I'm not allowed to use it under any circumstances! What you're doing is a complete disrespect to Sheren!"

Shuyu let out a humorless laugh. "That's rich, coming from you! You're the one who truly disrespected Sheren! But unlike you, I refuse to let her dream die! I will see it through to the end!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sonken as she backed away, as Shuyu growled.

"What do you think? It's obvious that under your rule, Go is going nowhere."

"That isn't true!" shouted Sonken. "Under my rule, we've been at peace! My people are happy!"

"But where is your vision? Where is your drive? To let Sheren's dreams of uniting China under her rule go to waste is disgusting! And so, I'm here to amend that."

"And how do you intend to do that?" asked Sonken, although she already knew the answer, as Shuyu reached the base of the steps.

"Simple. I'm going to duel you…for control of Go!"

"Forget it," said Sonken as she went for the door. "I'm not going to duel you over such high stakes. I have nothing to gain, and besides, you're my friend. I would happily duel you for fun, but there's nothing fun about this."

Shuyu made a noise of disgust. "I should have known that you would try to back out. At the end of the day, you're nothing but a coward."

This made Sonken hesitate. "What? I'm not a coward."

"Of course you are! Your active refusal to be involved in warfare is evidence in of itself."

"No…" said Sonken. "I'm just a pacifist!"

"Oh, my mistake. You're not just a coward, you're a coward who congratulates herself. I do hope that you're proud."

Sonken had begun to lose her temper as she turned around. "Meirin, I am your lord! And you will listen to me! I refuse to duel you!"

"You may be the lord of Go, Renfa," said Shuyu, "but you are no lord of mine. You never were. My loyalty remains to Sheren alone, until my death!"

Sonken bit her bottom lip. That couldn't have been true. Just that afternoon, Shuyu had been incredibly helpful, insisting that she take a break to keep herself from stressing herself out, and even said that she had been doing a "phenomenal job." In fact, she had been nothing but supportive for as long as she could remember. Had she been faking all of that kindness the entire time? It seemed unlikely. Something was definitely wrong, and she feared the worst, Ukitsu coming to mind. And as much as she didn't want to, she had no choice. She had to duel.

"Fine," said Sonken as she began to shuffle her deck. "I accept. If I win, then you will return that Duel Disk to where it belongs, and I, begrudgingly, will have to place you under arrest for treason."

"WHEN I win," said Shuyu as she shuffled her own cards, "you will step down from your position as lord of this kingdom, and you will leave Go, and never be able to return."

"Fine," accepted Sonken. She didn't like the conditions. But if she was to bring Shuyu back to normal, she needed to accept. And most importantly, she needed to win.

(Sonken: 4000 LP)(Shuyu: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" shouted Sonken. "And for my first move, I summon my Battle Ox to the field!"

Her axe-swinging minotaur appeared with a loud bellow (LV 4: ATK 1700), as Sonken ended her turn. Shuyu scoffed as she drew, and placed her own monster onto her field.

"That beast will be slaughtered by my Shining Angel!"

Shuyu's monster was an angel with short blonde hair, a white tunic, gold bracers around his biceps, leather gauntlets, and four glistening golden wings (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"How so?" asked Sonken. "That monster is weaker than my Ox."

"For now, maybe. But I intend to fix that with Shine Palace, increasing his strength by seven hundred!"

Behind Shining Angel appeared the same storybook that held Toon World, as it opened up and flipped to a different page, showing a gleaming white castle with red cones on the top of each tower, as Shining Angel began to glow even brighter (ATK 1400-2100).

"Now destroy that Battle Ox!"

The LIGHT monster fired beams of light from his wings which shattered the Beast-Warrior (Sonken: 4000-3600 LP).

"And I end my turn with a face-down."

"Okay, it's my turn!" said Sonken. "I draw! And I play De-Spell, which will destroy your Shine Palace and weaken your Shining Angel!"

The Equip Spell was soon destroyed by the green mist, with Shining Angel's attack points falling back to normal (ATK 2100-1400).

"Now I summon my Ryu-Kishin Powered!"

The gargoyle spread its wings as it let out a shriek (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now attack and destroy that Shining Angel!"

The Fiend-type sliced through the Fairy-type without a problem (Shuyu: 4000-3800 LP), but once it was gone, a yellow portal appeared where it once was.

"Fool. By destroying Shining Angel in battle, you've let me Special Summon a LIGHT monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck in attack mode, and I select my Honest!"

Out of the portal hovered another angel, this one with long orange hair, a green circlet, white wings, a blue tunic with an orange and white sash, and feather-shaped guards on his wrists and ankles (LV 4: ATK 1100).

"Maybe so, but it's still weaker than my own monster. I set one card and end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Shuyu. "And I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands!"

This new monster looked to be a terra-cotta priest, with a body made of red clay, and behind him were many ghostly hands (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And when he is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, I'm allowed to add a Ritual Monster to my hand, and I select my Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

As Shuyu slipped a card from her deck to her hand, she then activated her Trap Card, which showed a multicolored display of light surrounding The Agent of Judgment - Saturn, as both monsters shot beams of light at Sonken (Sonken: 3600-2400 LP).

"And that was my Solar Ray, dealing six hundred points of damage for each face-up LIGHT monster I control."

Sonken grimaced, before she played her face-down, revealing a card with Mystical Elf holding a blue magical orb.

"I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf, giving me three hundred life points for every monster on the field!" (Sonken: 2400-3300 LP)

Shuyu was unmoved. "I use the effect of my Honest to return him to the hand, then have my Senju attack your Ryu-Kishin Powered, while discarding my Honest to increase my monster's attack points by the attack points of your monster! Honest Crying!"

Her monster faded away, and Senju ran towards the DARK monster with a series of punches, while Honest briefly reappeared, with tears falling down his face as the Fairy-type became stronger (ATK 1400-3000), destroying the fiend (Sonken: 3300-1900 LP)(ATK 3000-1400).

"And I think that should be enough punishment for now. I end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn! I draw! And I play Fiend's Sanctuary, which will let me Special Summon one Metal Fiend Token to my field!"

The token appeared, floating aimlessly (LV 1: ATK 0), and it began to fade away just as quickly.

"Now I tribute my Metal Fiend Token to summon my Judge Man to the field in attack mode!"

The large judge materialized with a battle cry as he swung his maces (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Now destroy that Senju with Absolute Justice!"

Judge Man smashed Senju into pixels with his maces, as Shuyu adjusted her glasses (Shuyu: 3800-3000 LP).

"That should be enough, for now."

"Then I draw, and I set one monster to end my turn," said Shuyu as Sonken drew.

"And now it's my turn, and I play Stop Defense, switching your monster into attack mode!"

The monster then stood up, revealing it to be Lady of Faith, a woman with blue hair and eyes, a purple and red headdress with a star symbol holding a gold ring and green jewel, a furry green collar, and shoulder pads, and a blue robe (LV 3: ATK 1100).

"Now I summon Kaiser Sea Horse!"

Her Sea Serpent-type appeared on the field, ready for action (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I'll have Kaiser Sea Horse destroy your Lady of Faith with his King's Pike, then have Judge Man attack directly with Absolute Justice!"

Kaiser Sea Horse charged at the Spellcaster-type, before striking her with its spear and shattering her (Shuyu: 3000-2400), and Judge Man walked over to the strategist before he brought down both of his morningstars, making Shuyu flinch at the force of the shockwaves, although she managed to keep her footing (Shuyu: 2400-200 LP).

"And that will end my turn."

"Then I draw," said Shuyu. "And I play my Swords of Revealing Light, which will prevent you from attacking for three turns!"

The swords fell around both of Sonken's monsters, trapping them, as Shuyu then plucked another card from her hand.

"Now I activate Magic Reflector!"

A small purple insect-like robot appeared with some sort of device on its back, as it suddenly turned on, swirling energy visible through the glass canister, as it created an energy shield right outside the swords, revealing it to be a force field generator.

"Now I place one counter onto my Swords of Revealing Light, and if it would be destroyed, I simply remove the counter instead. However, this won't protect it from its own effect. That should end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" declared Sonken. "And since you use LIGHT monsters, and you dueled alongside my sister for so long, you should be familiar with the effect of Kaiser Sea Horse, letting it count as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a LIGHT monster! So I tribute it to bring out my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Her monster was replaced by the signature monster of Sonsaku and Sonken, the brilliant white dragon spreading its wings and flexing its claws before it released its signature roar (LV 8: ATK 3000). As soon as it hit the field, however, Shuyu grimaced.

"That is not YOUR Blue-Eyes White Dragon, that is Sheren's! To use it and claim it as your own is an insult!"

"You're the one who taught me how to use these cards, Meirin. And I know that they belonged to my sister. But now they're mine, and to use them is my responsibility. Now I end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I shall summon my own Kaiser Sea Horse!"

Sonken's eyes widened as she saw the monster appear opposite of her (LV 4: ATK 1700), but the more she thought about it, it made perfect sense. It was a LIGHT-attribute monster after all.

"Now I end my turn."

Sonken drew, and placed her new card onto her field.

"I summon Vorse Raider to the field!"

The axe wielding Beast-Warrior joined the dragon and judge (LV 4: ATK 1900), as Sonken ended her turn, and Shuyu began hers, drawing a card.

"I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

Her monster was a knight with long blonde hair, green eyes, a circlet around his head, iron armor with a blue cape and a brown suit underneath that covered his entire body below the neck, and held a sword with a long, thin slit down the center from just above the guard to about two-thirds of the blade, with a blue orb of magic on his left index finger, which was extended while the other fingers were clenched (LV 4: ATK 1700). Shuyu ended her turn after that, and Sonken drew.

"Next turn, your swords will have faded, and I can end this duel! I tribute my Vorse Raider to summon my Swordstalker!"

The Beast-Warrior was replaced by an equally violent-looking creature, being a demon with purple skin, a gray chest with black markings, small wings sticking out of its shoulders, a red cape, wing shaped horns, and a yellow sword with a red fang-like guard (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Now I end my turn," she said, the force field and shining swords shattering. Shuyu drew, and her mouth curved into a smile. "It's time for you to realize just how outclassed you are! I activate the Ritual Spell known as Shinato's Ark!"

A large wooden ark with a white sail that had blue markings on it floated above the field, with Sonken in awe at the size of it, before the front doors opened, and both Kaiser Sea Horse and Neo the Magic Swordsman floated up to the doors and went inside the craft, the doors closing behind them. A bright light began to shine from behind the gates, and they flew open to reveal a gold and black portal, the golden section swirling like a spiral galaxy (4+4=8).

"Behold, Renfa, my ultimate monster, who shall transcend this plane of existence and shine beyond the limits of humanity! Let your light shine for all eternity! I Ritual Summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

Out of the portal levitated a deep purple humanoid, with six golden wings sticking out of his back. He wore a headdress that looked like eight sticks and a white ring of cloth, resembling a ship's wheel, a golden collar and aquamarine scarf, a golden belt with an emerald buckle, a light blue kilt, and a light purple length of fabric behind his legs, trailing to his feet (LV 8: ATK 3300).

"And he has more power than any of your monsters! Shinato, attack Swordstalker with Endless Transmigration!"

The Ritual Monster gathered purple energy in his hands, and unleashed a powerful beam that cut through the Warrior-type (Sonken: 1900-600 LP), and Sonken fell onto one knee in response.

"You never had a chance of victory, Renfa. I end my turn," said Shuyu as Sonken regained her footing.

"Then I draw, and I switch all of my monsters into defense mode," said the ruler of Go, with both monsters defending (DEF 1500)(DEF 2500). As Sonken ended her turn, Shuyu let out a dark chuckle.

"Fool! When my Shinato destroys a monster in battle that's in defense mode, you take damage equal to the original attack points of your destroyed monster! Destroy her Blue-Eyes and end this duel!"

Her monster obeyed, unleashing a second blast that destroyed the white dragon and sent Sonken flying backwards into the door, slamming against it (Sonken: 600-0 LP)(Winner: Shuyu). The door then opened, with two guards who had heard the noise and rushed to the scene standing over her.

"Lord Sonken! Are you okay?" asked one, a look of concern on his face as he bent down to help her to her feet.

"She's no lord, not anymore," said Shuyu with a smirk of satisfaction, as the guards then sprung into action, pointing their spears at the traitorous strategist.

"What are you talking about?" asked the other guard. "Is this some attempt at a coup? Because we shall not let this go without a fight!"

"Stand down."

The two guards didn't lower their weapons, but they did turn around as Sonken got to her feet, her breathing ragged in pain. "She's telling the truth. I agreed to the terms that if she beat me in a duel, I would relinquish my lordship and leave Go for good. And I intend to keep my word."

"Lord Sonken," said the first guard in an incredulous tone, "surely you can't-"

"I'm not your lord anymore!" said Sonken, before she softened her tone. "With the loss of my title, my younger sister, Sonshoko, is the ruler of Go, and Shuyu Kokin is to be in charge in her absence. That is my final decree." She then walked out of the room, with three pairs of eyes trailing her as she left, tears beginning to form in the corners of her own. 'I need to get to Kikai. I need to inform Lord Anthony of what has happened.'

"Um, what are your orders, Shuyu?" asked the second guard.

"Keep the details about the…abdication of Renfa a secret, including from her sister and her former peerage members," she said as she walked over to the throne, walking up the steps until she reached the top and sat down, left fist under her chin. 'It's time for some much-needed changes around here.'

* * *

 **And with that, Meirin has fallen prey to Ukitsu's powers, and has, at least partially, overthrown Go, and her deck has finally been put on display! Due to how close she was to Sheren, who of course uses Blue-Eyes, I decided to give her a deck that was close to that, hence the LIGHT deck. Now what will happen to the Kikai-Go Alliance? How will Shaoren, Shishun, and Non react when they find out that Renfa has been dethroned? And will Renfa make it to Kikai? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball Z-I mean, Koihime Duel! Starpion out!**


	64. Royal Battle

"No place like home, am I right, girls?"

Sonshoko had a huge grin on her face as she walked through the streets of Go, with the trio having arrived around noon the following day, currently being blissfully unaware of what had transpired the previous night. Kannei had her arms folded and Rikuson had a slight spring in her step as they walked alongside her, eager to see Sonken again. However, when they arrived, they noticed something was off, and Kannei in particular stiffened as she noticed the somber looks of the soldiers. Not to mention, a certain somebody hadn't greeted them upon arrival, as she said she would. As they made their way to the throne room, the two guards genuflected.

"You have returned safely," said one of the guards. "Thank goodness."

"However," said the other, "we fear that we have…bad news."

"What kind of bad news?" asked Rikuson, fear present in her tone, as Shuyu walked over to them, having just left her planning room. Kannei clenched her fists, shaking, as Sonshoko had a chill go down her spine.

"M-Meirin…where's Renfa?"

Shuyu averted her eyes. "I'm sorry…"

'No, no no no no no!' Sonshoko slipped past the guards and burst open the doors to the throne room, and to her horror, the throne was empty. Sonshoko refused to believe the worst. She couldn't lose Sonken, she couldn't! She couldn't take another loss! She then turned around. "Come on, girls, let's go check her room! She has to be-"

"Renfa isn't in her room, Shaoren!" shouted Shuyu, as she looked to the ground. "She's…been captured while you were away…I tried to stop them, but I wasn't strong enough. I…I'm sorry…"

Rikuson let out a horrified gasp, as she brought her hands to her mouth, eyes beginning to well up with tears. Sonshoko, on the other hand, completely broke down, loudly bawling as her knees gave way, falling onto them as she cried and cried, arms limp at her sides. Kannei, on the other hand, was desperately trying to keep her cool, but there was a powerful anger building inside of her, one that she couldn't control. As Rikuson began to cry as well, with her teacher and fellow strategist attempting to console her, and the soldiers trying and failing to cheer up poor Sonshoko, Kannei asked a single question, her voice trembling.

"Who."

"What?" asked Shuyu, not catching the question.

"Who is responsible? Who took Renfa?"

Shuyu averted her gaze, as she answered. "A group of men…wearing the insignia of Kikai on their uniforms."

This information was all it took for Kannei to snap, as she turned on her heel and punched the wall, forming a hole. "THAT SNAKE!"

"Shishun, calm down!" said Shuyu.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! Lord Anthony betrayed his alliance! He betrayed all of us! That kindness of his, that kindness that I fell in love with…was it all a lie!? Were we all just a means to an end, with him waiting for us to let our guards down before stabbing us in the back!?" Kannei closed her eyes and tilted her head, growling as she tightly clenched her teeth. "I was right. I never should have left! If I stayed here, then Renfa would still be here! But now, she's in the hands of that louse…I'll kill him! I'll kill his entire peerage for this!"

"Shishun…" said Rikuson, never having seen Kannei this angry before. She had sometimes let her anger slip, usually when it came to Sonken, with questioning her loyalty to the (now former) lord of Go being a rather large button to push. But this was beyond that. She seemed downright murderous, and Rikuson had no doubt that if her temper went unchecked, she would attempt to make good on those threats.

"*sniff* So, who's in charge now?" asked Sonshoko, her tears beginning to die down.

"Her last request, before she was taken away…was to name you as her successor, Shaoren. You are the lord of Go now."

Sonshoko grit her teeth as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Then I know exactly what my first order is. Shishun, Non, the three of us are going to make Anthony pay for this. We will get Renfa back, and we will destroy Kikai!"

"We will make him regret his duplicity for the rest of his life!" declared Kannei. "He betrayed my lord, my trust…and my heart. Now I will return that pain tenfold!"

"I…I'm with you, Shaoren," said Rikuson. "I won't let Renfa suffer. We will bring her back!"

"Thanks, you two," said Sonshoko. "We'll leave right away! They won't be expecting us so soon, so we can catch them by surprise! Let's go save my sister!"

As Sonshoko took off down the hall, the bodyguard and strategist following her, Shuyu inwardly smirked. On the one hand, if the Lotus Princess actually succeeded in defeating Kikai, as unlikely as it was, then she would be one step closer to fulfilling Sonsaku's dream, with Go being the greatest power in China as a result. And if the young teenager got herself captured, then Shuyu would be made lord of Go as a result. It was a win-win situation, one that would ensure that the legacy of Sonsaku Hakufu would live on.

~KD~

"You know, Shia, it's been quite a while since I've patrolled the outskirts of the city, rather than the streets," said Kan'u, as she looked through a telescope. Currently, she and Choryo had been assigned to patrol the outside of the city while Kochu and Bacho were patrolling the inside, the White Clothes situation and large number of generals resulting in higher security. Despite this, things were mostly quiet in the capital of the Kikai Kingdom.

"Oh yeah?" asked Choryo as she strolled beside her fellow general with her hands behind her head. "How long ago was that?"

"Roughly six months ago," said Kan'u, with Choryo gawking.

"Holy crap! Has it really been that long!? I used to do perimeter patrols all the time back in To and Gi!"

"Well, I haven't," said Kan'u with a shrug. "Actually, that was the day where Anthony and I met and subsequently recruited Shuri."

"Seriously!?" said Choryo. "How did that happen? Tell me everything!"

"Well, it was not long after Rinrin, Anthony and I had saved this city from the Yellow Turban bandits. Anthony had invited me to go out on patrol with him that morning, and we ran into a trio of bandits who were trying to rob her of her cards."

"And of course, the totally awesome and unmatched Kan'u Uncho and the badass Messenger from Heaven took care of them, rescuing her!"

"Actually," admitted Kan'u, "she was the only one who dueled. After beating the leader, and having scared off his lackeys with her Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Anthony ended up recruiting her, with both of us thoroughly impressed." She smiled as she turned to Choryo. "Actually, when Red-Eyes was first unveiled, Anthony's reaction was similar to when you saw me at Hulao Pass. It was the happiest that I've ever seen him."

"Aw, now I wanna see that!" said Choryo in her "neko mode." "I bet that the two of you have the best adventures!"

Kan'u smiled as she went back to looking through the spyglass. "Yes, I guess…we…do…" she trailed off, as Choryo walked up beside her.

"Yo, Aisha," said the fellow harem member. "Is something wrong? You're kinda spacing out."

"I see something in the distance," she said as she gave the spyglass to her friend, with Choryo looking in the same direction as Kan'u, seeing an obscure figure in the distance. One that seemed to be getting closer. She handed it back to the black-haired general and got her Duel Disk ready.

"Looks like we've got someone who's looking for a fight!"

"Either that, or someone who needs our help. Let's go, Shia!" The two took off in the direction of the figure, ready to intercept them.

~KD~

As the two Kikai generals made their way to the wandering figure, Kan'u let out a sharp gasp of surprise when she saw who it was.

"Hey, isn't that chick the lord of Go? What's she doing way out here?"

Kan'u was asking herself the same question, as she saw Sonken Chubo shambling towards them. She looked incredibly distraught, with dark circles under her eyes and her eyes shrunken in fear, as she wobbled as she walked. Something was definitely wrong. Kan'u was quick to run up to Sonken, and she could hear that her breathing was ragged.

"Lord Renfa! What are you-does anyone know where you are?"

"I hope not," said Sonken, which raised even more questions. "Aisha, I need your help, please. I need Lord Anthony."

"Not a problem, we'll take you to him right away!" said Choryo with a grin as she looped the right arm of Sonken over her shoulders and began to walk her back to the city, with Kan'u walking in front of them. Kan'u was worried as her mind turned to the three members of Go that had left for home just yesterday: did they have any idea that their lord was in Kikai territory? She could only imagine how worried and scared they were, especially Sonshoko, and made a note to have somebody send a message to Go informing them of their lord's whereabouts, and that she was safe.

Sonken, on the other hand, was much more relieved than anything. She had succeeded: she had reached Kikai, and now they were able to help her. It was quite the stroke of good fortune that these two had been able to reach her. Almost like they were…expecting her.

Sonken felt her eyes shrink even more. There was no way of anybody from Kikai knowing about her exile, at least not so soon. And she had no idea that these two were simply on a rare perimeter check. Combined with her lack of sleep, which had worsened due to her efforts to reach Kikai as soon as possible, and her paranoia over Ukitsu, and Sonken's relief was replaced with a wave of fear, as she threw Choryo's arm off of her, confusing the general.

"Uh, Lord Sonken? Is something wrong?"

"Get away from me…"

"Lord Renfa?" said Kan'u in confusion, as Sonken backed away, eyes flickering between the two of them.

"You…you're with her, aren't you? With them? You must be here to finish me off!"

"What's up with her?" asked Choryo, completely confused, as Kan'u couldn't answer. Still, it was obvious that something was wrong with her.

'She's scared…really scared. But what could have caused this?'

"I won't go down without resistance!" shouted Sonken, her Duel Disk turning on, as Kan'u activated her own.

"It looks like we'll have to duel her," said Kan'u. "I just hope that once we beat her, we can calm her down."

"Give her hell, Aisha!"

(Sonken: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I draw," declared Sonken, "and I summon my Lord of Dragons to the field in attack mode!"

The dragon-themed lord appeared before Sonken in all his glory (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now I set two cards and end my turn!"

"Okay, my turn! I draw! And I summon my Axe Raider!"

As the axe-swinging Warrior-type appeared (LV 4: ATK 1700), a metal collar with eight nozzles on it wrapped itself around his neck. He then tried to remove it, only for flames to spew from the nozzles, as he began to panic.

"During your turn," explained Sonken, "I can use Ring of Destruction to destroy one monster that you control with attack points less than or equal to your life points. Then I take damage equal to its original attack points, and you take the same amount of damage! However, I play my Ring of Defense, which will negate the damage dealt by a Trap Card to zero, so neither of us lose life points!"

The Ring of Destruction exploded, taking Axe Raider with it, and the Ring of Defense appeared to repel the smoke from the explosion, leaving both of their life points intact, but Kan'u without any monsters.

"Well, that isn't good," said Choryo to herself. "Now Aisha is wide open!"

"I set two cards and end my turn!" yelled Kan'u, which prompted Sonken to draw.

"Then it's my turn now, and to begin, I summon my Vorse Raider!"

Kan'u tensed as the mighty monster appeared (LV 4: ATK 1900), knowing just how powerful it was.

"Now attack directly with Marauder Chop!"

Vorse Raider let out a powerful cry as it ran towards Kan'u, only for a certain magical spear to materialize in her hand, as she activated both of her face-down cards.

"I play my Enchanted Javelin, which will give me life points equal to the attack points of an attacking monster, and I chain my Emergency Provisions, sending my Enchanted Javelin to the Graveyard to gain one thousand life points!" And as she felt her life points already jump up from her Spell Card (Kan'u: 4000-5000 LP), she threw the Enchanted Javelin into the air, with it landing in the chest of the approaching Vorse Raider (Kan'u: 5000-6900 LP).

"Woohoo! You got her now, Aisha!" shouted Choryo, never having seen life points that high before.

"Well, I'll still deal damage!" said Sonken, as Vorse Raider sliced through the black-haired beauty (Kan'u: 6900-5000 LP). "And I'll deal even more when my Lord of Dragons attacks!"

The Spellcaster-type brought both of his hands together, then slowly brought them apart as he built up a fireball, then launched it at Kan'u, who didn't even flinch as the blast hit its mark (Kan'u: 5000-3800 LP).

"So cool," said Choryo, not caring that her idol was behind.

"That's my turn! I hope you realize that I won't let you take me!"

"We were trying to help you," said Kan'u as she drew, "but that doesn't matter at this point. I summon my Marauding Captain to the field!"

Her blonde captain appeared (LV 3: ATK 1200), and he rose both of his swords as Queen's Knight joined him on the battlefield (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, the effect of Marauding Captain lets me Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand, like my Queen's Knight! Now I equip my Marauding Captain with Lightning Blade, increasing his attack points by eight hundred!"

Marauding Captain sheathed both of his swords, holding the electrified broadsword in both hands (ATK 1200-2000).

"Marauding Captain, attack Vorse Raider with Lightning Blade Slash! Queen's Knight, attack Lord of Dragons with Majestic Sword Swipe!"

Her monsters were quick to respond, as Marauding Captain sliced through Vorse Raider (Sonken: 4000-3900 LP), and Lord of Dragons was cut in half by Queen's Knight before he exploded into pixels (Sonken: 3900-3600 LP).

"Go, Aisha! You've got her on the ropes now!" cheered Choryo, as Sonken grimaced.

"Thanks, Shia. I end my turn."

'This is bad. When I lose, they're bound to take me to Ukitsu. I can't lose!' Sonken drew, and tucked her new card into her hand for later use.

"I summon Ryu-Kishin to the field!"

Kan'u and Choryo were worried as the red gargoyle appeared (LV 3: ATK 1000), as she likely had some sort of trap waiting. Kan'u had a bad feeling that she knew exactly what it was, as Sonken ended her turn with a face-down card, and as she drew, her worst fears were confirmed as the card suddenly flipped up, with Ryu-Kishin transforming into purple germs that infected both of her monsters, destroying them.

"What the fuck is happening right now!?" asked Choryo as suddenly, Kan'u's hand was put on display, revealing Shield Warrior, Buster Blader, and Black Luster Soldier, as her two stronger monsters were destroyed.

"That's my powerful Trap Card known as Crush Card Virus! With it, I can tribute one DARK monster with one thousand or less attack points to destroy all monsters on my opponent's side of the field or in their hand with 1500 or more attack points, and if they wish, they can destroy up to three monsters with 1500 or more attack points in their deck! So what will it be?"

Kan'u actually seemed to consider it, before she took one monster out of her deck and slid it into her Graveyard. "I'll destroy The Fiend Megacyber."

'This is good,' thought Choryo. 'Now she has both a LIGHT monster and a DARK monster in her Graveyard. So she can bring out her Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!'

"The only downside to my card is that you don't take damage until the end of the next turn after its activation, but it's worth it to wipe out your whole field!"

"Then I guess I pass my turn," said Kan'u.

"Then I draw! And I play my La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!"

Her genie floated onto the field with his arms folded (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And I end my turn!"

"Okay, I draw!" said Kan'u. "And I summon my Shield Warrior to the field in attack mode!"

Kan'u Normal Summoned a tan man who wore an iron helmet that was gray and yellow with short horns and a red leather curtain covering the back and sides of his neck, as well as his ears, with his eyes covered in shadows, although the four red lines of face paint under his eyes and across his cheeks were clearly visible. He wore four white sashes in an "x" shape on his torso, connected by a blue gem, heavy iron shoulder guards, iron gauntlets, white pants with blue gems over the knees, and iron boots. In his left hand he held a large halberd with an axe blade on either side and a sharp spear tip, and in his left, a huge shield that was made of thick iron with yellow metal surrounding it with two small horns on top, with the bottom side being concave to let Shield Warrior place it on his boot (LV 3: ATK 800).

"Why would you summon that monster in attack mode when my La Jinn is over twice as strong as him?" asked Sonken.

"Because he won't be stronger for much longer! I activate Shield & Sword, switching the original attack and defense points of every face-up monster until the End Phase!"

Both monsters had their offensive and defensive stats switched, putting Shield Warrior ahead of his opponent (ATK 800-1600)(ATK 1800-1000).

"Shield Warrior, attack!"

Her monster leapt into the air, halberd raised, before he brought it down on La Jinn, slashing the djinn in two (Sonken: 3600-3000 LP).

"And I end my turn!" (ATK 1600-800)

"Then I draw!" screamed Sonken. "And I'll replenish my hand with Pot of Greed!" Sonken then drew two more cards, smiling as she saw what she acquired. "And I play The Melody of Awakening Dragon!"

Her card had Lord of Dragons playing a guitar that looked like Blue-Eyes White Dragon, as Sonken discarded The Wicked Worm Beast from her hand, and the same guitar appeared in her hands. She brought her thumb to the strings and strummed, letting out a riff that turned into a roar, as the guitar faded away, and two cards stuck out of her deck, the Lotus Queen adding them both to her hand.

"This card lets me add two Dragon-type monsters with three thousand or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points to my hand from my deck by discarding a card, like two copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon! And now, I activate my Polymerization, letting me fuse the three Blue-Eyes in my hand and bring out the most powerful monster in my possession, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

All three of her dragons appeared before her, and swirled together, with the enormous three-headed dragon towering over all three women (LV 12: ATK 4500), with Kan'u putting on a brave face, and Choryo looking impressed.

"Now destroy that Shield Warrior with Neutron Blast!"

The three heads gathered together to unleash the mighty attack that devastated the lone monster of Kan'u, as the black-haired duelist struggled to hold her ground (Kan'u: 3800-100 LP).

"And that ends my turn!"

"Come on, Aisha, you can do this! You've beaten one lord, you can beat this one too!" encouraged Choryo, as Kan'u took a deep breath as she grabbed the top card of her deck.

"It all comes down to this…I draw!" And as Kan'u flipped the card over, she saw that it was Monster Reborn. At first, she thought of maybe bringing back one of Sonken's Blue-Eyes, and keeping it from being destroyed by the Fusion Monster with the effect of Shield Warrior, when she remembered that she had something else in her Graveyard, something that had the power to destroy that dragon. She smiled as she slid her card into the Spell & Trap Zone.

"I use Monster Reborn, which lets me bring back one monster from either of our Graveyards!"

"A good card," said Sonken, "but nothing will be able to defeat my Blue-Eyes! I will not be captured!"

"Sorry, Renfa, but I have to disagree with you! I summon Buster Blader!"

Out of the card came a tall warrior in blue and yellow armor, with a high collar and two antennae sticking from his helmet. But his most notable feature was his huge single-sided sword, light gleaming off of the blade, as he hefted it off of his back and gripped it in both hands, pointing it at Blue-Eyes (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"It's still not powerful enough," worried Choryo, when suddenly, the power of Buster Blader jumped up, making it even stronger than Sonken's monster (ATK 2600-4600).

"Actually, he's just strong enough, thanks to his special ability! Every Dragon-type monster on your side of the field and in your Graveyard grants him an additional five hundred attack points! Now attack with Dragon Sword!"

Her monster obeyed, a yellow glow covering his sword as he jumped into the air, then brought down his sword, cleaving the mighty dragon in two (Sonken: 3000-2900 LP).

"Impossible…" said Sonken in complete disbelief of what had just transpired. "Nobody has ever destroyed my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in battle before!"

"Nothing is impossible," said Kan'u, with Choryo in her "neko mode," stars in her eyes. "I end my turn!"

Sonken drew, and was quick to slap her card onto her Duel Disk, face-down. "I set one monster and end my turn!"

"It's all over now," said Choryo.

"I draw! And I summon my Field-Commander Rahz!"

Her knight appeared beside the huge swordsman (LV 4: ATK 1600), as Kan'u had a monster moved to the top of her deck as a result of his effect.

"And I'll have my Rahz attack your face-down monster, then have Buster Blader attack!"

Her weaker monster brought his sword down on the opposing monster, revealed to be Saggi the Dark Clown (LV 3: DEF 1500), and destroyed it, as Buster Blader brought his blade down on Sonken, the former lord of Go falling to her knees (Sonken: 2900-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u). Choryo began to congratulate Kan'u, as Sonken whimpered, turning their attention to her.

"Please…stay away…"

"Renfa, listen to me," said Kan'u, kneeling down to look at Sonken directly. "We don't want to hurt you. We just want to help you." Sonken began to calm down, trusting Kan'u, when suddenly, the lack of sleep began to take its toll, as she felt her consciousness fading.

"Please…help me…" she managed to get out before falling unconscious, and Kan'u and Choryo began to panic. One thing was certain: they needed to get her help, and quickly.

~KD~

"I'm bored," complained Bacho as she walked beside Kochu, the older general sighing.

"I understand, Sui. You've said that already."

"I was really looking forward to spend some time with my friends, or maybe even Anthony," said Bacho, "but instead, I'm out on patrol, and nothing has happened! I'm itching for some action, Shion!"

"I understand," said Kochu, "but maybe it's best that we remain patient-" She then stopped, her keen eyesight spotting someone approaching. "Actually, it appears that you may just get your wish."

"Sweet!" said Bacho, as the two sprinted towards the approaching figure, only for her excitement to be snuffed out as she saw Kan'u and Choryo carrying the unconscious body of Sonken on their shoulders.

"Is that…Lord Sonken of Go?" asked Kochu.

"What the heck is Renfa doing way out here?" asked Bacho.

"No time to explain," said Kan'u. "Sui, I need you to get Anthony and tell him to meet us in the infirmary. Shion, we could use your help getting Renfa there." Both generals were happy to help, while a single question was stuck in the back of the black-haired general's mind.

'What happened to Lord Renfa?'

* * *

 **Edit 3/29/2020: fixed the effect of The Melody of Awakening Dragon.**


	65. Rage of the Guardians

"We heard that you need us, Meirin?"

On the throne, Shuyu smirked as Daikyo and Shokyo kneeled before her.

"I need the two of you to do a very important job for me. I want you both to travel to Kikai, and do a bit of spying. See if you can gather any information on our enemies. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Meirin!" announced the twins as they scurried off, with Shuyu smirking.

'I wonder how Shaoren and the others are faring against Kikai. Hopefully, Shaoren will end up being captured, and I'll be one step closer to my goal, her goal.'

~KD~

"So, what's the diagnosis?"

Outside the infirmary, which had its blinds drawn as Sonken was placed in an empty bed, Anthony stood beside Bacho, who had burst into the throne room insisting that he come with her, much to his confusion, and the three generals who had helped bring her there: Kan'u, Choryo, and Kochu. The doctor sighed as he closed the door.

"There were no signs of dehydration or heat stroke, and her pulse seems steady, if a bit slow. With the information that you gave me - the delusions, the fainting, the erratic movement - I think that we can declare this to be a case of fatigue."

"Fatigue?" asked Kochu. "So she is simply exhausted?"

"Correct, General Kochu. The tests suggest sleep deprivation, likely over a few days' time. While she could be awoken right now, I recommend letting her get all of the sleep that her body needs for the time being."

"What?" asked Kan'u. "But I have questions that I need to ask her!"

"And I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until she's awake of her own volition to ask them," said the doctor. Kan'u scowled, but before she could reply, Anthony put his hand on her shoulder, and she calmed down, if only slightly. They thanked the doctor for his help, and the quintet turned around, heading back to the throne room, as Kan'u spoke up.

"I don't buy for a second that sleep deprivation was the only reason for Renfa's freakout. I saw her, Anthony. And when I looked into her eyes after I had beaten her, I saw fear. Pure, primal fear. And before she fainted, she said, 'Help me.' Something happened to her. Something that made her come all this way by herself, looking for us."

"And I have a bad feeling that the answer to this mystery has to do with the White Clothes," said Anthony, clenching his fists. "The other times, we at least had a couple months of reprieve, now it's been a little over a week. They're upping their frequency, getting bolder. It won't be long until their leader takes things to the next level, and goes from conspiracy to full-blown war."

"Think we should send another message to Go telling them that we've got Sonken safe and sound?" asked Choryo, but before he could answer, a certain redheaded teen came springing down the hallway.

"Big bro! Big sis! The girls from Go are back!"

"Already?" said Bacho as Anthony and Kan'u went to stop Chohi. "It's only been two days."

"Which is enough for them to have reached Go and made the journey back," interjected Kochu. "They must have already heard about Sonken."

"Then I guess it's a no on that message, Shia," said Anthony. "Rinrin, can you take me there?"

"Rinrin can!"

"Excellent," said Anthony with a smile, before turning back to the others. "In the unlikely event that things turn sour, we'll need a third if we're to duel them. Any of you lovely ladies want to join us?"

"Ooh, ooh ooh ooh! Dibs! I call dibs!" shouted Bacho, sticking her arm in the air. "I wanna go!"

"I think that we should let him decide," said Kan'u.

"Sorry, Aisha, but Sui called dibs," said Anthony with a grin, with Bacho letting out a whoop of joy as she joined the tallest and shortest people present, slinging her arm around Anthony's shoulders, kissing her "prize" on the cheek.

"Fine, but we expect you to make it up to us later," said Kochu with a sly smile and a wink, as Anthony felt his cheeks warm up.

"I'll…think of something later!" said Anthony, as he and Bacho took off with Chohi leading the way, leaving the three women watching them leave.

"Don't worry, Aisha," said Kochu, patting the younger general on the shoulder. "I'm sure that you'll be able to spend time with him."

"I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to him, Rinrin, and Sui."

~KD~

As the trio reached the gates, they saw Sonshoko approaching, with Kannei and Rikuson flanking her. Anthony noticed that Sonshoko and Kannei seemed much angrier than usual, and Rikuson more upset. Anthony moved forward, and the newly appointed lord of Go, the former bodyguard of Sonken, and the apprentice of Shuyu stopped.

"Hey girls, I think I know what you're here for."

"You should," snapped Sonshoko, confusing the three members of Kikai.

"Um, don't worry about Renfa-"

"Don't you dare screw around, you bastard!" screamed Kannei, with Anthony flinching. She had never insulted him before, nor had he ever heard her raise her voice. "You betrayed us. You betrayed Lord Renfa! And now, you will pay for your sins!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, time out!" shouted Anthony, making a "T" with his hands. "What do you mean, 'betrayed?'"

"We heard about what you did," said Rikuson.

"While we were away, you sent your men to capture my sister!" screamed Sonshoko.

"Excuse me!?" said Bacho. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb!" screamed Kannei. "We know that you have her, so don't even bother acting like you don't have a clue what we're talking about!"

"Look, just hear us out," said Anthony. "Whatever you were told, it isn't true. Just come with us and we'll show you."

"Fat chance!" said Sonshoko, sticking her tongue out at the three. "Here's what's going to happen. We're going to duel you. We're going to beat you. And you're going to give back my sister!"

"I don't think they're listening," said Chohi.

"Then it comes down to this," said Anthony, activating his Duel Disk as his deck was automatically shuffled for him. "We accept, on the condition that if we win, you three are going to let us tell our side of the story."

"Whatever," said Sonshoko as she crossed her arms, with Kannei stepping forward, only for the Lotus Princess to stick out her hand in front of the purple-haired woman. "Hold on, Shishun. Let Non go first."

"What!?" asked Kannei as Anthony stepped forward, with Bacho giving him a kiss on the cheek "for luck" and Chohi cheering for him. "Lord Shaoren, with all due respect, why Non!?"

"Because I said so," was the reply. "Non, show no mercy!"

"Okay," said Rikuson as she shuffled her cards, preparing to face off against Anthony. "I'll make you pay for what you've done. This is for Renfa!"

"A part of me doesn't want to do this, Non," said Anthony as they both drew five cards. "But another part of me is looking forward to this. I've kinda wanted to do this ever since I saw you beat Ketsugo way back when. Technology versus magic…should be fun!" As he said this, however, there was something that Kannei said digging at the back of his mind, with his generals making his thoughts verbal.

"Lord Shaoren? But Rinrin thought the big sister was in charge," said Chohi.

"Yeah, me too," said Bacho. "What's going on here?"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Rikuson: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first," said Anthony as he drew his next card. "And I summon my Cannon Soldier!"

The purple robot appeared on the field, cannon barrel aimed at Rikuson (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And I think that I'll just set a card and call it a turn."

"Then it's my move! I draw! And I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

The magical knight appeared before Rikuson, the gem in his sword glowing as he gained a Spell Counter (LV 4: ATK 1600-1900).

"Hey, his power went up right away!" said Chohi, pointing to the Spellcaster-type.

"That's because when he's Normal Summoned, Breaker gains a Spell Counter, and each Spell Counter gives him three hundred attack points! But don't worry, he'll be back to his original amount when I remove a Spell Counter from him, and destroy that face-down card! Mana Break!"

The Spellcaster-type fired a beam of magical energy that destroyed the face-down card, revealing it to be Widespread Ruin before it broke into pieces (ATK 1900-1600).

"Now my Breaker will attack!"

Breaker sprinted towards Cannon Soldier and sliced the Machine-type to bits before it could respond (Anthony: 4000-3800 LP).

"And I end my turn with my own face-down!"

"That's it, Non, make him pay for what he did to Renfa!" screamed Kannei.

"I didn't do anything to Renfa!" said Anthony as he drew.

"Liar!" said Sonshoko.

"Guess I'll just have to wait before I can knock some sense into them," muttered Anthony. "I play the Spell Card Card Destruction, having us both discard our entire hands and draw the same amount that we got rid of!"

Anthony and Rikuson slipped their hands into the Graveyard, both drawing four new cards in the process, and both grinned as they saw what they had picked up.

"Sweet! I summon Machine Lord Ur!"

Anthony Normal Summoned a monster that none of the other five had seen, which had a red and tan head shaped like the tip of an arrow, a rounded torso, long red arms that ended in tan hands with sharp steel claws, and a bell-shaped red base (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Cool monster, but I'm afraid that it's just as strong as mine, so if you attack, they'll both be destroyed," said Rikuson, only for Anthony to smirk.

"Maybe not yet, but let's see if we can't fix that! I activate my Machine Assembly Line!"

A card appeared showing an assembly line remanufacturing Genex Controller into several copies of Genex Ally Remote appeared, and the same assembly line appeared behind Anthony, forcing Chohi and Bacho to move around it to the side to get a good look at the action, with the power of Machine Lord Ur increasing (ATK 1600-1800).

"And with this card in play, all Machine-type monsters on the field gain two hundred attack points, which means that Ur is strong enough to destroy Breaker! Go, Droid Claw!"

The Machine-type flexed its claws before taking off towards the Spellcaster-type, only for it to be hidden by a top hat, two more appearing as they were shuffled.

"Now thanks to Magical Hats, only one of those hats is Breaker, and the other two are Spell or Trap Cards!"

"You had better choose wisely," said Sonshoko with a smirk, "because you only have one chance!"

"I wouldn't say that," said Anthony. "You see, Machine Lord Ur can't inflict battle damage to my opponent. But on the flip side, it can attack each monster my opponent controls once each! So go to town, starting from the left!"

"Uh oh," said Rikuson as Ur sliced through the left hat, revealing Magic Formula (Rikuson: 4000-5000 LP). "Well, at least I still get the thousand life points when Magic Formula goes from the field to the Graveyard."

"Alright, let's go down the line!" said Anthony, as Ur sliced through the middle hat, revealing, to the shock of Anthony, Monster Reborn.

"Why would she ever send that card to her Graveyard?" asked Bacho.

"Rinrin doesn't know," said Chohi, but Anthony did. She wasn't getting rid of it, she was making it easier to access: after all, she did have cards like Magician of Faith and Magical Stone Excavation in her deck.

"Okay, third time's the charm! Droid Claw!"

One more swipe ripped open the right hat, revealing Breaker (LV 4: DEF 1000), who was promptly shattered.

"And I end my turn by setting one card."

"Then it's my turn!" said Rikuson. "I draw! And I activate Dark Magic Curtain, paying half of my life points to Special Summon a Dark Magician from my deck!" (Rikuson: 5000-2500 LP)

A skeleton wearing a red cape with a purple mirror in front of him appeared, with a huge red curtain hanging below. The skeleton went to open the curtain, revealing a swirling purple and green portal, and out walked Dark Magician, twirling his wand (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"Nice to see you, Dark Magician!" said Rikuson, the Spellcaster-type giving her a friendly nod. "Now blast that Machine Lord Ur into oblivion! Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician gathered all of the magic he could, and fired a purple beam of magic that totaled Ur (Anthony: 3800-3100 LP). However, the pieces fell onto the conveyor belt, rather than shattering into pixels.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that whenever a Machine-type monster is destroyed, Machine Assembly Line gains two Junk Counters. As for what they do, well, you'll see."

"Okay then, I end my turn!"

"Come on, Non! Make him pay!" yelled Kannei, scowling at Anthony.

"I draw! And I set one monster and one card before I send it back to you, Non!" said Anthony, internally smirking. 'Now if she destroys my Giga-Tech Wolf, I can revive it with Time Machine and protect my life points if she summons another monster.'

"I draw! And I play my Tribute to the Doomed, discarding one card to destroy your monster!"

But as Rikuson slipped her Black Magic Ritual into the Graveyard, Anthony activated his own face-down, showing a hand holding a remote detonator, thumb on top of the red button.

"Thanks for that! By activating a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster effect that targets and destroys one monster on the field and targeting one of my monsters with it, I can use Remote Revenge to switch the target to one of your monsters that fits the criteria! So Dark Magician is about to go up in smoke, I'm afraid!"

"No he isn't!" yelled Rikuson as she slipped a Quick-Play Spell into her Spell & Trap Zone, showing an image of a monster known as Dark Magician of Chaos jumping through an orange vortex, as Dark Magician faded away, and a purple portal appeared. "I play Dedication through Light and Darkness, tributing my Dark Magician to Special Summon Dark Magician of Chaos from my hand!"

Out of the portal jumped a spellcaster who looked practically identical to Magician of Black Chaos, which Anthony, Chohi, and Bacho had previously believed to be her strongest monster, until now, as the mighty sorcerer touched down on the field (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"And now he's about to show you the true power of my Spellcasters! Dark Magician of Chaos, Scepter Strike!"

Her monster jumped into the air, somersaulting before launching a blue blast of magic that completely destroyed Anthony's monster, Giga-Tech Wolf (LV 4: DEF 1400), as two more Junk Counters were placed on the Continuous Spell.

"And instead of going to the Graveyard, any monster that Dark Magician of Chaos destroys in battle is banished!"

"This is perfect! Non will have taken down their best duelist, and the other two will fall without issue!" said Sonshoko as Anthony placed the Machine-type into his banished zone, his Time Machine useless now.

"And during the End Phase of the turn that my monster was Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can add one Spell Card in my Graveyard to my hand! And I pick my Monster Reborn!"

"Should've guessed," said Anthony.

"This is bad," said Bacho. "Anthony is getting thrashed out there."

"You can do it, big bro!" chanted Chohi, believing that he still had a chance of winning.

"Thanks, Rinrin. I draw! And I set one monster to end my turn."

"My draw," said Rikuson. "And I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Dark Magician!"

Her black mage was revived, the two Spellcaster-types standing side by side (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"First up, Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician fired a blast of magic at the face-down monster, which was revealed to be Adhesive Explosive (LV 3: DEF 1000), which latched onto Dark Magician.

"And now, Scepter Strike!"

Anthony through up his arms as the blue blast that struck him directly (Anthony: 3100-300 LP).

"And that ends my turn."

"Perfect," said Sonshoko with a smile, although Kannei still glowered at the lord of Kikai, in disbelief that the man that she loved could do something so awful, or at least, that's what she believed anyway.

"I draw! And I set one monster before ending my turn, and during your Standby Phase, Adhesive Explosive will destroy your Dark Magician!"

True to his word, both machine and magician exploded, and Rikuson pointed at the face-down monster.

"Attack!"

Dark Magician of Chaos unleashed another blast, revealing the monster to be Robotic Knight (LV 4: DEF 1800) before its destruction, with more parts being placed onto the belt.

"That's six Junk Counters," said Anthony.

"And the end of my turn!" said Rikuson.

"Then I draw, and I set one monster and end my turn."

"This is getting boring," said Chohi, folding her arms.

"I totally agree," said Bacho as Rikuson drew.

"Then let's change that! I play my Magical Blast!"

A Spell Card showing Dark Eradicator Warlock and Mythical Beast Cerberus firing a red, blue, and purple blast of magic with a pink swirl around it appeared, as Dark Magician of Chaos fired the same blast at Anthony, dealing a fair bit of damage (Anthony: 300-100 LP).

"Magical Blast can only be played if I control a Spellcaster-type monster, and it deals two hundred points of damage for each Spellcaster-type I control! And during my Draw Phase, rather than drawing, I can add it from my Graveyard to my hand!"

"What!?" said Bacho and Chohi at the same time.

"But he's only got a hundred life points left!" shouted Bacho.

"So if big bro doesn't win this next turn…" began Chohi.

"Then I win," finished Rikuson. "And we get our revenge for what you did to Renfa!"

"Look, I really have no idea what you're talking about!" said Anthony. "Whatever happened to Renfa, we had nothing to do with it, I can promise you that. And we're just as concerned about what did happen to her! Please, trust us!"

Rikuson bit her lip in hesitation, before she spoke up. "Scepter Strike!"

Her monster fired his blast at the defending monster, revealed to be Oni Tank T-34 (LV 4: DEF 1700), bringing the total number of Junk Counters on Machine Assembly Line to eight. Rikuson ended her turn, and Anthony slowly drew, hoping that whatever he had picked up would be enough to get him out of this mess. As he saw what he had gotten, he smiled as he put his sunglasses over his eyes, and both Chohi and Bacho smiled, while the others were put on edge.

"I hope that you're prepared to face the future! First off, I send my Machine Assembly Line to the Graveyard, letting me Special Summon a Machine-type from my Graveyard whose level is less than or equal to the number of Junk Counters!"

The conveyor belt sprung to life, moving the pieces of scrap into a compactor, which pushed the pieces into a container, as blue lights began to light up on top, before suddenly, the container, and the rest of the machinery, shattered, leaving something massive in its place.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure of introducing this guy to you three yet. Meet the true master of the mechanical, the metal overlord that will pave the way to the future! Arise, Perfect Machine King!"

The huge Machine-type stepped past Anthony, towering over the opposing Spellcaster as all three members of Go stared in shock (LV 8: ATK 2700).

"It's so big…" said Rikuson, in awe of the massive monster.

"And it's weaker!" said Sonshoko, only for her to be corrected as Anthony played a Spell Card.

"Not for much longer! I activate Limiter Removal to double his attack points! And then I'll have him end this duel with Automaton All-Out Assault!"

Green electricity danced along the body of Perfect Machine King (ATK 2700-5400), before he unleashed a huge blast of missiles that reduced Dark Magician of Chaos to pixels, as Rikuson struggled to keep her footing as the huge shockwave kicked up a cloud of sand (Rikuson: 2500-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony). As the dust settled, Anthony walked up to Rikuson with his hand extended.

"Thanks for the awesome duel, Non! You definitely gave me a run for my money." Rikuson went to accept his handshake, when Sonshoko interjected.

"Don't shake his hand, Non, he's the enemy! Get over here! Shishun, you're up next!"

"With pleasure," said Kannei as she cracked her knuckles and walked up to where Rikuson was, the green-haired strategist walking back over to the new lord of Go, only to be annoyed as Anthony disengaged his Duel Disk.

"I'm not going to duel you, Shishun."

"What do you mean, you won't!? What, are you a coward now!?"

"No, I just don't want to have to fight someone that I love," he said. "I love you, Shishun, and I know that you feel the same way."

Kannei hesitated. He was right: despite everything, she still loved him, at least a little. But all of the anger swirling and festering inside of her greatly overpowered that love, and right now, she wanted revenge. Revenge for supposedly betraying the one person that she cared about more that him, the one that she would give her life for in a heartbeat.

"You won't be toying with my emotions any longer! I will make you pay!" Anthony looked shocked, and he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Bacho.

"Let me handle her for you, Anthony. Just take a break for right now."

"Okay," said Anthony, and Bacho grinned as she stepped up, with Anthony going over to Chohi.

"Get ready, Shishun, because I'm about to take you down!"

"We'll see," said Kannei as both duelists drew their starting hands, and like that, the game was on.

(Bacho: 4000 LP)(Kannei: 4000 LP)

"It's game on, Shishun!" shouted Bacho. "I draw! And I summon my Gene-Warped Warwolf!"

The mutant werewolf entered the battlefield with a snarl as it brandished its blood red claws (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And I end my turn by setting one card."

"My move!" said Kannei as she drew. "First, I set one card."

"She's setting now?" asked Chohi as she tilted her head, the vertical face-down materializing before Kannei.

"Shishun must be up to something, Rinrin. Be careful, Sui!"

"Then I activate my Double Cyclone!"

Kannei activated a card that depicted two tornadoes, one red and one yellow, as they both came out of the card, the yellow one speeding towards Bacho's set card as the red one looped back to Kannei's face-down, with both being destroyed. As Bacho sent her Battle Break to the Graveyard, Kannei's Trap Card flipped up, showing two gray whirlwinds raging in a wasteland, as a tornado surrounded Gene-Warped Warwolf.

"My Double Cyclone destroys a Spell or Trap Card that you control, and one that I control. And when Wild Tornado is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard while it's set, then I can target one face-up card on the field, and destroy it! So now your field is clear!"

The tornado ripped the Beast-Warrior-type to pixels, as Kannei placed a card onto her Monster Zone.

"Now I summon my Strike Ninja!"

The ninja leapt into action, daggers gripped tightly in his hands (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Attack with Stealth Slash Attack!"

Strike Ninja proceeded to blur out of eyeshot, only to appear before Bacho and slice at her with his kunai (Bacho: 4000-2300 LP).

"And to end my turn, I set three cards!"

"That's her entire hand in one turn," said Anthony. "Shishun's going all-out, and if Sui isn't careful, she's gonna get eaten alive out there."

"Come on, Shishun, you can do this!" cheered Rikuson.

"Alright, you asked for it! I draw!"

"And I play my Introduction to Gallantry!"

Her card flipped up to show a scroll on a dirt floor beside some straw, two mice, and a bottle with small fish tied to it, as a scroll appeared in the hand of Bacho.

"This is a Trap Card that can only be played if my opponent has five or more cards in their hand, forcing them to discard a random card."

Bacho opened the scroll, and the writing on it suddenly molded into a picture of Soul Charge, and Bacho sent it to the Graveyard, the scroll vanishing afterwards.

"Okay, I summon my Winged Rhynos to take care of things!"

Her flying Beast-Warrior took to the sky with a powerful bellow (LV 4: ATK 1800), but a hole soon opened in the field beneath it.

"By Normal Summoning a monster with one thousand or more attack points, you've let me destroy it with my Trap Hole."

"Maybe, if not for this! Whenever a Trap Card is activated, I can return my Winged Rhynos to my hand!" And sure enough, Winged Rhynos flew far above the trap before it returned to her hand, safe and sound.

"Now I set one card and end my turn!"

"And now, it's my turn. I draw! And I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!"

The ninja in lilac joined the ninja in black, holding his own knives in a reverse grip (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, my Strike Ninja will attack directly!" But as her monster prepared to attack, Bacho smiled as she pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

"Don't think so. I activate Call of the Haunted, bringing back my Gene-Warped Warwolf!"

The Trap Card flipped up, and Gene-Warped Warwolf returned to the field (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Perfect!" said Anthony. "Both of Shishun's monsters are weaker than Gene-Warped Warwolf, and next turn, Sui can just summon Winged Rhynos and have her monsters take out both of them!"

"Only in your dreams!" shouted Kannei as she played her face-down card. "I activate my Kunai with Chain and equip it to my Strike Ninja, increasing his attack points by five hundred!"

Strike Ninja put away his knives in favor of the blade on a chain (ATK 1700-2200), and he spun the blade before throwing it at the Beast-Warrior, destroying it (Bacho: 2300-2100 LP).

"And now, I'll attack directly with my Sasuke!"

Bacho threw up her arms as Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke slashed at her with both of his daggers (Bacho: 2100-300 LP).

"This is great!" said Sonshoko. "Shishun has all of her life points still, and Bacho over there only has three hundred!"

"I end my turn!"

"Okay, I draw!" said Bacho. "And I activate my Forbidden Lance, decreasing the attack points of one monster on the field by eight hundred, and making them unaffected by other Spell and Trap Cards! So now your Strike Ninja is about to become a lot weaker!"

The spear appeared in the left hand of Strike Ninja, as his power went down significantly (ATK 2200-900).

"Now I summon my Winged Rhynos back to the field!"

Kannei took a defensive stance as the winged Beast-Warrior returned to the field (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now my Winged Rhynos will attack and destroy that Strike Ninja!"

Winged Rhynos bashed the Warrior-type with its club, shattering him (Kannei: 4000-3100 LP).

"And now, I end my turn with a face-down!"

"Go Sui! You can beat her! Beat her good!" cheered Chohi, really getting into the duel.

"I draw, and I summon my Armed Ninja!"

Bacho rose a thick eyebrow as the weak Flip Monster appeared beside Sasuke (LV 1: ATK 300). "Why are you bringing him out in attack mode?"

"Because she's going to have Sasuke destroy your Rhynos in a double knockout!" said Rikuson excitedly.

"And then Armed Ninja will finish you off!" said Sonshoko, pointing at Bacho.

"Exactly. End this, Sasuke!"

Both Winged Rhynos and Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke began to charge at each other, but before they could meet, Bacho flipped up her face-down card, showing a stand with a red quilt, and on top of it, a piece of leather head armor with spikes on it, and two large ornamental deer antlers, as those same antlers and headpiece appeared on Winged Rhynos (ATK 1800-2600), as the Beast-Warrior-type charged at the Warrior-type, then threw him over its head with the horns, with Sasuke shattering as he hit the ground (Kannei: 3100-2300 LP).

"What just happened?" asked Kannei as Bacho drew a card.

"That was my Horn of the Phantom Beast, a Trap Card that, when activated, equips to a Beast-type or Beast-Warrior-type that I control, giving it eight hundred attack points, and whenever it destroys one of your guys in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I get to draw a card!"

Kannei flinched, and as she ended her turn, Bacho drew and pointed at Armed Ninja.

"Let's end this duel! Winged Rhynos, attack!"

Armed Ninja was smashed into pixels with a swing of the monster's club, and Kannei fell to her knees and hands, as she punched the sand (Kannei: 2300-0 LP)(Winner: Bacho).

"I can't believe it…I lost! I…I failed to avenge Lord Renfa…damn you!"

"Shishun, I already said that we had nothing to do with what happened to Renfa!" said Anthony. "Just let us tell you what happened, please! We're just as concerned about her as you! She's a friend, and an ally to the Kikai Kingdom!"

"After what you did to Renfa, you really think that we're still allies!?" said Sonshoko incredulously. "The Kikai-Go Alliance is over, because of what you did! And now, I'm going to end this myself! Shishun, Non! Return to Go!"

"Excuse you!?" said Kannei. "What are you talking about? I'm not running away."

"No, you're retreating. By my orders! I'm the lord of Go now, and I order both of you to go home! You've both lost, and I'm not letting you get captured!"

"No way!" said Rikuson. "We aren't going to desert you! We're both going to stay right here and give you our support!"

"Are you refusing my orders?" asked Sonshoko, which made Rikuson shake her head rapidly.

"No no, not at all! I just want to help!"

"Then go back to Go! If I lose, I'm not letting you two get captured too," said Sonshoko, and although Rikuson wanted to object, she knew that it was pointless.

"Fine. But please be careful, Shaoren," said Rikuson as she turned away, and Kannei followed her, but not without some parting words.

"This isn't over, Anthony! What you did was unforgivable, and I will see my revenge through to the end, count on it!"

Anthony looked crushed, as Chohi gripped his hand tightly.

"Don't worry, big bro! Rinrin will take care of her for you!"

"Huh? Oh, thanks, Rinrin," said Anthony, his mind focused on Kannei. Bacho walked over to him and put an arm over his shoulders, and Chohi skipped over to where Bacho stood, and shuffled her deck as well as she could, Sonshoko doing the same.

"This is for Renfa," said Sonshoko. "I can't lose this duel! I won't lose this duel!"

"Rinrin hopes this will be fun!"

(Sonshoko: 4000 LP)(Chohi: 4000 LP)

"Since the other two went second in their respective duels, I'll go first this time!" said Sonshoko as she drew her next card. "And I set one monster and one card to end my turn!"

"Rinrin draws! And I summon Berserk Gorilla to the field!"

The enraged ape appeared with a rapid howling as it beat its chest with its fists (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Berserk Gorilla, attack!"

The Beast-type shot a blast of fire, as the monster was revealed to be Guardian Kay'est (LV 4: DEF 1800).

"I remember that monster," said Anthony, out of his funk for the moment. "She used it in our duel. Too bad for her it's about to be destroyed."

"No it won't," said Sonshoko, "because I activate my face-down card, Waboku, to keep my monsters from being destroyed, and keep me from taking battle damage!"

Guardian Kay'est was protected from the flames, and Chohi pouted.

"Rinrin sets two cards to end her turn!"

"Okay then, my draw! And I equip your Berserk Gorilla with my Shooting Star Bow - Ceal, decreasing its attack points by one thousand!"

The bow appeared on the back of the Beast-type, making it much weaker in the process (ATK 2000-1000).

"And now, I can summon my Guardian Ceal to the field!"

The draconic archer appeared beside the mermaid (LV 4: ATK 1700), as Sonshoko slipped another Equip Spell into her Duel Disk.

"Now I equip my Ceal with Rod of Silence - Kay'est!"

In the left claw of the Pyro-type materialized a staff identical to the one that Kay'est had, being blue, with the tip having the shape of a flower with a blue gem (DEF 1400-1900).

"This gives my monster an extra five hundred defense points, and negates and destroys any Spell Card effects, besides the effects of itself, that target the equipped monster, destroying them."

"What? Rinrin didn't get all that," said Chohi.

"Don't worry, you didn't have to! Because now, I use the effect of my Guardian Ceal to send my Rod of Silence to the Graveyard and destroy your Berserk Gorilla!"

Guardian Ceal crushed and forged the staff into an arrow (DEF 1900-1400), then aimed and fired the arrow at Berserk Gorilla, destroying it.

"Now, I switch my Guardian Kay'est into attack mode," said Sonshoko, her monster pointing her staff at Chohi (ATK 1000), "and I can begin my assault! Kay'est, attack with Wail of the Raging Waves!"

The Sea Serpent-type let out a wail as a large wave appeared from nowhere, ready to crash down on Chohi, when the young general activated one of her face-downs, showing a savannah, where a saber-tooth tiger was about to attack a fallen horse, with a buffalo in the background. Out of the card appeared Great Angus (LV 4: ATK 1800), which snarled and drooled as it smashed a claw into the sand.

"Kay'est, stop your attack!" called Sonshoko, as her monster obeyed, the wave falling as she ended her lament. "How did you do that?"

"Rinrin played Battle Instinct! Now when you declared a direct attack, and I had no monsters, Rinrin can Special Summon a level four or lower Beast-type monster from her hand, in attack mode!"

"Whoa, when did she get that new card?" asked Bacho. "I've never seen Rinrin use it before!"

"We went card shopping, remember?" said Anthony. "And Rinrin got a pretty sweet haul!"

"Fine then, I set one card and end my turn!" declared Sonshoko.

"Then it's Rinrin's turn! I draw! And I summon my Fencing Fire Ferret!"

The new monster was a slender ferret with white fur and orange flame patterns on its face, back, and legs, with a long tail that had a red blade with six hooked segments (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now Rinrin activates Rush Recklessly, to boost the power of Fencing Fire Ferret by seven hundred points!"

The ferret let out a hiss as it grew stronger, a red aura billowing around it (ATK 1700-2400).

"Now Rinrin's Great Angus will attack Guardian Ceal!"

Her monster let out a violent roar as it brought down its paw, only for Sonshoko to activate her face-down card, which had some superhero creating a blue barrier to block a blast of fire, as that same blue barrier appeared before the dragon (ATK 1700-850), and Great Angus only hit the magical wall (Sonshoko: 4000-3050 LP).

"I play my Half Shut," said Sonshoko, "which cuts the attack points of one monster on the field in half, but makes it so that it can't be destroyed in battle this turn! My Ceal is invincible, and it's the only monster you can attack, thanks to the effect of Kay'est!"

"Yeah, but she still takes damage," said Bacho.

"Fencing Fire Ferret, attack!"

Her ferret sliced at the Pyro-type, which remained standing (Sonshoko: 3050-1500 LP). Chohi ended her turn, with the attack points of all of the monsters on the field returning to normal (ATK 2400-1700)(ATK 850-1700), as Sonshoko drew, grinning as she saw that she had gotten Guardian Eatos. She was about to Special Summon it, when she noticed the other card in her hand, and had a better idea.

"I tribute both of my Guardian monsters to Tribute Summon Guardian Eatos!"

Anthony could only gawk as both monsters disappeared, and Guardian Eatos took center stage (LV 8: ATK 2500). "What the fuck!?"

"What's wrong?" asked Bacho.

"Shaoren had no monsters in her Graveyard, and therefore, she could've Special Summoned her Guardian Eatos, and yet, she didn't! Why!? Something is up, I can feel it!"

"And now, I'll have my Guardian Eatos attack your Fencing Fire Ferret! Go, Spirit Opera!"

But before the attack could begin, Chohi played her other Trap Card, depicting Berserk Gorilla holding a goblin, with orange bolts of energy covering both monsters as the goblin began to grow in size, growing orange fur as a result.

"Rinrin plays Berserking, and during her Main Phase or your Battle Phase, one Beast-type of Rinrin's loses half of its power, and another gets stronger by the same amount! So now, Great Angus will help out Fencing Fire Ferret!"

The larger of the two Beast-types began to shrink and calm down, losing some of its muscles (ATK 1800-900), as Fencing Fire Ferret became more powerful, its teeth getting sharper, its muscles expanding, and its tail blade catching fire (ATK 1700-2600), as it sliced right through Guardian Eatos (Sonshoko: 1500-1400 LP). Little did Chohi know, that was exactly what Sonshoko had been counting on, as while the Fairy-type shattered, it left a bunch of white feathers.

"Thanks for that! If Guardian Eatos is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, then I can bring this monster out! Come on out, Guardian Dreadscythe!"

Chohi felt her jaw drop as the white feathers began to spin together in a tornado, as the pure white feathers darkened, becoming pitch-black. The black feathers stopped spinning and blasted away from each other, revealing a new monster. It was a woman with long moss green hair that covered the right side of her face, although it was already covered with a white mask that had red slits for eyes. She wore dark green armor with large scales on the shoulder pads and gauntlets, as well as a brown leather skirt like Guardian Eatos, and underneath the armor, her body was wrapped in bandages, including her hands. From her back sprouted a large pair of black angel wings which folded downward, looking like some sort of cape (LV 8: ATK 2500).

"And when this monster is Special Summoned, I can equip her with one Reaper Scythe - Dreadscythe from my deck, giving her five hundred attack points for each monster in both of our Graveyards!"

Sonshoko pulled a card out of her deck and put it into her Spell & Trap Zone, and the Fiend-type found herself holding a massive scythe in both hands (ATK 2500-4500).

"This will be tough," said Chohi as she got into a defensive stance, with Anthony and Bacho steeling themselves.

"Now attack Great Angus, Dreadscythe! Forbidden Requiem!"

The wings of Dreadscythe spread as she flew towards the weakened Beast-type and swung her scythe, cutting it in half (Chohi: 4000-400 LP)(ATK 4500-5000).

"Holy crap," said Anthony, "if this keeps up, then Guardian Dreadscythe will be nearly unstoppable!"

"I think that should do," said Sonshoko, as Chohi drew (ATK 2600-1700).

"Rinrin switches her ferret into defense mode and sets a monster, and that's it!" said the youngest of the four as she slapped the monster face-down and turned her face-up monster on its side, as Fencing Fire Ferret crouched down, bringing its tail around its body (DEF 600).

"Then I draw! And I attack your ferret with my Guardian Dreadscythe! Forbidden Requiem!"

Dreadscythe brought down her scythe on the face-up Beast-type, destroying it, as suddenly an explosion of fire destroyed her, and the embers struck the Lotus Princess (Sonshoko: 1400-900 LP).

"Yay! When Fencing Fire Ferret is destroyed, one of your face-up monsters blows up and you take five hundred points of damage! Your monster is gone!"

"No," said Sonshoko with a wicked smile, "she isn't. If Guardian Dreadscythe goes from the field to the Graveyard, I can discard one card to Special Summon her back! And remember that when she's summoned, I can equip her with a Reaper Scythe - Dreadscythe from my deck! So I discard my Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce to Special Summon her!"

Suddenly, out of a portal on the ground rose Guardian Dreadscythe, good as new (LV 8: ATK 2500), and she soon found herself holding the scythe (ATK 2500-5500).

"And now, my monster gets another attack! Take down that face-down monster!"

The Fiend-type happily obliged, slicing through the card, revealing it to be the blue spirit of a tiger, known as Soul Tiger (LV 4: DEF 2100)(ATK 5500-6000).

"And I end my turn!"

Chohi drew, and smiled as she activated a Spell Card, as the unusual trees of the Spiritual Forest grew around her.

"Rinrin plays Spiritual Forest, so that the first time one of her Beasts would be destroyed, it isn't! And now I set a monster and end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Spiritual Forest!"

Chohi flinched as the forest was torn apart by the hurricane, and flinched again as Sonshoko sent her Guardian Dreadscythe after her face-down monster, slicing through The Trojan Horse (LV 4: DEF 1200)(ATK 6000-6500), which seemed to tick off Bacho for obvious reasons.

"I end my turn!"

"This is ludicrous," said Anthony. "I've never seen a monster with such high attack points before!"

"Yeah, there's no way that Rinrin can beat that thing in a battle. She needs to find another way to beat it."

Chohi got ready to draw. 'Now or never,' she thought as she drew, then she smiled as wide as she physically could as she saw her new card. "Rinrin reveals Gallis the Star Beast, and sends the top card of her deck to the Graveyard!"

"If it's a monster," said Anthony, "then Rinrin can Special Summon her Gallis and deal damage equal to the level of the monster times two hundred, but if it's not, then Gallis is destroyed, and she'll be wide open for seven thousand points of damage. And even so, if she wants to win this round, she needs to get rid of a monster with at least five stars." But as Chohi drew a card, she smiled as she revealed Behemoth the King of All Animals, and both spectators were amazed. Chohi had won! She slid it into her Graveyard, and Chohi slapped her monster onto her Duel Disk.

"Now Rinrin summons Gallis for the win! Star Beam!"

Her monster appeared, being a gryphon with black armor on its head, beak and body, red legs, black, red, and white wings, black tail feathers, and a marking of a yellow star in a red circle on its chest (LV 3: ATK 800), as it shot a red beam from that circle with seven stars, knocking back Sonshoko as she spun around and fell on her stomach (Sonshoko: 900-0 LP)(Winner: Chohi).

"Alright, Rinrin!" cheered Bacho as she and Anthony congratulated Chohi and gave her high-fives, as Sonshoko got up, growling, bringing the attention of the King of Games to her.

"No…I will avenge her! I will make you pay!"

"No," said Anthony sternly, putting his hands on her shoulders as his generals stood beside him for support, "you're going to listen. We do have Renfa, but we didn't kidnap her. We have no idea what happened to her. All I know is that Aisha and Shia found her in the desert, wandering towards Kikai, and brought her back here, with her falling unconscious before. I promise, Shaoren, I would never do anything to harm my friends, nor would I allow anyone in my peerage to do so. You have to believe us, no matter how angry you are."

Sonshoko didn't respond at first, although her lips trembled and her eyes became wet. "Where is my sister now?"

"The infirmary, fast asleep, since the doctor said that she needs rest due to sleep deprivation. Once she's awake, Aisha intends to ask her some questions so that we can help her." He then cracked a soft smile. "So, do you want to see your big sister? I promise, she's completely safe."

Sonshoko sniffled a little and nodded. "Please."


	66. Twinsanity

"Renfa…"

Sonshoko was crestfallen and overjoyed at the same time as she saw her sister fast asleep in the dark room, tears filling her eyes as she saw her frown and move, trying to get comfortable. On the one hand, she was happy. Happy that her beloved big sister was safe and sound, and that she was able to see it for herself. But on the other hand, to see her like this was horrible. To hear about how scared she had been when they had found her. Anthony sat down on a bench outside, lost in his own thoughts, as Kan'u (who they had run into taking Sonshoko to see Sonken, with Bacho taking her place on patrol) and Chohi were on either side of the short-lived lord of Go: since she had technically been "captured," she had no doubt that her position was lost. Eventually, Kan'u silently pulled on her shoulder, and the trio left the infirmary, closing the door as quietly as possible. Sonshoko whimpered.

"I hate seeing her like that. What…what happened to her? Who or what could have done this!?"

"We…have no idea," admitted Kan'u. "That's why I want to ask her when she gets up. Although we have a few ideas."

"I just hope that we can find out fast," said Sonshoko as her hands became shaking fists, and Anthony took a deep breath, his mind not only on Sonken, but about Kannei. While he was worried about how Rikuson reacted as well, Kannei was something else. To see her so angry with him, so hateful…it stung.

"Hey, isn't that chick Sonken's little sis from the tournament?" came a voice, as the four turned to see Bunshu walking down the hallway. "What's she doing here?"

"Long story," said Chohi, with Bunshu shrugging, as Anthony managed a weak smile.

"Hey Ishe, do you think that you can take Shaoren here to a spare room for the night?" he asked. "It's gonna be dark soon, and she's been through a lot."

"Sure thing, boss!" said the green-haired servant with a smile, as Sonshoko shook her head.

"Wait, I want to stay with Renfa for when she wakes up!"

"You can't," said Kan'u, crossing her arms. "And believe me, I wish that I could. But when she does wake up, you'll be one of the first to know, you have my word."

Sonshoko seemed to accept this, as she went towards Bunshu, only for Anthony to speak up.

"Wait, Shaoren, I have one question before you leave," he said. "That story about Kikai being responsible, who told you girls that?"

Sonshoko looked down for a second. "It was…Meirin," she said as Bunshu led her to a spare room, and Anthony's eyes shot open in surprise.

~KD~

"Are you two sure about this?" asked Anthony, as he faced Kakoton and Kakoen, the twins both in their battle outfits and equipped with their Duel Disks. Night had finally fallen in Kikai, and the trio stood outside the entrance to the throne room. Kan'u and Chohi were quick to inform the other peerage members about what had happened that afternoon, and now the Kako twins were insisting on patrolling the palace at night.

"Positive," said Kakoton. "It's clear that the White Clothes are manipulating your friends in Go, and I know how dangerous they can be." She then pointed to her eyepatch, driving the point home.

"Well, we don't know for sure if they're involved," said Anthony.

"Even if they aren't, it's clear that both you and Renfa have rather large targets on your heads," said Kakoen. "It's best to keep an eye out for you, especially when you're most vulnerable. And after all that you've done for Karin…all that you've done for us, it's the least that we can do."

Anthony sighed, as he walked towards his room, the others following him until he reached the door, after which they left, although not before Kakoen gave Anthony a quick kiss, while Kakoton simply nodded. Anthony opened the door, walked inside, and closed the door behind him, making extra sure to lock it.

"There you are. I've been waiting for you for a while now, Anthony. Don't you know how rude it is to keep a girl waiting?"

Anthony turned to see Choun lying down on his bed with a sultry grin, and Anthony sighed. Since seven of his eight girlfriends (if he could still consider Kannei to be with him, after what she said) lived in the palace, they had made a schedule for who got to share a bed with him each night, with Choun having tonight. Anthony yawned as he took off his shoes and jacket.

"Sorry, Sei, I was talking with the twins. They'll be patrolling the palace tonight."

"Because of Go, right?" asked Choun as Anthony placed his satchel onto a dresser and put his hat and glasses on his nightstand, the lord of Kikai nodding as he sat beside her, as she got in close and drummed her fingers on his right shoulder. "Well, if you're stressed, I think I can provide a solution."

"Maybe another night, Sei," said Anthony,turning his eyes to the side. "I'm not in the mood tonight."

Choun noticed that there was something on his mind, from his words, body language, and tone. "Is there something that you want to talk about? Because I'm here for you."

Anthony sighed as he stared at the ceiling, arms folded against the headboard as he rested his head against them. "Two things. First, and more importantly, is the one that told the girls from Go the lie that we were responsible for what happened to Renfa. Shaoren said that it was Meirin."

"Who?" asked Choun.

"Shuyu Kokin, the lead strategist of Go and Non's teacher, if I remember correctly. I met her way back in the Anti-Totaku Alliance, before you or Shion joined. The thing is, she had no reason to lie about our involvement. She was nice to both me and her lord. Hell, she even asked me to help get Renfa out of her shell, which led to the Kikai-Go Alliance becoming a thing, although that's in shambles now."

"Sounds fishy, but familiar. Wasn't there another case of somebody acting unlike themselves? A certain ruler of Gi?"

"Yeah, but that raises more questions. Like if it is, in fact, Ukitsu's handiwork, why go for Meirin, when Renfa is the leader of Go?"

"Maybe he thought that she would be an easier target," said Choun, as Anthony sighed.

"Maybe. But whatever it is, it doesn't feel good."

"Well, I'm sure that we'll all be able to handle this," said Choun, which made Anthony manage a weak smile, as Choun raised an eyebrow. "That smile of yours seems much less vibrant. And you said 'first.' What else is on your mind?"

Anthony sighed. "It's…well, it's not as important as this right now, but-"

"But what? Enough stalling, Anthony."

"It's…Shishun."

Choun blinked. "What about her?"

"When I saw her, she was…furious at me."

This threw Choun for a loop. While it was understandable, considering what Kannei has been told, she hadn't known Kannei to be quick to anger, or even if she could be angry, seeing how she was practically emotionless when she dueled her in the past. She decided to make her thoughts verbal. "I've never seen her angry before."

"Neither have I, until this afternoon. But it was a lot more than just anger. Hearing everything that she said to me…it sounded like she outright hated me. And I feel bad for it."

"Why should you?" asked Choun. "As you said, it isn't your fault what happened to Lord Sonken."

"But I kept telling not to worry, that I would try to make her feel better, and now the person who she's devoted her life to has disappeared, in her eyes. I feel like…I failed her. All this time that she's admired me for being a leader with such kindness, tainted by a vicious lie…can she forgive me, even if she learns the truth?"

"She will," said Choun, as she pulled down Anthony so that the two of them were lying down, and put the blankets over them before wrapping her arms around the Messenger from Heaven. "Don't blame yourself for this. It isn't becoming of you. And whatever happens, we, all of us, will get through it together."

Her words managed to finally make a genuine smile appear on Anthony's face, as he returned the hug and closed his eyes, the two cuddling each other, while outside the lord's room, things weren't nearly as safe.

~KD~

"Come on, Shokyo," whispered Daikyo, "we've got to get into the palace! I bet that's where all of the juicy secrets are!" Having arrived at the capital of Kikai, the twin entertainers of Shuyu had managed to slip through the gates of the city and sneak over to the palace, undetected, in part due to their small size.

"What makes you think that they'd be in there?" asked the younger sister.

"Well, it's the biggest building, so it's probably the most important building. And the most important building must have the best stuff, right?" whispered back the older sister as the two slipped past a guard, who didn't hear the two talking.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," whispered Shokyo, as the two of them came into the courtyard. Daikyo tugged on her sister's arm as she pointed to a door that was left unguarded, and they both sprinted towards it as quietly as they could, and went through, finding themselves in a hallway.

"Okay, so now where do we go?" asked Shokyo, as Daikyo began to think.

"Hmm, where would spies normally look for info?" Daikyo asked herself. "Probably somewhere well-guarded, right?"

"I dunno," whispered Shokyo. "I've never been a spy before."

"Well, let's start looking!" whispered Daikyo, as the two slowly began to walk down the halls, careful to be as quiet as they could, before Daikyo found a room labeled, "study."

"Perfect!" she said, as she went to open the door, only to find the door was locked, a combination lock placed on the door to prevent unwarranted entry, with only members of Anthony's peerage knowing the code.

"Looks like we'll have to find another room," said Shokyo, but Daikyo disagreed.

"No way! There's got to be something important behind this door! Why else would they lock it? Now, let's figure out this code," she said, spinning the wheels to different characters and pulling down on the lock when she thought she had it, with no success.

"Is somebody there?"

Shokyo froze as she heard a voice from around the corner, as soft footsteps began to increase in volume, which Daikyo wasn't paying attention to. "Um, Daikyo," she said, tugging on the shoulder of her older sister, "we should probably move."

"Not a chance!" whispered Daikyo. "I'm close to cracking this code, I can feel it!"

"Daikyo, we need to go, now?"

"What has you so…spooked…" Daikyo trailed off, as she saw Kakoton looking furious, the general having heard the whispers and lock.

"So, attempting to break in, are we?" said Kakoton as she cracked her knuckles. "This area is restricted, and you two definitely shouldn't be here. Care to explain yourselves?"

"RUN!" shouted Daikyo, as she and Shokyo took off, with Kakoton chasing after them.

"Get back here, you no-good scoundrels!"

"This is bad!" said Shokyo. "What do we do?" Daikyo was at a loss, until she saw a forked path.

"Split up! There's one of her, but two of us!" Shokyo nodded, and took the path on the right, as Daikyo went ahead. Kakoton came to a stop and growled, as suddenly, Kakoen came up behind her.

"What is it, Shunran?"

"There were two girls, twins by the look of it, who had managed to find a way in, and I caught them trying to break into the study. I'll go this way," she said, pointing forward where Daikyo went, "and you go right."

"On it!" said Kakoen, as the two sisters split up, in hot pursuit of the would-be spies.

~KD~

"Come on, come on!" said Daikyo, as she ran down the hallway, until she found herself in a dead end. "Uh oh! I just hope that general went after Shokyo, and she managed to lose her!"

"I'm afraid not," said Kakoton from behind the Union Monster user, who turned around and yelped as the one-eyed general walked up to the entertainer, Duel Disk at the ready. "And now, it looks like I'll have to escort you out of here myself."

"Well, not without a fight!" said Daikyo as she activated her Duel Disk. "I challenge you to a duel! If I win, you let me and my little sister alone!"

"And if I win," said Kakoton, "then I'll be forcing you both to exit the palace, and if I catch you in here again, then I'll have you placed under arrest!" Daikyo gulped as she heard this, but nodded, not wanting to let down Shuyu.

"Bring it on!"

(Kakoton: 4000 LP)(Daikyo: 4000 LP)

"I'll be going first!" declared Kakoton as she drew six cards while Daikyo drew five. "And I begin by summoning my Amazoness Archer!"

The archer appeared before Kakoton, bow drawn back (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now, I end my turn with two cards face-down!" said the black-haired general, as Daikyo drew her next card.

"Okay, I summon my Burning Beast to the field!"

Daikyo summoned a monster that looked like a four-legged creature made out of red stones that had small volcanic craters on its back, its head being V-shaped with a single eye (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now I play Frontline Base, which lets me Special Summon a level four or lower Union Monster from my hand once per turn! And I pick my Freezing Beast!"

Her Continuous Spell appeared, and out of it crawled another four-legged monster with a V-shaped head and one eye, only this one was made out of ice crystals, long spikes sticking out of its back (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And being a Union Monster, I can equip it to my Burning Beast!"

The Aqua-type crawled on top of the Pyro-type, resting its head on top of the other, as it fused with the top of it.

"Now I'll have my Burning Beast attack!"

The combined monsters shot a blast of burning rocks at Amazoness Archer, destroying her (Kakoton: 4000-3900 LP), as one of Kakoton's face-down cards was frozen solid before it shattered, and as Kakoton slipped the Dramatic Rescue into her Graveyard in confusion, Daikyo elaborated.

"And when a monster equipped with Freezing Beast deals battle damage, I select and destroy one face-down Spell or Trap Card! But I'm not done yet, because I play my Combination Attack!"

The new card had both Burning Beast and Freezing Beast swirling together, as suddenly, Freezing Beast separated from Burning Beast, with both Union Monsters now standing side by side (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"When a monster equipped with a Union Monster attacked during the Battle Phase, I can use Combination Attack to separate them, Special Summoning the Union Monster, and then the monster that was equipped with it can attack again! So now, for both of my monsters to attack directly! Burning Beast, attack with Burning Ash!"

Burning Beast fired an eruption of volcanic ash from the craters on its back, only for Kakoton to activate her remaining face-down, as her Amazoness Archer returned (LV 4: ATK 1400), only to be destroyed by the attack (Kakoton: 3900-3800 LP).

"With my Amazoness Willpower, I was able to revive my Archer, if only to reduce the damage that I would take," said Kakoton.

"But I can still attack directly with my other monster! Freezing Beast, attack with Freezing Hail!"

The other monster fired a barrage of hailstones at Kakoton, who remained undaunted as they passed through her (Kakoton: 3800-2300 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" said Kakoton. "And I summon my Amazoness Sage!"

A new Amazoness monster appeared, being a tan woman with blue hair done up in a bun with a circlet, small orange feathers hanging from it. She also wore a gold collar, gold bands on her biceps, black bracers, a black top with more orange feathers underneath, a brown cloak with a collar made of long orange feathers, a black sash connected to a red and purple loincloth with a string of purple beads and animal fangs, and armored boots that went up to her thighs. She wielded a staff, with the tip having more feathers and animal bones (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now," she said, opening the Field Spell Zone, "I activate my Amazoness Village!"

As she put her card, showing a village that had two spear-wielding amazons and a few chickens running about, into the Field Spell Zone and closed it, the field transformed, becoming a village in the jungle surrounded by a wall of logs, consisting of wooden buildings with straw roofs, as the power of Amazoness Sage went up a little (ATK 1400-1600).

"This card gives all face-up Amazoness monsters two hundred attack points, meaning that my Sage is now the strongest monster on the field! Attack that Burning Beast!"

Her monster was quick to respond as she spun her staff and swung it upwards, shattering the Pyro-type (Daikyo: 4000-3900 LP).

"And after the Damage Step, if my Amazoness Sage attacked, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards, like Frontline Base! Amazoness Magic!"

Her monster then held her staff close and began to chant, as the Continuous Spell shattered.

"And that should be enough. I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I activate another copy of my Frontline Base! And then I use it to Special Summon my Pitch-Dark Dragon!"

Kakoton's remaining eye twitched as a second copy of the card she had just destroyed appeared, the large black dragon flying out (LV 3: ATK 900).

"Then I summon Dark Blade!"

The Warrior-type joined the Union Monsters (LV 4: ATK 1800), as Daikyo then equipped her Pitch-Dark Dragon to him, the black knight mounting the dragon (ATK 1800-2200).

"Now to attack! Dark Blade, attack Amazoness Sage with Dark Sword!"

The dragon and rider closed in on the Warrior-type and Dark Blade sliced through her (Kakoton: 2300-1700 LP), but afterwards, another monster began to run towards the battle from behind Kakoton, and she jumped over the general before landing on her feet and wielding her sword, revealing it to be Amazoness Paladin (LV 4: ATK 1700-2000).

"Hey, where did she come from?" asked Daikyo, tilting her head.

"It's the effect of my Amazoness Village. When one of my Amazoness monsters is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, then I can Special Summon one from my deck, as long as their level is less than or equal to the level of the destroyed monster. So I picked my level four Amazoness Paladin to avenge my level four Amazoness Sage!"

"Well, I end my turn," said Daikyo, with Kakoton drawing.

"Then it's my turn! And I summon Amazoness Blowpiper!"

The amazon joined Amazoness Paladin as she twirled her blowgun in her fingers, holding a dart in her other hand (LV 3: ATK 800-1000)(ATK 2000-2100).

"Now I play my Amazoness Spellcaster, switching the original attack points of my Blowpiper and your Dark Blade!" she shouted, as their strengths switched (ATK 1000-2000)(ATK 2200-1200).

"Dark Blade!" said Daikyo, worries about her favorite monster.

"Now I have my Amazoness Blowpiper attack your Freezing Beast!"

The smaller Amazoness loaded her blowgun and shot the Aqua-type with the dart, destroying it (Daikyo: 3900-3400 LP).

"And now, I think I'll have Amazoness Paladin attack your Dark Blade!"

The paladin slashed with her sword, only for Pitch-Dark Dragon to take the hit for Dark Blade (Daikyo: 3400-2500 LP)(ATK 1200-800). Kakoton swore under her breath, remembering from her duel with Anthony that Union Monsters were destroyed in battle in place of the equipped monster.

"I end my turn." (ATK 2000-1000)(ATK 800-1800).

"Then I draw!" said Daikyo. "And I play my Pot of Greed!" And after she drew her two cards, she smiled. "And now, I activate my Polymerization, fusing my Dark Blade with the Pitch-Dark Dragon in my hand, to Fusion Summon Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"

The black dragon appeared beside Dark Blade, and they swirled together, with the end result just being Dark Blade riding on Pitch-Dark Dragon in appearance, although it was much more than that (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Now attack Amazoness Blowpiper with Dark Sword Slash!"

A black aura coated the right sword of Dark Blade the Dragon Knight, and the Fusion Monster flew towards the small Warrior-type before slicing it in two (Kakoton: 1700-500 LP)(ATK 2100-2000), as Kakoton's Graveyard had black smoke billow over it.

"And when my monster deals battle damage, then I can banish up to three monsters in your Graveyard! So I banish all three monsters in your Graveyard!"

Kakoton pocketed her Amazoness Archer, Amazoness Sage, and Amazoness Blowpiper, as she pulled out her deck and flipped through it before picking a card and putting it horizontally onto her Duel Disk, and as she shuffled her deck, her Amazoness Scouts jumped from a roof and got into a defensive stance (LV 2: DEF 1100)(ATK 2000-2100), as Daikyo wrapped up her turn, and the general drew, smiling as she saw what she had drawn.

'This duel is about to come to an end,' thought Kakoton as she removed her Amazoness Scouts from the field. "I tribute my Amazoness Scouts to summon my Amazoness Queen!"

Her young twin amazons faded away, making way for the mighty matriarch of the amazon tribe (LV 6: ATK 2400-2600).

"And now, I'll have my Queen destroy your Dark Blade with her Femme Fatality!"

Amazoness Queen jumped into the air and swept her sword through the air, slicing the Fusion Monster in two (Daikyo: 2500-2100 LP).

"And to end this duel, I'll have my Amazoness Paladin attack directly!"

Daikyo screamed as she was knocked into the wall by the sword-swinging amazon (Daikyo: 2100-0 LP)(Winner: Kakoton), and as she regained her bearings, Kakoton picked her up by the back of her collar and began to carry her, the pink-haired duelist flailing.

"H-Hey! Where are you taking me!?"

"Upstairs," said Kakoton, "where my little sister has most likely apprehended yours." Daikyo was worried at the revelation that there were two of them, and she hoped that Shokyo could handle herself.

~KD~

"Phew," said Shokyo as she caught her breath, hands on her knees. "I think I lost that guard. Hopefully, Daikyo did the same."

"Knowing my big sister, I sincerely doubt that," came an unfamiliar voice, and Shokyo could feel her panic returning as she turned around, as Kakoen brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Wh-Who are you!?" asked Shokyo, holding her Duel Disk in front of her.

"General Kakoen of Kikai," said Kakoen. "And my twin sister Kakoton is the one who discovered you two earlier. Care to elaborate?"

"None of your beeswax!" shouted Shokyo, and Kakoen shook her head.

"Well, how's this. If I beat you in a duel, you'll tell me what I want to know. Is that fair?"

"Only if you two will let us go if I win!" said Shokyo.

"We'll see," said Kakoen as she shuffled her deck, her opponent doing the same. "Let's duel!"

(Kakoen: 4000 LP)(Shokyo: 4000 LP)

"I'll be going first," said Kakoen. "I draw, and I summon my Harpie Lady 3, before I equip her with Cyber Shield, increasing her attack points by five hundred!"

The blue-haired harpy appeared on the field (LV 4: ATK 1300), before she was equipped with the powerful armor (ATK 1300-1800).

"And that should finish my turn," she said, as Shokyo drew.

"Okay, I draw! And I activate my Herculean Power!"

Kakoen cocked an eyebrow as the Continuous Spell appeared, and the entertainer explained its effect. "With this, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Gemini Monster from my hand if my opponent has a monster out and I don't. So I summon my Infinity Dark to the field!"

Out of the Continuous Spell jumped a knight in black armor with a tattered black cape flowing behind him (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now I summon Gemini Summoner to join him!"

Shokyo then summoned a magician with a blue hat that had two curved points like horns, a blue mask over his red eyes, a blue robe with a high pink collar and a green inside, and a staff with an orange orb (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I activate my Super Double Summon!"

The card had a picture of Infinity Dark covered in a bright white energy, as that same energy covered her own Infinity Dark.

"This card allows me to Normal Summon a Gemini Monster that I control, so now I'll have my Infinity Dark attack your Harpie Lady 3!"

"Wait, what?" asked Kakoen. "But my monster has more attack points."

"But not defense points, I bet! And now that my monster has been Gemini Summoned, it can change the battle position of a face-up monster that you control when it attacks!"

Her Infinity Dark then formed a pit of darkness under the Winged Beast-type, and black tentacles came out, pulling down the harpy (DEF 1400), and she was destroyed by the Gemini Monster, only for it to be surrounded by a blockade of feathers.

"That's the effect of my monster," explained Kakoen. "Any monster that she battles can't attack for your next two turns, including this one, so now your monster can't attack next turn."

"It doesn't matter to me, since the effect of Super Double Summon will just send him back to my hand during the End Phase," said Shokyo. "Now my Gemini Summoner will attack!"

The Spellcaster-type shot a blast of magic from his wand, which hit Kakoen directly (Kakoen: 4000-2500 LP), and Shokyo set a card before her Infinity Dark was returned to her hand, and her turn was wrapped up. Kakoen was prompted to draw, as she smiled before she slid a card showing a harpy with long green hair in a ponytail, a blue and green skintight suit, and white wings into her Graveyard.

"I discard my Harpie Queen to add the Field Spell known as Harpies' Hunting Ground to my hand! And then I think that I'll activate it!"

She added a Field Spell that had Cyber Harpie Lady hunting down Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green, as the field transformed into a flatland, with clear skies and open space: nowhere to hide.

"Now my Winged Beast-types all gain two hundred attack and defense points," said Kakoen with pride, as she looked through her hand, and smiled. "And now I summon my Birdface!"

The anthropomorphic bird appeared on the field and let out a shrill cry (LV 4: ATK 1600-1800), and Kakoen pointed at Shokyo's lone monster.

"Now I'll have my monster attack your Gemini Summoner!"

The Winged Beast-type flew towards Gemini Summoner and slashed at him with its talons (Shokyo: 4000-3700 LP), only to be surprised to see that he remained.

"Hmm? How come your monster is still there?"

"Because once per turn, Gemini Summoner can't be destroyed by battle," explained Shokyo.

"Okay then, I'll set one card and end my turn." But as this happened, the tip of Gemini Summoner's right index finger began to glow a bright orange, as he brought it from his side and pointed at Kakoen, making a magical trail that slowly faded away (Shokyo: 3700-3200 LP).

"And once per turn, during your End Phase, I can pay five hundred life points to have Gemini Summoner either Normal Summon or set a Gemini Monster from my hand, or Normal Summon a Gemini Monster that I control! And I choose to summon my Infinity Dark back to the field! Go, Gemini Glyph!"

With great skill and precision, Gemini Summoner began to draw a glyph with his finger, and once it was complete, a portal opened in the center, and out stepped the Fiend-type (LV 4: ATK 1500). Shokyo then drew, and immediately played her next card.

"Now I activate Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards and discard two!"

"I'm well-aware of this card and its effect," said Kakoen, as Shokyo drew her new cards, then sent her King Pyron and Gemini Soldier to the Graveyard, before playing another Monster Card.

"And now I think that I'll summon a monster known as Phantom Dragonray Bronto to join my other monsters!"

What appeared to be a large blue ray appeared, before out of a hole that Kakoen assumed was its mouth came the long blue head and neck of a plesiosaur, and out from behind came a long tail (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I activate my face-down card, known as Gemini Booster!"

A red generator with various different controls on it and two Y-shaped antennas appeared, with a red and yellow bracer with blue rings and electric beacon on either side, as the bracers detached and were equipped Infinity Dark (ATK 1500-2200).

"When this card is activated, I equip it to one of my Gemini Monsters, and it gains seven hundred attack points, putting it ahead of your monster. And now I'll have my Infinity Dark destroy your monster!"

The bracers began to glow with power, as the hands of the Gemini Monster began to glow a bright electric blue as it rushed forward and punched the Winged Beast-type, destroying it (Kakoen: 2500-2100 LP), as the blue-haired general searched her deck for a specific monster.

"I actually was hoping that you would destroy my Birdface, because now I can add Harpie Lady to my hand! And now, I activate my face-down card, Call of the Haunted, and use it to revive my Harpie Queen!"

Her Trap Card flipped up, and her Harpie Queen flew out, taking to the air (LV 4: ATK 1900-2100), before she suddenly glared at Gemini Booster.

"And when Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned when Harpies' Hunting Ground is out, the one who summoned it can select and destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field!"

"But that isn't either of those monsters!" argued Shokyo. "That monster is Harpie Queen, you said!"

"But when Harpie Queen is out on the field or in my Graveyard," explained Kakoen, "then she counts as Harpie Lady! So now she'll destroy Gemini Booster, and protect my life points!"

Harpie Queen tore into the Trap Card, slashing the generator as the bracers began to spark, and Infinity Dark threw them off into the distance before they exploded (ATK 2200-1500). But the damaged generator didn't explode right away, as the antennas were charged with energy as the controls went nuts, as the device overloaded. The energy was shot at Phantom Dragonray Bronto, who roared as the power flowed through its body (ATK 1500-2300).

"What just happened?" asked Kakoen, as Shokyo smirked.

"When Gemini Booster is destroyed while equipped, I can select one of my Gemini Monsters, and treat it as an effect monster! So now the original attack points of my Bronto are 2300! So attack that Harpie Queen!"

The Gemini Monster swam upwards through the air, before coming down on Harpie Queen and ripping through her (Kakoen: 2100-1900 LP). After the attack ended, the head and tail of the Fish-type receded into its body, making it once more look like a ray (DEF 1000).

"Unfortunately, when my monster attacks when it has its effect, it's forced into defense mode afterwards. But I can still attack directly with my Gemini Summoner!"

Kakoen grunted as she was hit by another direct blast from the sorcerer in blue (Kakoen: 1900-400 LP).

"And I end my turn by setting a card!"

"Then I draw," said Kakoen. "And first, I summon the monster I added to my hand with the effect of Birdface, Cyber Harpie Lady!"

The whip-wielding harpy flew into action (LV 4: ATK 1800-2000), before she cracked her energy whip, destroying the face-down that Shokyo had.

"And since my Cyber Harpie Lady always counts as Harpie Lady," explained Kakoen as the entertainer sent her Gemini Counter to the Graveyard, "your face-down was destroyed! But I'm not done yet. Next, I activate my Elegant Egotist, and Special Summon Harpie Lady Sisters from my hand, and since they were Special Summoned, I'll be able to destroy that Herculean Power as well!"

The three sisters flocked to the field (LV 6: ATK 1950-2150), and they flew over to the Continuous Spell and shredded it to pixels with their talons.

"Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Phantom Dragonray Bronto with Shadow Nail Slice! Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy Infinity Dark with Triple Scratch Attack!"

Her monsters didn't waste any time slicing apart the two Gemini Monsters, much to the chagrin of Shokyo as the pendulum had begun to swing the other way (Shokyo: 3200-2550 LP).

"And that should be all for now," said Kakoen, as Shokyo weakly drew her next card, and set it silently before she switched her only monster, Gemini Summoner, into defense mode (DEF 0). She ended her turn, and Kakoen drew, before grinning.

"Let's end this duel! I summon my Harpie Girl!"

The blonde harpy joined the battle (LV 2: ATK 500-700), as Kakoen slipped her newly drawn card into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"Now I activate Triangle Ecstasy Spark! Now until the End Phase, the attack points of my Harpie Lady Sisters become 2700, your face-up Trap Cards are negated, and you can't activate any Trap Cards!"

Shokyo could do nothing but gulp as the three harpies got into position, the triangle forming between them (ATK 2150-2700).

"Now all three of my monsters will attack, which will destroy your monster, and leave you wide open for a direct attack from my Harpie Lady Sisters!"

The Spellcaster-type shrugged off the attack from Harpie Girl, but was destroyed by Cyber Harpie Lady, and Shokyo was sent flying backwards as the Harpie Lady Sisters finished her off (Shokyo: 2550-0 LP)(Winner: Kakoen). Kakoen smiled as the holograms faded, and Kakoton came from beside her, still carrying Daikyo.

"I see that you've caught the younger twin," said Kakoton with a smile. "Good work, Shuran."

"Thanks, Shunran," said Kakoen, as Kakoton grabbed Shokyo in the other hand.

"Now, I do believe you two were leaving?" said Kakoton, only for Kakoen to put her hand on her sister's shoulders.

"Wait. Before you throw them out of the palace, I would like some answers," said Kakoen, before she crossed her arms, the identical twins shaking in fear of the fraternal twins. "Now, let's start things off with the basics. Who are you two, and where did you come from? We may not have been here long, but we would definitely remember you two."

"We're Daikyo and Shokyo, from Go!" shouted Daikyo, not even bothering with the spy routine on account of fear.

"We're Meirin's personal entertainers!" added Shokyo.

"That name sounds familiar," said Kakoen, "but I can't put my finger on it. But back to the interrogation. Now that we know the 'who' and 'where,' we need the 'why.' Why did you sneak into the Kikai Kingdom?"

"We were told to spy on Lord Anthony! By Meirin! Just don't hurt us, please!" begged Daikyo and Shokyo, putting their hands together.

"Should we place them into the dungeon?" asked Kakoton.

"I don't think so. I doubt that either of them got any valuable intel," said Kakoen. "But we should send them back to Go, before they have the chance to."

"With pleasure," said Kakoton with a smirk, the younger twins trembling at a greater rate.

~KD~

"Waaaaaaa-oof!"

Daikyo got onto her hands in a daze as Shokyo spat sand out of her mouth, Kakoton and Kakoen standing outside the palace gates.

"And don't ever come back here if you know what's good for you!" called out Kakoton, punching her open palm as the twins panicked and took off running.

"Oh man, oh man oh man! We didn't get any intel!" shouted Daikyo.

"Master Meirin is gonna be so mad at us!" cried Shokyo.

"Meirin…I don't recall any of the Go members having that name," said Kakoen as she and her sister walked back to the palace, not wanting to be away from their post any more than was necessary. "It must be a secret name, but whose?"

"Perhaps we could ask that Sonshoko when we return," said Kakoton, as Kakoen smiled.

"That's a good idea, Shunran. After all, while Anthony is familiar with a good number of Go members and their secret names, this Meirin character could have joined later."

Kakoton was pleased that her idea was approved by Kakoen (although if Soso had approved it, it would make her day, if not her week), and the two walked in relative silence as they made their way back to the palace, the guards saluting them as they entered. But not long after they resumed their patrol, they heard a groan from inside the infirmary, which they were passing, and Kakoton stiffened.

"Another intruder!? And they've gotten to Lord Sonken!" She swiftly opened the door and allowed the candlelight from the halls to illuminate the room, only to find that nobody, sans three soulless generals and one squirming former lord, inside. Her eyebrows then rose. Squirming?

"What is happening to Lord Sonken?" she wondered aloud. "Is she having a nightmare?"

"No," said Kakoen as she went inside and opened the blinds, allowing enough moonlight to see her face. "I think that she's waking up!"

* * *

 **Edit 7/27/2019: altered the last few turns of Shuran's and Shokyo's duel, as I miscalculated Shokyo's life points. Starpion out!**


	67. Ninjitsu Start

Shuyu had her left hand in a fist propped against her chin and her right hand on the arm of her throne, fingers drumming as the two members of Go that had retreated from the fight by order of Sonshoko, Kannei and Rikuson, bowed before her, with Shuyu, at long last, being completely in charge. And it felt good.

"We're unaware of what happened to Lord Shaoren, but we presume that snake and his peerage have captured her," spat Kannei.

"Which means that you are our leader now, Meirin. Or should I say Lord Meirin?" said Rikuson.

"A tragic loss, but when it comes to war, this is to be expected, although no less despairing," said Shuyu, before she stood up. "I'm going to sleep. And I recommend that you follow my example, if we're to be at our best when we properly declare war on Kikai."

"Wait, but we were both beaten!" said Rikuson. "According to the laws put in by the late emperor, which are still in place, aren't we no longer fit to duel?"

"Perhaps, but that was when Lord Shaoren ruled. Now, Go is under new management," said Shuyu, having found a way to twist the laws into her favor. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll be busy recruiting generals to match their own, and then, it's game time." The two nodded, and left the throne room, but afterwards, Kannei went a different way than Rikuson, one that led away from her quarters.

"Hey Shishun, where are you going?" asked Rikuson.

"Out," was all that the ninja girl replied. Rikuson just watched as she disappeared from view, before heading back to her room, hoping to get some reading in before bed.

~KD~

"What!? She's waking up now? But it's at least past ten!" said Kakoton, as Sonken groaned again, and Kakoen slapped her hand over her sister's mouth, then put her index finger to her own mouth as she removed it. Sonken's eyes slowly fluttered open, then shot open as she realized she was in an unfamiliar location, with the top generals of Gi standing over her, as she quickly backed up as much as she could.

"Where am I!? And what do you want with me!?"

"Calm down, Lord Sonken," said Kakoen. "You're in the infirmary of the Kikai palace. Generals Aisha and Shia brought you here. As for what we want, your safety is top priority right now."

This answer seemed to pacify the former lord. "I…see. But I'm afraid that I am no longer Lord Sonken, for I've lost my title."

"Lost your title?" repeated Kakoton, as Sonken nodded.

"Yes. I'm just Sonken Chubo now."

Kakoen cleared her throat, attempting to get their attention, and lightly smiled when she was successful. "I'm assuming that you wish to speak with Lord Anthony, correct?"

"That's why I came here," said Sonken. "I need his help."

"Then let me fetch him, and some others, while my older sister here takes you somewhere that all of us can discuss this. Aisha wanted to ask you some questions, and we have a visitor from your home who would like to visit you. Shunran, could you take her to the room where the girls and I spoke with Anthony? It's the meeting room on the second floor."

"Of course, Shuran."

"Thank you." Kakoen then left the infirmary to retrieve the others, as Kakoton and Sonken watched her leave. Once she was out of eyeshot, Kakoton turned back to Sonken, who was trying her hardest to keep her eyes from wandering towards the butterfly eyepatch, finding it rude to stare.

"Do you need assistance?"

Sonken shook her head as she got out of the bed. "I can walk, thanks. Just take me to where I need to go."

Kakoton nodded, and she began to walk to their destination, as Sonken followed.

"One question. What did your sister mean when she said the room where she and the others spoke with Lord Anthony?"

Kakoton, sewing no need to keep this information confidential, let a scowl form on her face. "Recently, Lord Anthony has formed a harem among eight women, one of which being my sister, much to my repugnance."

"That's…new…" said Sonken.

"And your bodyguard is another member."

"Shishun?" said Sonken in surprise, with Kakoton nodding, not feeling that she needed to add anything else. The pink-haired woman was caught off guard, but the more that she thought about it, the more sense that it made. Kannei had been fond of the Kikai leader since the day they met, having treated him with kindness and respect typically reserved for herself. However, thinking of Kannei brought less pleasant thoughts. There was no doubt in her mind that her absence must be hard on the loyal duelist. As the two of them reached the meeting room, Sonken just hoped that everyone was okay back home.

~KD~

"Come on, we shouldn't keep them waiting!"

Anthony ran beside Kan'u and Choun, the latter insisting that she come, with the lord of Kikai notably missing his jacket, hat, and sunglasses, although he still had the decency to wear shoes. Kakoen had come to their rooms and informed them that Sonken woke up, as well as Sonshoko, who was with the Harpie user in front of the other three, and seemed to be accelerating, desperate to see her sister safe and sound as soon as possible. The five came to a stop before the door, and Sonshoko began fidgeting.

"Is she…okay?" said the teenager, teardrops threatening to fall.

"She seemed to be when we spoke to her," said Kakoen, which made Kan'u speak up.

"That's good. Now she'll be able to answer my questions."

Kakoen opened the door, and as soon as it was open, they saw Sonken and Kakoton sitting at the end of the table, and in the blink of an eye, Sonshoko ran inside.

"RENFA!"

Sonken was caught off guard by the presence of her sister, and as soon as she turned her head, Sonshoko had wrapped her arms around her torso, crying hysterically as she hugged her sister, with Sonken hugging her back to try and calm her down.

"Shaoren? Why are you here?"

"Long story, Renfa," said Anthony as he pulled out a chair and sat down, with Sonshoko managing to calm down enough to sit next to Sonken, although she refused to let go of her sister's hand. The others sat all around, with Kan'u right next to Anthony, and directly across from the former queen of Go. "But it'll have to wait. Aisha, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Anthony," said Kan'u. "I have some questions I'd like to ask you, Lord Renfa."

"Renfa," said Sonken, "and go ahead."

"Well, first off, I'd like to know why you were in the desert alone."

"To come here," said Sonken, "because I need your help. My title as lord has been removed, and seeing as my successor here is in Kikai, I'm afraid that Go is in very bad hands."

"That brings me to the second question," said Kan'u. "When Shia and I were taking you back, you suddenly panicked, accusing the two of us of being with 'her' and 'them.' And although I have a feeling I know who you're referring to, given a comment from Shaoren over there, I would like some confirmation."

Sonken looked down. "Meirin…it was Meirin who I was talking about. She's the one who usurped my title. And as for 'them,' I have no proof of their involvement, but I think that White Clothes group you informed me of might be involved."

"Of course they are," muttered Kakoton.

"I'm guessing that you think that Meirin's been brainwashed," said Anthony. "After all, you should have gotten my letter."

"Exactly," she said. "Earlier yesterday evening, and for most of my reign, Meirin had been nothing but kind and helpful. But later that night, she accused me of being a weak ruler who was letting the dreams of Sheren die." At the mention of their sister, Sonshoko tightened her grip. "She challenged me to a duel, saying that if I lost, I would step down as leader. And you can figure out how it went."

"That should be everything that I need," said Kan'u, as everyone took the time they needed to process this information. Shuyu had betrayed Go, likely due to the involvement of Ukitsu, and now Sonken was no longer in charge. And it didn't take a genius to figure out who was in charge now with the Son sisters gone.

"That makes sense," said Anthony. "Your sister over there said that Meirin told her that Kikai was responsible for your disappearance. So she took Shishun and Non with her and came here to get revenge." He then looked solemn, as Sonken turned to Sonshoko in disbelief.

"You did what!?"

"I thought he hurt you, Renfa. And I wouldn't let him get away with breaking his promise." She then turned back to him. "Shishun took it even worse. I think he's really shaken up by how mad she was."

Sonken sighed. She couldn't be mad at Sonshoko, not after learning her intentions. But after learning about the relationship between the Messenger from Heaven and her bodyguard, she couldn't help but feel bad for both of them.

"And there's more," said Kakoen. "Before you woke up, Sonken, Shunran and I confronted two intruders."

"Wait, what!?" screamed Anthony. "When were you going to tell us this?"

"Once everything involving Sonken had been cleared up," said Kakoen. "Anyway, the intruders were both from Go, identical twins named…"

"Daikyo and Shokyo," said Sonken almost immediately. "Performers that Sheren hired as Meirin's personal entertainers. What were they doing here?"

"I find it highly unlikely that they were after you, Renfa," said Choun, "seeing as this Meirin-"

"Shuyu."

"Shuyu, doesn't know where you are. So why would she send anybody here to break in?"

"They said they were spies," said Kakoton. "As for their current whereabouts, I sent them running back to Go. We shouldn't have to worry about them."

"At least there's some good news," said Anthony, "but there's still the threat of Meirin and Ukitsu. The latter probably won't get involved, but the former poses a problem, especially since she's seen me in action before. But I have no idea what cards she uses."

"Fortunately," said Sonken as she stood up, "I do. She uses LIGHT monsters, with her best card being a powerful Ritual Monster named Shinato, King of a Higher Plane. If you would like, I can tell you more."

Anthony smiled before he yawned. "Sure, but let's make it first thing tomorrow. Right now, it's late, and I'd like to get back to bed."

Sonken nodded, before taking her hand back from Sonshoko and walking over to the lord of Kikai, who stood up as Sonken removed her headdress, which came as a bit of a surprise to Anthony, not having seen her without it.

"Please, Anthony, I ask you not as a fellow lord, but as a friend. Please free my people from what is sure to be a future of tyranny."

Anthony held out his right hand, and Sonken tucked her headdress under her left arm to shake it. "I'll try. We'll try." He then turned to his generals from Gi. "Could you two take Shaoren back, and find a room for Renfa to stay in?"

The twins nodded, when Sonshoko went back to her sister. "Actually, I want Renfa to sleep with me, at least for tonight."

Sonken smiled. "If it will make you feel better, I'll happily do it."

"I'm cool with it," added Anthony, as Sonshoko smiled, hugging her sister's arm. Kakoton and Kakoen led them out, leaving Anthony, Kan'u, and Choun in the room.

"We should head back to bed now, and just hope that nothing else happens."

"Agreed," said Kan'u. "We'll have to tell everyone else about this new information first thing in the morning, and we need to be cautious." She hugged Anthony tightly before she left for her own room, with Choun giving a shit-eating grin before she followed Anthony back to his own room, and once they were inside, Anthony let out a groan as he kicked off his shoes and got into his bed.

"Well, with all this crap to worry about, I doubt I'll be able to get any sleep."

"Don't worry," said Choun, hugging Anthony as she lay next to him. "I'll be here for you." This gave him a little more security as he managed to give a genuine smile for the first time that night, as he returned the favor, drifting into slumber in the comfort of her arms. Things didn't look so good right now, but he would face the future. And he would be ready for the inevitable confrontation.

~KD~

Rikuson let out a yawn as she stared at the book on her desk, the words visible by means of a lit candle in the far right corner, a water clock on the far left. Usually, nothing made her feel better than a good book, but tonight was different. The words seemed to blend together as her mind wandered, with two things distracting her.

First, there was Anthony's involvement with what happened to Sonken, which he had denied. She had spent most of the trip back thinking over his words, and those of his generals. After all, while she was no substitute for Shuyu, she was still one of the greatest minds in Go, and while she knew much less about the lord of Kikai than her teacher, he didn't seem like the type to lie, and his confusion seemed genuine. But this raised another question: why would Shuyu lie about this? She was the one who suggested that the Messenger from Heaven was the one who was able to make Sonken happier, so why would she throw him under the bus? And from what Anthony said, it was clear that he knew SOMETHING had happened to Sonken, but not what happened exactly.

The second thing that dug into the back of her mind was Kannei. The strategist was worried about her. Her friend owed everything to Sonken, and would gladly put her life on the line to do so. But being separated from her for so long and having heard that she had been taken took their toll on the bodyguard. And she had nobody to talk to right now. Rikuson checked the clock. Half an hour had passed since she started, so Kannei was probably still out. And Rikuson had a good feeling she knew exactly where she was. Snapping her book shut and grabbing her Duel Disk just in case, Rikuson put out the candle and made her way to the bodyguard, who she was sure needed somebody to talk to.

~KD~

Kannei let out a sigh of frustration as she tossed a small rock into the stream before her. She was seated under a tree, her Duel Disk by her side. This spot was her personal retreat, with her coming out here to relax when she ever got worked up, the calming sound of the running water and the the tranquility of the forest calming her nerves. But it was ineffective, as a storm still brewed inside her, as she chucked another rock into the river. But she wasn't just mad at Anthony, although that was the root of most of her fury. She was mad at herself. She failed to protect Sonken. She felt her heart tighten as she remembered the day that she had first met Sonken, two years ago, although that was under…less than ideal circumstances.

~KD~

 _Despite the Duel Disk slightly hindering her movements, the sixteen-year-old bandit Kannei Koha was still as nimble as a fox and agile as a rabbit, as she hopped the gates to the palace. It was nighttime, perfect for her mission given by the leader of a local bandit group, a woman named Koso. She said that she would happily allow Kannei to join them and give her a home, a family, as long as she proved her worth by passing a test. That test? To steal the signature cards of Lord Sonsaku: the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. As she evaded the guards while undetected, she managed to make her way inside and sneak through the halls, careful as to not be seen or make too much noise. As she peered around a corner, she found herself in good fortune: standing outside one of the rooms was Sonsaku, talking with Shuyu and Sonken, not that the bandit knew or cared about who either of them were: they weren't the target._

" _So remind me again why you need to be in the library to build your deck?" asked Shuyu, her arms crossed as she was bewildered by her lord and lover._

" _Well, it's much more spacious than my quarters," said Sonsaku. "Besides, it shouldn't take long. I promise I'll be done before Non's lesson."_

" _Thank you," said Shuyu, while Sonken folded her arms._

" _I still don't get why that game means so much to everyone," said Sonken, as Sonsaku just smiled and pat her younger sister on the head, embarrassing her._

" _Maybe when you're older then."_

 _Sonken and Shuyu then turned to leave, and Sonsaku went inside the library, and once the door closed, and both the strategist and the princess were out of sight, Kannei took action as she snuck up to the door and opened it as slowly and as quietly as possible, seeing Sonsaku pull up a chair that, thankfully, was facing away from where she was. She closed the door the same way that she opened it, and saw that Sonsaku was pulling out her cards, and her eyes widened as she saw the cards that she had to steal. Sonsaku laid out her cards on the table and began to hum as she looked through them, with Kannei internally smiling. This would make it easier to sneak up on the queen of Go. She slowly began to tiptoe over to her, right arm prepared to strike. The plan was a simple one: knock out Sonsaku while her back was turned, snatch the cards, and escape without being seen. And once she gave the cards to Koso, she wouldn't be alone anymore. Closer, closer…_

 _*creeeeeak*_

 _Kannei suddenly became perfectly still as she stepped on a weak floorboard, making a squeaking noise. Sonsaku stopped humming and became still. "Hm? Who's there? Meirin, is that you?" She turned around, and her eyes widened and she stood up as she saw somebody that she didn't recognize, but she soon smiled and picked up her cards before shuffling them and putting them into her Duel Disk, while Kannei got into a defensive stance, having heard of the ruthlessness of Sonsaku Hakufu._

" _I've never seen you around here before. Who are you?"_

" _My name doesn't matter," said Kannei. "But what does is what I want."_

" _Oh, you want something from me? Okay. Name it," said Sonsaku, still smiling, as Kannei narrowed her eyes. She was acting rather nonchalantly towards someone who had snuck in and was demanding something from her._

" _I'm sure you know exactly what I want."_

" _I'm sure that I don't, sorry," said Sonsaku, looking disappointed._

" _Then let me enlighten you. I want a few select cards from you."_

" _Oh, you want cards? Perfect! After all, Go is the second largest distributor!" Sonsaku said as she clapped her hands together. "So, is there anything in particular that you want?"_

 _Kannei was utterly baffled. This was the "Little Conqueror," the "Lotus Queen?" She was acting like she didn't have a care in the world! Losing her patience, she decided to be blunt. "Are you that dense? I'm here for your Blue-Eyes cards!"_

 _Sonsaku pouted. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't give you those. After all, they're the only ones in existence, to my knowledge."_

" _And that's why I'm here, you fool," said Kannei, regaining her composure. "I'm not leaving without those cards, and I'll take them by force if need be."_

" _What's going on in - what the!?" cried Shuyu, as she and Sonken had went back, hearing an unfamiliar voice from the library, as they saw Kannei. "Who is that!?"_

" _Oh, I'm glad that you two could make it!" said Sonshoko as Kannei turned around. "Now I have an audience!"_

 _Kannei turned back. "What are you playing at?"_

" _Simple. If you want my Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards so badly, you'll have to earn them. And to do that, you'll have to beat me in a duel. But if you lose, you'll be forced to vacate the premises. Do we have a deal?"_

 _Kannei's response was to shuffle her deck. "I accept. And like I said, I won't be leaving without those cards."_

" _We'll see," said Sonsaku. "Meirin, Renfa, want to watch?"_

" _If you're dueling, then I doubt that we need to get the guards involved," said Shuyu, standing between the two on the sidelines. "I'll stay."_

" _I might not like Duel Monsters, but I can at least root for my sister," said Sonken. "Good luck, Sheren!"_

 _Meanwhile, as Kannei drew her starting hand, she began to wonder if this was her true initiation test._

 _(Kannei: 4000 LP)(Sonsaku: 4000 LP)_

" _Why don't you go first?" said Sonsaku, pointing to Kannei._

" _You're digging your own grave. I draw, then set one monster and four other cards before ending my turn."_

" _That was fast," said Sonsaku. "I draw! And first, I'll play a Spell Card called Spell Absorption!"_

 _A Continuous Spell appeared, with an image of a hand bursting out of the ground, and from it, a trail of pink energy was being absorbed by the hand of a magician._

" _Now whenever a Spell Card is activated, I gain five hundred life points! Like this one! I activate another card, Soul Absorption!"_

 _Another card appeared beside Spell Absorption, showing a monster being possessed by ghosts of various monsters, such as Beast of Talwar, Baby Dragon, Soul Tiger, Hane-Hane, and Bickuribox, and once it was on the field, it began to glow pink, and a pink blast of magic arced out of Spell Absorption and flew into the chest of Sonsaku, her life points increasing (Sonsaku: 4000-4500 LP)._

" _Now with this card on the field, each time that a card is banished, I gain five hundred life points for each one!"_

" _Sheren is giving it all she has for this duel," said Shuyu, although considering her best cards were on the line, that was a given._

" _And now, I summon my Cave Dragon!"_

 _The large dragon appeared before Sonsaku (LV 4: ATK 2000), but no sooner than it appeared, it began to sink into a red portal underneath it, and it closed behind it._

" _That was one of my Trap Cards, Bottomless Trap Hole," explained Kannei. "When you summoned that dragon of yours, since it had at least 1500 attack points, I was able to destroy and banish it."_

" _But at least I gain five hundred life points!" said Sonsaku, as a blue spirit flew out of Soul Absorption and into the chest of its owner (Sonsaku: 4500-5000 LP). "And I think that I'll end my turn with this face-down!"_

 _Kannei drew, then flipped her monster over. "I Flip Summon my Crimson Ninja."_

 _Her monster revealed himself, clutching both of his swords close to him (LV 1: ATK 300), as Kannei pointed at the set card that the Lotus Queen controlled._

" _And once this monster is flipped, I can select a Trap Card and destroy it, and if the card is set, I can flip it up and look at it, destroying it if it's a Trap Card, but leaving it be if it isn't. So let's see what that face-down card is, shall we?"_

 _The card flipped up to reveal Negate Attack, as Crimson Ninja jumped over and sliced it apart._

" _Now I summon Strike Ninja."_

 _The ninja in black appeared beside the ninja in red, tossing a knife into the air and catching it (LV 4: ATK 1700)._

" _And now I'll have both of my monsters attack directly."_

 _Sonsaku held up her arms in a guarding stance as the two ninjas slashed at her with their weapons (Sonsaku: 5000-3000 LP), making Shuyu frown in concern and Sonken look away._

" _And that should end my turn."_

" _Then it's my turn," said Sonsaku, drawing her next card. "And it's time to give you a taste of my power, courtesy of Vorse Raider!"_

 _The mighty Beast-Warrior-type appeared with a growl, holding his mighty weapon (LV 4: ATK 1900). Sonsaku had a grin creep across her face as she pointed at the Flip Monster._

" _Vorse Raider, rip apart that Crimson Ninja with your Marauder Chop!"_

 _Her monster roared as it charged the Warrior-type, axe above its head, when Kannei activated another Trap Card, this one depicting a hole in the ground with bubbling purple acid that had steam rising from it, and there were countless metal spikes sticking out of the pool of acid. A hole appeared on the field, and Vorse Raider ended up falling into it, being impaled on the spikes and destroyed, as Sonken gasped, making the poor decision to look down the hole (Sonsaku: 3000-2050 LP)._

" _That was my Trap Hole of Spikes, which can only be activated if one of your monsters attacks on the turn it was Normal or Special Summoned. It destroyed your monster, and you took damage equal to half of its original attack points."_

" _Well then, it seems that my turn is over," said Sonsaku, as Kannei drew. It appeared that the rumors of the skill of Go's Lord were greatly exaggerated._

" _I activate my Double Cyclone, destroying one of my face-down cards and your Spell Absorption! And since your spell is destroyed before the card is finished resolving, you don't gain any life points!"_

 _The yellow tornado ripped apart Spell Absorption, as the red one destroyed a Trap Card that had a golden sarcophagus opening to reveal something inside. After both twisters died down, the sarcophagus appeared, opening to reveal a shadowy black spirit with blue and gold eyes and a creepy red smile on its face._

" _And when Dark Coffin is destroyed while face-down, you can choose to either discard a random card in your hand, or destroy a monster you control, and with no monsters under your control, the choice has already been made for you."_

 _The ghost flew over to Sonsaku and pointed to one of her cards, as she sent her Kaiser Sea Horse to the Graveyard, and Kannei pointed at Sonsaku._

" _Both of my monsters will attack directly, and then I'll end my turn."_

 _As Sonsaku endured the attacks (Sonsaku: 2050-50 LP), Shuyu pushed up her glasses. "This is bad. That girl has all of her life points still, and Sheren only has fifty of hers. She needs to turn things around in this last turn, or it's game over, and she loses her best cards."_

 _Sonsaku drew, and activated her new card. "I activate my Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!" Sonsaku drew two cards, then activated one of them. "And now, I play a second Pot of Greed!" And after she had done that, she began to laugh, confusing Kannei. "Perfect! It appears that this duel is approaching its pinnacle! First, I summon my Lord of Dragons!"_

 _The Spellcaster-type appeared before Sonsaku (LV 4: ATK 1200), as she slipped another card into her Spell & Trap Zone._

" _Now I play The Melody of Awakening Dragon, letting me discard a card from my hand, such as Judge Man, to add two Dragon-type monsters that have three thousand or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points from my deck to my hand!"_

 _The dragon-themed guitar appeared in the hands of Lord of Dragons, who played the melody that called upon the dragons in Sonsaku's deck, as she pulled out two cards, then activated another Spell Card._

" _And now that I've awoken my dragons, I must call upon them! I activate The Flute of Summoning Dragon, which can only be played if I control a Lord of Dragons! Now I can Special Summon up to two Dragon-type monsters from my hand, such as two of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"_

 _A large war horn with the shape of a dragon appeared before the Lord of Dragons, as he gripped it tightly and blew into it, letting out a noise that reverberated into a roar, as two massive Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared, one on either side of the weaker monster (LV 8: ATK 3000). Sonken and Shuyu were relatively unaffected, having seen Blue-Eyes before, but Kannei was in awe, her face actually showing a bit of shock. It appeared that she had gravely underestimated the lord of Go, and perhaps those rumors were true after all. Sonsaku had a fire burning behind her eyes as she pointed at Crimson Ninja._

" _Now it's time for you to feel the wrath of my monsters! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy that Crimson Ninja! White Lightning!"_

 _One of the mighty Dragon-types charged up energy in its gaping maw, before unleashing its powerful attack, completely obliterating the much weaker monster (Kannei: 4000-1300 LP)._

" _Such power…" said Kannei in amazement. "It's unreal…"_

" _Believe it, thief, it's quite real," said Sonsaku. "And now to finally end this duel! WHITE LIGHTNING!"_

 _Her other Blue-Eyes began to charge up energy, and Kannei was able to break out of her stupor and push a button on her Duel Disk. "I activate Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy your monster!" But to her surprise, the card didn't activate._

" _Sorry, but as long as my Lord of Dragons is in play, my Dragon-type monsters can't be targeted by cards or their effects! So my attack will go through, and you'll be finished!"_

 _The powerful blast destroyed Strike Ninja, as Kannei fell to her knees (Kannei: 1300-0 LP)(Winner: Sonsaku). It was over, and she had lost. No way would Koso take her in now. The three women walked up to her, Sonsaku crossing her arms._

" _It looks like you've lost, so my cards will be staying with me."_

 _Kannei began to break down as she punched the floor while shouting. "No! I need those cards! If I don't give those to Koso by midnight, then I'll never get into her tribe! I can't stand being alone!"_

" _You should have thought about that before you tried to rob the lord of Go," said Shuyu. "I'm going to go fetch the guards to place her under arrest."_

" _Please do," said Sonsaku, when Sonken spoke up._

" _Wait a minute!"_

 _All three turned to her, as she continued. "Do we really have to arrest her? I mean, she's just a teenager. She doesn't look any older than me!"_

" _That doesn't matter," said Shuyu, as Sonken shook her head, and gestured to Kannei, who was still on her knees._

" _Look at her! She's already been beaten, and she looks miserable, not to mention if we can believe what she said, she doesn't have anywhere to go. Sheren, can't you do something?"_

 _Kannei was completely bewildered. "Why…why are you doing this? I broke into your home, attempted to rob your sister…"_

" _Because you look like more than anything, you need help," said Sonken, coming down and placing her hand on her shoulder. "And a friend."_

" _Well, now that she's gotten a taste of the power of Go, I don't think that she'll be causing any more trouble," said Sonsaku. "And besides, she was a skilled opponent." The Little Conqueror then snapped her fingers. "Aha! Since you don't duel, Renfa, she could be your bodyguard!"_

" _Well, if you're really on board with this, Sheren, then I can't stop you," said Shuyu, as Sonken smiled._

" _Then it's settled, as long as you're okay with it."_

" _You're the first person…who's ever shown me such kindness," said Kannei, as she bowed her head. "You have my undying loyalty."_

 _Sonken smiled. "Welcome to Go, um…sorry, I didn't catch your name."_

" _Kannei Koha, but you may call me Shishun."_

~KD~

Kannei looked down, allowing the slightest hint of a smile to appear, but it was only there for an instant before she grimaced, and began to look for another rock to throw, when she heard a voice call out.

"Shishun! I knew you would be here!"

Rikuson ran up to Kannei and bent over, holding her knees as she panted, out of breath from running. Kannei didn't look at her, but still addressed her.

"Hello, Non. I figured you would either be reading or asleep at this point."

"Actually," said Rikuson, sitting next to Kannei, "I came out here to talk to you. Is that okay?"

"I have no reason not to speak with you," said Kannei. "Go ahead."

Rikuson interlocked her fingers and began tapping her thumbs. This was the hard part: getting Kannei to talk about this without blowing up or shutting her out. With a deep breath to calm her nerves, Rikuson spoke. "It's…about Renfa."

Kannei took a breath of her own. "Yes?"

"I know how much she means to you. To be away from her this long must hurt. So I came to comfort you."

Kannei nodded, before she resumed scowling. "It's true, I miss her immensely. I owe her everything that I have. And as soon as we defeat that wicked, lying bastard Lord Anthony, we'll get her back."

"You really hate him, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" said Kannei, raising her voice, although Rikuson noticed a hint of hesitation. "After I opened up my heart to him, gave him my trust, he went and betrayed it! Betrayed all of us! He's a complete monster!"

"Are you sure?"

Kannei finally turned towards the strategist, staring at her as though she had two heads. "What do you mean, am I sure!?"

"You hesitated. Both now, and back in Kikai. You don't want to have to fight him, but at the same time, you want to make him pay for what he did. Is that right?"

Kannei didn't respond, which only confirmed it in Rikuson's mind.

"Let me ask you again. Do you hate him?"

Kannei turned to Rikuson, and mumbled something that Rikuson couldn't make out.

"What was that?" she asked, only to see Kannei burst into tears, which came as a massive shock to Rikuson.

"I don't know!" said Kannei as she wrapped her arms around Rikuson, burying her face in her chest as she sobbed. Rikuson was in shock: in the two years that she knew her, she had never seen Kannei cry, being stoic to the point that she didn't think she was physically capable of tears. And yet here she was, letting out all of her built-up stress, no longer able to hold back the sea of emotions.

"I love him. I really do. His kindness, his understanding…the fact that he was able to bring a smile back to Renfa's face! But then he betrayed us! And he took away the first person who ever really treated me like I belonged! I…I miss her!"

Kannei kept crying for a good while, with Rikuson rubbing her back and occasionally saying "It's okay," until finally, Kannei stopped, with Rikuson letting her friend go as she wiped her tears and returned to her stoic self, feeling much better.

"Thank you, Non, I needed that. And I apologize for letting go of my emotions to such an extent, it's unbecoming of me."

"You don't have to apologize," said Rikuson. "It's good to show your emotions, rather than keep them locked away. Besides, we're friends. You'd do the same for me."

Kannei let a small smile appear, before her face was once more neutral, and she stared at the stream. "It won't be easy, but we will end up facing our friends to get back Renfa."

"Actually, I've been thinking about that. What if Anthony really is innocent?"

"What?" was the immediate response she got, but before Rikuson could elaborate, Kannei's eyes went wide as she slapped her palm over Rikuson's mouth. "Shh. Do you hear that?" Rikuson listened closely, and she heard what Kannei heard: footsteps, two sets of them. The bodyguard and strategist both hid behind the tree, and peeked out, only to see an unfavorable sight. Two figures with white hoods, marked with the Millenium Symbol, wielding Chaos Duel Disks, one of them holding a third in his hands: members of the White Clothes.

* * *

 **Edit 3/29/2020: fixed the effect of The Melody of Awakening Dragon.**


	68. Revelations

Kannei and Rikuson were as quiet as possible as they watched the two White Clothes members go deeper into the forest, and Rikuson finally broke the silence. "What do we do?" she whispered. "Should we go and tell Meirin?"

"By the time we do, they'll likely have gone already," said Kannei. "Let's trail them, see what they're up to."

"Good idea," said Rikuson, as the two of them began to silently stalk the cultists, following them further and further into the thicket, until the two in white came face to face with somebody in a tan cloak, his face hidden from view.

"You're late," he said, the footsoldier holding the extra Duel Disk presenting it to him.

"Apologies, Ukitsu, but we had to be cautious. We didn't want our outfits to be recognized," he said as Ukitsu took his Duel Disk, which he had left behind to prevent recognition, with Genho intending to send it to him later to acquire a report. And now, it seemed that it was time to fill in his master.

Both girls, who had hidden behind a particularly large tree, thought that the name sounded familiar, as Kannei then pulled Rikuson closer. "That's the name of the man who brainwashed Soso," she whispered under her breath.

"Why is he here?" asked Rikuson, also speaking under her breath.

"I'm not sure," replied Kannei. "Let's keep listening." Both peeked out from the trunk, as the eye of the Chaos Duel Disk began to glow.

"Ukitsu, report. How is your mission progressing?"

"Without a hitch. Shuyu is under my spell, and Sonken has been driven out of town, according to the rumors."

This new information shook both girls to the core. The one responsible for the disappearance of Sonken was…Shuyu!? Rikuson especially was stunned, not just because she never suspected her, but because as Shuyu's pupil, it was an extra slap to the face. And not only that, but she was a puppet being used by the White Clothes.

"Excellent. One step closer. Anything else?"

"Tomorrow, I intend to speak with Shuyu again, and solidify my alliance with her."

"Then with the inevitable conflict, you'll need backup. I shall send Dokuro and Kurenai immediately."

"Thank you, master. Much appreciated."

"Just remember the consequences. Having Shuyu in our control is critical. Don't mess things up, especially with the risk of Sonken still being around."

Ukitsu chuckled, then said something that made the blood of Kannei and Rikuson freeze. "I took care of her sister, didn't I?"

Kannei was in complete shock, as Rikuson gasped, then covered her mouth, but it was too late. The three then turned towards the tree, as Ukitsu unfolded his Duel Disk.

"Ukitsu, what was that?"

"It appears we have an uninvited guest. Why don't you come out and introduce yourself?"

"Run," commanded Kannei, pulling Rikuson away as they fled into the night.

"It seems that there are, in fact, two that have stumbled upon this meeting. Permission to pursue them?"

"Denied. You're too vital a piece to risk losing this early."

"Then allow us," said one of the White Clothes members.

"We shall surely be able to handle these two," said the other.

"Very well," replied Genho. "Show no mercy."

As the two henchmen took off, Ukitsu then brought the Duel Disk back to his mouth. "If I may, I would like one final request."

~KD~

"I'm so sorry!" shouted Rikuson. "It was an accident!"

"It's fine," replied Kannei. "Just focus on running."

"Going somewhere?"

Both members of Go had to stop as the two cultists stood in their way, having looped around to catch them by surprise, and neither of the women intended to go back where Ukitsu was, so they were well and truly trapped.

"We didn't think so," said one of the cultists. "But don't worry, we'll gladly let you go…if you somehow manage to defeat us."

"Gladly," repeated Kannei. "Will this be one at a time, or a Tag Team Duel?"

"One at a time," said the other duelist almost immediately, as he stepped up, Chaos Duel Disk unfolding. "Who shall face me?"

"I'll do it," said Rikuson. "It's my fault we're in this mess, and I'm going to help get us out of it."

"Non, you don't have to-"

"But I want to," said Rikuson, taking her deck out of its slot and shuffling it, while a purple aura coated it, which just made Rikuson even more determined. She had won two Shadow Games: she could handle another, for her friend. And to help save Sonken, Sonshoko, and Shuyu.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Rikuson: 4000 LP)(White Clothes: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" declared Rikuson, drawing a card. "And I set one monster, and another card! That should be all!"

"Then I suppose it's my turn," said the man in white as he drew, before Rikuson activated her face-down card, as a round black stone appeared, having a yellow symbol on it that looked like a triangle with the three corners removed, and a hole in the center.

"And I play my face-down card, Pitch-Black Power Stone! When this card is activated, it gains three Spell Counters, and once per turn, during each of my turns, I can move one Spell Counter on it to one of my face-up cards that can have Spell Counters!" And as she said this, three green balls of magical energy came out of the Power Stone and began to orbit it, as her opponent smirked from behind mask.

"You aren't the only one here who uses Spellcaster monsters! I summon my Hannibal Necromancer!"

Rikuson gasped in surprise as a freaky-looking purple monster with red eyes, large forearms, a green gem in between its eyes, and yellow spikes all over its body appeared (LV 4: ATK 1400), and was even more surprised when the gem began to glow all of a sudden.

"Oh, and did I mention that when this monster is Normal Summoned, it gains a Spell Counter? And now I'll remove that counter to destroy your face-up Trap Card!"

The gem returned to normal, just as the Spellcaster-type fired a green blast from its mouth, destroying Pitch-Black Power Stone.

"And now, my Hannibal Necromancer will attack! Take this!"

His monster began to run towards the set monster and prepared to strike it with its claws, but when the card flipped up, the monster shot out from the card, nearly reaching the treeline as Kannei had to move to the side to see what was happening. Rikuson's monster turned out to be a massive library, shelf after shelf of books stacked high as platforms with green orbs underneath them stuck out in different locations, men in pink robes standing on them, either reading books on desks or organizing the books, as the platforms occasionally moved from one section to another (LV 4: DEF 2000). Hannibal Necromancer slashed at the shelves to no effect (White Clothes: 4000-3400 LP), as the cultist frowned, with Rikuson smiling.

"It looks like the defenses of my Royal Magical Library are too high for you to break through!"

"Whatever. I end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" said Rikuson. "And begrudgingly, I'm going to have to tribute my Royal Magical Library, but it's worth it to bring out my Dark Magician Girl!"

As the apprentice of the master magician appeared (LV 6: ATK 2000), Rikuson then activated another card right away.

"Then I'll equip her with Magic Formula, increasing her attack points by seven hundred!"

The sorceress in training took the spellbook and studied the ancient text, absorbing its power (ATK 2000-2700).

"Now I'll have her attack! Go, Dark Burning Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl blasted the much weaker monster to bits (White Clothes: 3400-2100 LP), and Kannei crossed her arms, pleased by Rikuson's skill. If this kept up, both opponents would be taken care of in a flash.

"And that should end my turn!"

The cultist then drew, and began to laugh wickedly, which sent a shiver down the spine of the buxom bibliophile.

"It's time for you to feel true power! I activate the Ritual Spell known as Black Illusion Ritual, and I use my Thousand-Eyes Idol to complete the ritual!"

A golden lamp with the Millennium Symbol on it and two chalices appeared, and before them was a bizarre creature with a green body, white and red striped limbs like peppermint candy, pink gloves and boots, a red and white hat, and a blue cape, with the strangest part being the many red eyes all over its body (LV 1: ATK 0). The monster went into the lamp, and it began to burn with pink flames that poured into both cups, the Eye of Anubis glowing (1=1).

"Prepare yourself for a monster unlike any you've seen before! I Ritual Summon Relinquished!"

The new monster was mostly blue and white in color, with a small head, large arms that had bladed fingers, a round torso with a Millennium Symbol in the chest, and a base that had a short spike. Suddenly, its body opened up, the torso revealed to be two large flaps, as its actual torso was slimmer, with a white circle near the stomach, which began to flex, as Rikuson cringed as she realized it was a mouth, with the Millennium Symbol being attached to a blue ball, which stuck out, being on a stalk, making Rikuson realize that was its eye (LV 1: ATK 0).

"Oh god…what is that thing?" said Rikuson, freaked out by the creature that floated before her.

"Relinquished!" said the White Clothes minion. "And while it may seem weak at a first glance, its special ability will change that! I equip your Dark Magician Girl to my Relinquished!"

"Wait, what!?" screamed Rikuson.

"Go, Hypnotic Attraction!"

The monster gazed into the eyes of the much stronger monster with its single eye, Dark Magician Girl seemingly falling under a trance as she began to float over to it, only to be absorbed into its mouth (ATK 0-2000).

"NO!" screamed Rikuson as the Magic Formula fell to the ground, before Relinquished tore into it with its claws (Rikuson: 4000-5000 LP). "Well, at least I get life points when Magic Formula leaves the field!"

"But now my Relinquished has the attack and defense points of your Dark Magician Girl! And if you try destroying it in battle, you'll just end up destroying the equipped monster while you take any battle damage that I would! Now, for a direct attack! Go, my mighty monster, Pilfered Power Attack!"

From its eye, the Ritual Monster fired a purple blast that hit Rikuson directly, screaming as it hit her before falling onto her knees once the attack ended (Rikuson: 5000-3000 LP).

"And now I set one monster and end my turn!"

"Non, can you keep going?" asked Kannei, concerned for her friend. Rikuson nodded, and weakly got back onto her feet before drawing, and managing a smile as she saw what she got, before picking a different card from her hand.

"I summon my Card Ejector!"

Rikuson summoned a monster that looked like a young girl with green hair and bright blue eyes wearing a pink and red wizard's robe and a purple hat, holding a wand with a red crystal ball on the end (LV 3: ATK 400).

"And once per turn, she can banish one card in your Graveyard! So I pick your Hannibal Necromancer!"

Card Ejector smiled as she waved her wand, which lit up with magical energy, as the man in white took the monster out of his Graveyard and put it away.

"Now for a card that will take down your Relinquished! I play a card called Magical Dimension!"

Behind Card Ejector, a rectangular metal frame appeared, with chains in the corner securing a gold, black, and white coffin that looked like a bishop, with a hole that had a swirling red and blue portal inside. Two locks near the bottom slid open, and the coffin opened, the front splitting in two as the portal was shown to take up the entire interior. The portal then began to ripple, and out came Dark Magician, stepping out of the portal (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"This card is super special! I can only play it if I control a Spellcaster-type monster, and by tributing a Spellcaster, I can Special Summon another one from my hand, like Dark Magician here! And if I do, I can then destroy one monster on the field! Like Relinquished!"

"What!?" cried the White Clothes member as both Dark Magician and Card Ejector fired blasts of purple and red magic respectively, destroying his Ritual Monster, before Card Ejector went into the portal, closing it.

"Now I'll have Dark Magician destroy your face-down monster! Go, Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician nodded before he swung his scepter, releasing a powerful purple blast that hit the face-down monster, which flipped up. The monster was Dark-Eyes Illusionist, which had a yellow head and body with a silver Millennium Symbol on its face, serving as an eye, with three red and black striped horns, a green ring around its neck, a green cape, black markings all over its body like tattoos, blue gloves, and a purple and black ring and spike making up the lower body (LV 2: DEF 1400). Since it was destroyed by the battle, it couldn't activate its Flip Effect, much to the annoyance of its controller.

"And that should be it," said Rikuson, with Kannei managing a small smirk, only to lose it as the cultist began to laugh after he drew.

"Fool. You may have conquered my Relinquished, but that monster, while powerful, wasn't nearly the strongest that I possess! But before I can formally introduce my greatest card, I need to gather its components. I activate a Spell Card known as Recurring Nightmare!"

A card with a picture of Mist Archfiend flying from a cemetery to the setting sun appeared, as ethereal versions of Thousand-Eyes Idol and Relinquished flew from the ground, as both cards materialized in the hand of the White Clothes goon.

"Recurring Nightmare lets me move two DARK monsters with zero defense points from my Graveyard to my hand. Now I play my Polymerization, to fuse Relinquished with Thousand-Eyes Idol!"

Both monsters began to swirl together, and Rikuson became worried. Whatever they made, it was sure to be dangerous.

"Behold as these two monsters create a forbidden force that will bend the minds of your monsters to its will! Come to me, THOUSAND-EYES RESTRICT!"

The fusion was formed, and both Rikuson and Kannei took a step back as the White Clothes members laughed at their fear. The monster was a dark purple, with a golden eye shaped like the Millennium Symbol on a stalk, two green eyes on its chest, a circular mouth with a ring of sharp teeth inside, two curved fangs sticking out of its waist, a spike where its legs should have been, a tail sticking out of its back, two flaps on its shoulders like wings, and arms with blue orbs and blades for fingers. But the most defining (and creepy) feature that it had was the multitude of eyes all over it, which then all turned towards Dark Magician, putting him on his guard as he pointed his scepter at the beast (LV 1: ATK 0).

"What do you think of Thousand-Eyes Restrict? And to make things better, his special ability, Thousand-Eyes Spell, makes it so that all other monsters can't attack or change their battle modes! But it's about to get even better, because he has an effect that you might just find familiar! Absorption Force!"

The eyes began to glow, as Dark Magician turned into blue smoke and was forced into the mouth of the Fusion Monster, much to the horror of Rikuson.

"Dark Magician, NO!"

"Dark Magician, yes! Now Thousand-Eyes Restrict gains the power that your monster had!" said the cultist (ATK 0-2500). "So now, for a direct attack!"

The main eye of the Spellcaster-type shot a purple blast that once again made Rikuson cry out in pain (Rikuson: 3000-500 LP), as she fell again, this time face first. Both White Clothes members let out an uproar of laughter as she struggled to stand back up, and failed. Kannei glared at them, before she helped Rikuson back onto her feet.

"Thanks…Shishun…owie…"

"Non, let me duel them. You're in no condition to continue."

"No, Shishun! If I give up, I'll go to the Shadow Realm, and there's no guarantee that you'll be able to beat them both by yourself! I need to win this duel, please! For the sake of all of our friends!"

Kannei frowned, but nodded, relenting. "You had better win." Rikuson smiled as she drew, her opponent ending his turn, as she saw that her monster was Dark Magician of Chaos. She then looked at Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and began to think of a way to beat it. Attacking wouldn't work because of its ability, so the only way to beat it was to use an effect. But getting a card to do so would require a lot of luck…

'Or maybe not!' thought Rikuson as she looked at the other card in her hand. She would still need a stroke of luck, but at least she would have more of a chance. "I set one monster and end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I equip my monster with Sword of Dark Rites, boosting his attack points by four hundred!"

The wicked curved blade appeared in the left hand of Thousand-Eyes Restrict (ATK 2500-2900).

"Now destroy that monster!"

The Fusion Monster sliced through the face-down monster, which was revealed to be Magician of Faith (LV 1: DEF 400), who held her scepter in both hands and wept as she was destroyed, as Rikuson's Graveyard began to glow a bright yellow, as she pulled out a card.

"Thanks! When Magician of Faith is flipped, she lets me add a Spell Card from my Graveyard to my hand! And I pick my Magical Dimension!"

"Whatever," said her opponent, not worried in the slightest. "You need a Spellcaster-type for that to work, so you better hope for a damn good draw, or you'll end up in the Shadow Realm! I'm done for now."

Rikuson drew, filled with determination, and as she flipped the card so that she could see it, the biggest smile spread across her face.

"Perfect! I summon my Mystical Elf!"

The blue-skinned elf appeared before Rikuson, chanting in her own language (LV 4: ATK 800), before she activated her Magical Dimension, the bound coffin once more appearing and opening.

"Now I use Magical Dimension, tributing my Mystical Elf to Special Summon Dark Magician of Chaos, then destroy your Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"

The coffin opened, and out stepped none other than Dark Magician of Chaos (LV 8: ATK 2800), as both Spellcasters blasted the Fusion Monster apart with blue blasts of magic, before Mystical Elf went into the portal.

"Now to end this duel! Scepter Strike!"

Dark Magician of Chaos blasted the cultist in the chest, knocking him backwards (White Clothes: 2100-0 LP)(Winner: Rikuson), before the effects of the Shadow Game began to take hold, his body turning into blue smoke as he began to scream, with Rikuson looking away, and Kannei watching in horror as he evaporated, leaving nothing behind. The other White Clothes member, who acted like his partner hadn't just been sent to a world of eternal torture by means of sublimation, activated his Chaos Duel Disk, with Rikuson taking a seat on a nearby tree stump with her breathing ragged, the Shadow Game having taken a lot out of her. Kannei stepped up to the challenge, her eyes narrowing as she shuffled her cards.

"You're the one who uses Trap Cards, right? This is perfect," said the White Clothes member. "I was hoping to face off against you."

"Be careful what you wish for," said Kannei as she drew her five cards, her opponent doing the same as a black energy covered their cards before vanishing, as metal headbands latched around their foreheads.

"What are these for?"

The man in white only laughed darkly. "You'll find out soon enough."

Despite the ominous words, Kannei was unmoved. "Let's duel."

(Kannei: 4000 LP)(White Clothes: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move," declared Kannei as she drew. "I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke."

The ninja in white somersaulted onto the field, ready to battle (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now I set three cards and end my turn."

"Then it's my move," declared her opponent. "And I summon Jinzo #7!"

The monster was a cyborg with purple skin, a brain that was exposed through blue glass, a breathing mask, green eyes, and cybernetic armor that was red, purple, and gray in color, with a light blue section reading "07", with the same numbers written on a shoulder pad on its right (LV 2: ATK 500). Kannei was completely dumbfounded as she saw this monster.

"Did you say Jinzo? But that's impossible, since the original Jinzo is a Machine-type, and only Lord Anthony has access to those cards."

"Then apparently, you've been misinformed! My monster here, and all of the monsters that I have, are Machine-types that have been provided to me by my master! Now through its effect, my Jinzo #7 will attack directly! Go, Cyber Energy!"

The Machine-type shot a green laser from its eyes, hitting Kannei (Kannei: 4000-3500 LP), and without warning, Kannei gripped her head and screamed, the headband electrifying her, as Rikuson could only watch in horror.

"SHISHUN!" she screamed, as eventually, the shocks died down, and the White Clothes member began to laugh.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot! Whenever one of us takes damage, these headbands will electrocute us. So I would be careful if I were you! I set one card and end my turn!"

Kannei growled, as she flipped up one of her cards. "But before you do, I activate my Ceasefire, dealing five hundred points of damage for every Effect Monster in play. And I count two."

The White Clothes member grunted as he received a shock to the head (White Clothes: 4000-3000 LP), and Kannei drew.

"Now it's my turn. And I summon my Vengeful Shinobi."

The dagger-wielding ninja joined the fray (LV 2: ATK 400), as Kannei pointed at Jinzo #7.

"My Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke will easily destroy that monster. And for some extra damage, I play two copies of Coffin Seller, which will inflict three hundred points of damage each time one of your monsters is sent to the Graveyard."

Two of Kannei's cards flipped up, each depicting a man in a purple cloak in a graveyard selling coffins, as the White Clothes member began to laugh.

"Perfect! You've fallen right into my trap, quite literally! By activating one of your Trap Cards, I can use my Psychic Shockwave!"

His face-down card flipped up, showing a large shockwave with the silhouette of Jinzo in the center, as the man sent the card known as Amplifier from his hand to the Graveyard, causing a green shockwave to explode outwards.

"Now by discarding one spell or trap, I can Special Summon one level six DARK Machine-type from my deck! So say hello to a monster that I assume you're familiar with, Jinzo!"

The horrific combination of nature and machine appeared (LV 6: ATK 2400), and it shot red lasers from its eyes at both copies of Coffin Seller, negating them. This did nothing to stop Sasuke from destroying Jinzo #7, however, as the White Clothes soldier grunted in pain once again (White Clothes: 3000-1700 LP).

"And I set one card to end my turn." As Kannei did this, the card was scanned by the Trap Search, and her opponent drew.

"Excellent. I summon my Jinzo - Jector!"

This new monster was a horrifically scarred man, similar to Jinzo, with a green breathing mask that had red eyes, and a green and black leather outfit with three belts around the torso, with multiple black cords tipped with needles sticking out of its head (LV 4: ATK 800).

"And wait until you get a load of his special ability! By tributing him, I can add a monster with Jinzo in its name to my hand, then reveal all set cards in your Spell & Trap Zone! And for every Trap Card that's revealed, I can Special Summon one Jinzo monster! So let's have a look, shall we?"

Jinzo - Jector pierced itself with some of its needles, one of them going over to the face-down card, revealing it to be Wild Tornado. Since it was a Trap Card, as Jinzo - Jector exploded and the cultist added a monster to his hand, another Jinzo appeared (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"And now, I tribute one of my Jinzos, to Special Summon my Jinzo - Lord!"

One cyborg disappeared, and another took its place. It had the same skinless head, wearing a blue breathing mask with three green eyes, and a blue suit with a yellow collar and a huge set of shoulder pads, with what appeared to be belts sticking out of the back (LV 8: ATK 2600).

"And this monster is much stronger than the original! Not only does it have the same trap-negating effect as Jinzo, but once per turn, it can destroy all face-up Trap Cards on the field, and for every card that it destroyed, you take three hundred points of damage! Make her suffer with your Hyper Trap Destruction!"

The belts on the back of Jinzo - Lord shot forward and clipped themselves to both of Kannei's Coffin Seller cards, before releasing a discharge of electricity that destroyed them, causing Kannei to cry out in pain (Kannei: 3500-2900 LP).

"And now, to begin my assault, starting with that Shinobi of yours! Take it down with your Cyber Energy Shock, Jinzo!"

Jinzo fired a blast of black lightning at the Warrior-type, as Kannei grunted in intense pain, greater than the other two shocks (Kannei: 2900-900 LP), as she drew a card by the effect of her monster.

"Now my Jinzo - Lord will deal with your Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke with Cyber Energy Impact!"

The Machine-type unleashed a much stronger attack that blew the monster to pieces, and once more Kannei winced in pain, not willing to let any more screams escape as Rikuson flinched from the sidelines (Kannei: 900-100 LP).

"And now for a brief reprieve. You had better hope that you get some decent draws."

"Don't pay any attention to that jerk, Shishun!" called out Rikuson. "Take him down!"

Kannei nodded. "With pleasure. I draw." Kannei was pleased by what she had drawn, as she activated a Spell Card with a picture of a goblin jumping out of the way of a large iron ball that was apparently trying to crush it, only to have jumped into a pit of sharp crystal spikes. "And I activate my Double Snare, destroying one face-up card on the field that negates Trap Cards. So now I shouldn't have to worry about your Jinzo - Lord."

"Go get him, Shishun!" cheered Rikuson as the Machine-type exploded.

"I intend to. I set one monster and end my turn."

The White Clothes soldier let out a frustrated growl as he drew, but it curved back into a smile.

"Don't think that you can get rid of my monster that easily! I tribute my remaining Jinzo to bring out a new Jinzo - Lord!"

Once again, the mighty DARK monster appeared (LV 8: ATK 2600), but to Rikuson's confusion, Kannei didn't look worried in the least. She then smiled. Maybe this meant she had a way to beat it!

"Now annihilate that monster with Cyber Energy Impact!"

The Machine-type obeyed, shooting its powerful attack, as the monster was revealed to be Crimson Ninja (LV 1: DEF 300), but before the Flip Monster was sent to the Graveyard, it slashed apart Kannei's face-down card with its wakizashi, destroying it.

"Ha! It looks like your monster just destroyed your own card!" laughed the wicked duelist, only for Kannei to interrupt him.

"Actually, I intended for that to happen. Because when Wild Tornado is destroyed, it destroys one face-up card of my choice, and I pick your Jinzo."

"Wrong! Jinzo - Lord negates Trap Cards, remember!?" said the White Clothes minion, only to be taken aback as the gray whirlwind began to approach his only monster.

"Perhaps ones on the field, but in my Graveyard? I don't think so."

The tornado tore apart the Machine-type, and the White Clothes member growled again before ending his turn, as Kannei drew.

"I summon my White Ninja."

The ninja in white appeared, holding many throwing stars in her hands (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now attack directly."

Her monster did as requested, jumping into the air and throwing a storm of shuriken, as the White Clothes underling screamed in pain (White Clothes: 1700-200 LP).

"And I end my turn with a face-down."

Her opponent drew, and he began to laugh. "This duel ends here and now! I summon Jinzo - Returner!"

Yet another cyborg appeared, with the same skinless head, wearing green goggles, but notably no breathing mask, although its mouth was stitched shut. It had a short and scrawny body, wearing a brown and yellow bodysuit with massive yellow shoulder pads (LV 3: ATK 600).

"And guess what? This monster can attack directly! Send her to the Shadow Realm with Cyber Energy Shot!"

But as the Machine-type began to charge a green ball of energy in its hands, it suddenly fell into a pitfall, as Kannei's face-down flipped up.

"It will end here and now," said Kannei, raising her voice, "because I play Trap Hole of Spikes, destroying your monster and inflicting damage equal to half of its original attack points!" (White Clothes: 200-0 LP)(Winner: Kannei)

The screams of the White Clothes member became unbearable as he began to sink into a black portal, as the electric band on Kannei's head vanished. Once he had been sent to the Shadow Realm, Kannei fell to her knees, with Rikuson walking over to her.

"Are you okay now? It's over," said Rikuson.

"No," said Kannei, "it's just begun. Meirin is being manipulated by that White Clothes group, the Kikai-Go Alliance is in tatters, that Ukitsu scum is likely long gone, and we have no idea where Renfa is."

"Maybe I do."

This got Kannei's full attention. "What? Where!?"

"You won't believe me," said Rikuson, "but I think she's with Anthony."

Kannei stared blankly at Rikuson, before she managed a flat, "What."

"Look, when we got there, Anthony said that he 'thought he knew what we were there for' and 'not to worry about Renfa.' And he didn't deny having Renfa, just having anything to do with what happened to her."

"But why would she be there?" asked Kannei, still skeptical.

"Because he's one of her allies, and has experience with this White Clothes stuff. He was the best person to go to!"

After processing this information, Kannei stood up, with Rikuson backing up. "Then it's settled. We'll go to Anthony, where Renfa and Shaoren are, and plan our next move from there."

"Right now!?" said Rikuson. "But it's so late! There's no way we'll be able to make it there! We'll pass out before we reach the halfway point!" 

Kannei sighed. "Well, I'm not going back to the palace while Meirin is still under that man's spell. We'll walk for an hour, then we'll set up camp for the night. Deal?"

"Deal!" said Rikuson with renewed enthusiasm, as Kannei allowed herself a small smile before they went back into the heart of the forest, en route to Kikai.


	69. Slaying the Dragon

Kannei groaned as she woke up, the grass underneath her tickling her face. She managed to open her eyes, and after adjusting to the light, she rolled onto her back and sat up, cracking her neck and back. It wasn't exactly comfortable sleeping on the grass, but then again, the forest didn't have many soft places to sleep. She looked to see that both Duel Disks were next to her, before recalling that Rikuson specifically requested that, saying that Kannei was much stronger and faster, so if someone tried to take them, and she woke up, they wouldn't get very far, a fact that Kannei wholeheartedly agreed with.

Speaking of Rikuson, she was curled up a few feet away from Kannei, hands folded and under her head as her glasses and headdress sat not too far from her, a tiny smile on the strategist's face. As Kannei stood up and put her Duel Disk onto her left wrist and held Rikuson's in her right hand, she walked over to Rikuson, careful not to step on her belongings, and she had to admit, the strategist looked cute when she was asleep, nearing kitten levels. She almost didn't want to have to force her awake.

'Almost,' she thought as she pushed Rikuson onto her back with her foot, her hands lazily flopping as this happened, before she began to lightly push her foot into Rikuson's stomach, which did the trick almost instantly.

"Gah! I'm up, I'm up!"

Rikuson jerked awake as Kannei lifted her foot, with Rikuson glaring at her as she reached for her glasses and hat. "That was mean. You could have just shook me."

"It worked, didn't it?" Kannei turned to the river that flowed beside them. "Before we resume our journey, we'll need some food and water. I'm going to look for food, maybe some fruits that have ripened or some fish. I need you to build a fire to purify the water and cook anything I catch. Do you know how to do that?"

"Of course I do!" said Rikuson with a smile as she adjusted her hat. "Just leave it to me, Shishun!"

"Thank you," said Kannei as she began to head further down the stream, only to stop and turn back around. "Non, can I ask you something?"

Resisting the urge to say "You just did," Rikuson just smiled and nodded. "Of course. What's on your mind, Shishun?"

"Do you think that the members of Kikai will…forgive me for what I said?"

Rikuson just kept on smiling. "Anthony and his friends forgave Ensho and Soso, didn't they? I'm sure they'll forgive you!"

Kannei turned back and began to walk along the river as Rikuson began to look for rocks and sticks to construct the ideal campfire. 'I wish that I could share your positivity, Non, I really do.'

~KD~

"We're so sorry, Meirin!"

Shuyu sighed as she pushed up her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Today was off to an abysmal start. When she woke up, she soon discovered that Kannei and Rikuson were nowhere to be found, apparently having abandoned her. And as if to make things worse, before her now were Daikyo and Shokyo, apparently having failed to gather any worthwhile information on Kikai, as they knelt before her and begged for her forgiveness. The only thing missing was Sonken returning.

"Please forgive us, Meirin!" cried Daikyo. "We tried to find some dirt on Kikai, but we were caught by the guards!"

"We promise that we'll find a way to make it up to you!" said Shokyo.

"Right now, being alone will help," said Shuyu, an order that the twins obeyed eagerly, retreating to their rooms. Shuyu held her head in her hands, index fingers massaging her temples.

'This is a disaster. I've gotten rid of the two sisters, but now my forces are either traitorous or incompetent. I can't let the legacy of Sheren die, I can't!'

"Lord Shuyu?"

Shuyu was brought out of her thoughts by a guard who had entered the throne room without her knowledge. "Yes?"

"I'm so sorry for bothering you, but there's a trio of strange-looking people right outside, one of them claiming to know you."

Shuyu cocked an eyebrow, before deciding that it would be best to see this for herself, preparing her Duel Disk. "Bring them to me."

"Yes ma'am!" said the soldier, as he left the throne room, with Shuyu drumming her fingers on the arm of her throne, and after about five minutes, two guards opened the doors, with a familiar cloaked man walking in, flanked by Dokuro and Kurenai. She motioned for the guards to wait outside, and as they did so, Ukitsu knelt before her.

"Shuyu Kokin, I would like to congratulate you on your new title. I'm sure that in your hands, the Go Kingdom shall go on to accomplish great feats."

As Kurenai whispered something to Dokuro that sounded a lot like "suck-up," Shuyu smiled at the praise. "Why, thank you. I assume that you're the same man from the tavern."

"That I am, my lady," said Ukitsu as he got back onto his feet.

"If I may be so bold, I never did get your name."

"Ah, I suppose I owe you that," said Ukitsu, having no reason to hide his identity with Sonken absent. "Ukitsu is the name, and my cohorts here are Dokuro and Kurenai."

"Greetings," said Dokuro.

"We're gonna be the best of friends!" said Kurenai, showing off her fangs.

"The pleasure is all mine," said Shuyu. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Simple," said Ukitsu. "The three of us wish to join your cause."

Shuyu once again had to raise an eyebrow. "You do? And what can you provide me?"

"As you know, I'm an exceptional advisor," said Ukitsu. "And both of my acquaintances are excellent generals. Dokuro's Zombie-type monsters are incredibly powerful, as well as being difficult to get rid of. Kurenai, on the other hand, also uses Zombie-types in the form of a powerful archetype known as Vampire, which can mill an opponent's deck while controlling their field, limiting their options. Very few have managed to beat them."

"I can only hope that they live up to my expectations," said Shuyu. "And with my forces dwindling, I'll need all the help I can get if I wish to take control of Kikai. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Lord Shuyu!" said Ukitsu as he bowed once more, Dokuro and Kurenai joining him. "We shall not falter!" The three then left the throne room, with the guards, having heard the conversation, began leading them to their quarters. As Ukitsu was led through the halls, he couldn't help but smirk, pleased that his plan had succeeded, at least for the time being.

'I almost pity Meirin. Putting her under my spell was almost too easy. If only she knew the truth…'

~KD~

 _Sonsaku let out an over the top sigh as Sonken and Kannei left the courtyard, leaving just her and her lover, Shuyu. "Oh, what am I going to do with that sister of mine?"_

" _You can't exactly force her to do something that she has no interest in," said Shuyu._

" _Well, I know that, but someday, she'll be the lord of Go, and she'll have no choice but to learn how. I just want my baby sister to be ready for it."_

" _Why not make Shaoren next in line?" asked Shuyu. "She plays Duel Monsters."_

" _Well, Renfa's a lot more responsible than Shaoren," said Sonsaku, which made Shuyu roll her eyes._

" _And you're the splitting image of responsibility," she teased which made Sonsaku lightly push her._

" _Don't be mean, Meirin!" said Sonsaku. "Say you're sorry!"_

" _Fine," relented Shuyu, "I'm sorry." This made Sonsaku smile as she brought Shuyu in for another kiss, which went on for a few minutes before they split apart._

" _Much better," said Sonsaku, as they resumed their make out session in the courtyard for several more minutes, the sun slowly setting as they did._

~KD~

 _Sonsaku smirked as she walked back to her room, intending to retire for the night after all the action that afternoon. She was still a bit worried about her sister though. Although Sonsaku tended to act childish and flighty, she did know when to act serious, especially when it came to important matters like this. While she was a good leader, she wouldn't always be in charge, and if anything happened to her, it was Sonken's responsibility to take control. But how could she convince her?_

" _Lord Sonsaku! Lord Sonsaku!"_

 _Sonsaku lost her train of thought as a guard came sprinting down the hallway after her, carrying what appeared to be an arrow. "Lord Sonsaku, there you are!"_

" _Yes, I know I'm me," joked Sonsaku with a smile. "What's the occasion?"_

" _When we were patrolling the palace doors, this landed by my feet," said the guard, holding out the arrow, as Sonsaku could see a note tied around it with string, her name clearly printed on the outside. "Since it was addressed to you, I left the other guards to remain at their posts while I took it to you. Whatever it is, I don't trust it."_

 _Sonsaku took the arrow from him and undid the string, unraveling the paper and opening it._

To Lord Sonsaku

I request that we meet outside the city limits at night, nine hours past midday, in order to test your skills. Come alone, bring only your Duel Disk and your skill. I trust that I won't be disappointed.

" _Hmm, interesting," said Sonsaku, handing it back to the guard as he read it. "No name at the end. It seems like this mystery archer wants to remain mysterious. I'll just have to see them for myself."_

 _The guard, having finished his reading of the note, did a double take. "My lord, with all due respect, you don't intend to follow these instructions, do you? An anonymous letter requesting for the leader of one of the greatest factions in China, asking her to come alone at night? This has to be a trap! I insist that you ignore this letter, or at the very least, my cohorts and I accompany you to this rendezvous!"_

" _No need," said Sonsaku. "Even if it is a trap, it shouldn't be anything that I can't handle."_

" _Well, if you insist," said the guard reluctantly._

" _Oh, and keep this quiet. I don't want to worry anyone over something small," she added, with the soldier nodding before he returned to her post, with Sonsaku taking one last look at the note in her hand._

' _So much for turning in. Hopefully, this will be fun.'_

~KD~

 _As nine drew closer, Sonsaku began to walk through the city streets, on her guard as she approached the gates. Once she was outside, she began to scan the surrounding area, before setting her sights on a man with long dark hair and a white and green robe, with a bow on his back._

" _Hello there, Lord Sonsaku. My name is Ukitsu, and I've been expecting you."_

" _Ah, so you're the one who sent the letter," said Sonsaku. "The bow kind of gives it away."_

" _A perceptive one, it seems," said Ukitsu. "I've heard rumors of the skill possessed by you, and I wished to see if they were true. Would you mind a quick duel with me?"_

" _Not at all," said Sonsaku as she shuffled her deck, Ukitsu unfolding his Chaos Duel Disk. "I gladly accept your challenge." As she shuffled her cards, however, she failed to notice the dark aura coating both player's cards._

 _(Ukitsu: 4000 LP)(Sonsaku: 4000 LP)_

" _I'll make the first move," declared Ukitsu as he drew a card and began to look through his hand. "And I set one monster, and one other card, which will round out my turn."_

" _Okay, I draw!" said Sonsaku. "And I play Stop Defense, switching that monster of yours into attack mode!"_

 _As she played the Normal Spell, the card flipped up, revealing a bald man with tanned skin wearing an open black robe with red trim and a hood that was currently down, as well as a tan kilt, holding a spear in his right hand (LV 4: ATK 1000)._

" _Damn," cursed Ukitsu. "Since you control no monsters, I can't use the Flip Effect of Gravekeeper's Guard."_

" _Then that's perfect! Now I can take that monster down too! I summon Battle Ox!"_

 _The mighty minotaur materialized, letting out a furious bellow as it sized up its opponent (LV 4: ATK 1700)._

" _Battle Ox, take care of that Gravekeeper's Guard with your Axe Slam Attack!"_

 _Her Beast-Warrior charged at the Spellcaster, who lifted his spear in an attempt to block the attack, only to get sliced down the middle and shattered as a result (Ukitsu: 4000-3300 LP)._

" _And first blood goes to me," said Sonsaku. "I end my turn with a face-down."_

" _I draw," said Ukitsu, "and I activate my Necrovalley!"_

 _Sonsaku was caught off guard as the field shifted around her, the duelists finding themselves in Necrovalley, as Ukitsu went over the effects._

" _With this card in play, all Gravekeeper's monsters gain five hundred attack and defense points, cards in the Graveyards can't be banished, and any card effect that would move a card from the Graveyard to somewhere else, besides itself, is negated."_

' _So cards like Monster Reborn and Monster Reincarnation are useless, but cards like Sinister Serpent can be used without issue,' thought Sonsaku._

" _And with the strength of my monsters being fortified, I summon my Gravekeeper's Assailant!"_

 _The masked assassin appeared before Ukitsu, twirling her jagged blade before pointing the tip directly at Battle Ox (LV 4: ATK 1500-2000)._

" _And now, she shall slay that beast with Stealth Slice Strike!"_

 _As Gravekeeper's Assailant began her charge, Sonsaku played her face-down, which flipped up before releasing blue chains._

" _Sorry, but it isn't time for my Battle Ox to be taken out to pasture just yet! I play my Shadow Spell, which will reduce the attack points of your monster by seven hundred, meaning that it won't survive this battle!"_

" _That would be true," said Ukitsu, "if it wasn't for my Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley!"_

 _His card flipped up to show an ancient burial tomb, with a casket in a room covered with hieroglyphics, as the chains of Shadow Spell rusted and shattered._

" _I can only activate this card if there's both a Gravekeeper's monster and Necrovalley on the field, and with it, I was able to negate and destroy your Shadow Spell, meaning that the attack will go through as normal!"_

 _Gravekeeper's Assailant wasted no time taking down Battle Ox (Sonsaku: 4000-3700 LP), as Ukitsu brought his turn to a close, prompting Sonsaku to draw, and as she saw what she had picked up, she smiled._

" _That Necrovalley of yours is impressive, but I prefer the original scenery. Good thing I have this card to destroy that Field Spell! Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!"_

 _The powerful typhoon raged through Necrovalley, destroying the Field Spell as Gravekeeper's Assailant lost her boost (ATK 2000-1500)._

" _And now that your monster's attack points are back to normal, I summon Blade Knight!"_

 _The white knight entered the fray (LV 4: ATK 1600), eager to battle._

" _Blade Knight, cut that Gravekeeper's Assailant down to size!"_

 _The Warrior-type ran over to the Spellcaster-type and hacked her to pixels (Ukitsu: 3300-3200 LP), as Ukitsu tightened his brow._

" _Now I end my turn. Convinced yet?"_

" _Very," said Ukitsu as he drew. "This will be quite the challenge. I set one monster and end my turn!"_

" _Then it's my turn again! I draw! And I summon my Spear Dragon!"_

 _The dragon with the spear-tipped beak flew beside Blade Knight (LV 4: ATK 1900)._

" _And Spear Dragon here can inflict piercing damage, so your set monster isn't safe! Attack with Cyclone Blast, Spear Dragon!"_

 _Her monster did so, opening its mouth and unleashing a blast of wind, only to hit Gravekeeper's Spy, who resisted the attack (LV 4: DEF 2000)(Sonsaku: 3700-3600 LP)._

" _Excellent! Now that my Gravekeeper's Spy has been flipped face-up, I can Special Summon one of my Gravekeeper's monsters from my deck, so long as they have 1500 or less attack points! So I Special Summon Gravekeeper's Curse in defense mode!"_

 _The Spellcaster-type joined Gravekeeper's Spy (LV 3: DEF 800), chanting as his body became coated in a bright green aura._

" _And did I mention that you take five hundred points of damage when he's summoned? Gravekeeper's Curse, Doomsday Purge!"_

 _The green blast of magic hit Sonsaku, who recoiled as she felt the eldritch energy pass through her body (Sonsaku: 3600-3100 LP). This wasn't shockwaves from a hologram: this was…different. More sinister. And she didn't think she liked it._

" _Hold on!" she cried. "Something is wrong here! That damage…it felt real!"_

" _Well, it should. This is a Shadow Game, after all."_

" _A Shadow Game?" repeated Sonsaku._

" _Let's just say that the stakes are much higher in this type of duel. Every monster, every spell, every trap: it's all real. And the loser must relinquish their soul to the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"_

 _Sonsaku's face went from panicked to stoic, as she put on her game face. "Then I just won't lose."_

" _It's not that simple, Little Conqueror," said Ukitsu. "My Gravekeeper's cards haven't let me down yet, and I've just taken the lead. And don't forget that your Spear Dragon goes into defense mode after it attacks!"_

 _Sonsaku's face remained unchanged as she turned her card ninety degrees, Spear Dragon bringing its wings closer to its body (DEF 0)._

" _My cards have yet to fail me as well, and now you'll feel their cold fury! Blade Knight, hack apart that Gravekeeper's Curse!"_

 _Blade Knight brought down his sword to bisect the Spellcaster vertically, the two halves shattering into shards of light afterwards, as Sonsaku ended her turn, and Ukitsu drew._

" _Now I summon my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in attack mode!"_

 _The monster appeared, twirling his caduceus spear before entering an offensive stance (LV 4: ATK 1500)._

" _And this monster can inflict piercing damage, just like your Spear Dragon! So have at it with Lunging Spear Assault!"_

 _Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier jumped into the air before bringing his spear down on the defending dragon, destroying it instantly (Sonsaku: 3100-1600 LP)._

" _And that should be it for now! You had better think of a way to come back, and fast!"_

 _Sonsaku growled as she drew, playing her new card almost immediately. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards!"_

 _As Sonsaku fortified her hand, Ukitsu smirked. "Will those two cards be enough to save you?"_

" _It appears so. I play my Soul Exchange, which, at the cost of my Battle Phase, allows me to pick any monster on your side of the field, and if I were to tribute a monster this turn, I can use that monster as if it were mine! So I pick your Gravekeeper's Spy, and tribute them and my Blade Knight to call upon my pride and joy, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_

 _Ukitsu widened his eyes as his monster and her monster both faded away, and in their place came the mighty white dragon, the signature monster of Lord Sonsaku (LV 8: ATK 3000)._

" _Next turn, you'll face the full force of my monster. I set a card and end my turn!"_

" _Then I draw!" As Ukitsu looked over his hand, he started wondering how he could get himself out of this bad situation. "First off, I switch my Spear Soldier into defense mode, then set one monster and one other card before ending my turn."_

 _As Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier got into a defensive stance (DEF 1000), and two face-down cards appeared, Sonsaku drew, before slapping her newly drawn monster onto her Duel Disk._

" _I summon Luster Dragon!"_

 _The sapphire dragon joined the white dragon, both dragons roaring (LV 4: ATK 1900). Sonsaku used this as the perfect time to activate her face-down card._

" _Now I play my face-down card, Dragon's Rage, which will give all of my Dragon-type monsters the power to inflict piercing damage! And now, my dragons will slaughter your Gravekeeper cards! Luster Dragon, light Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier ablaze with Sapphire Spark!"_

 _Luster Dragon spat a blast of blue fire that scorched the spearman, as Sonsaku's Trap Card let out a roar, with Ukitsu wincing as the effects of the Shadow Game made it much stronger (Ukitsu: 3200-2300 LP)._

" _And now to demonstrate the immense power of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! White Lightning!"_

 _The mighty dragon unleashed its destructive energy stream, the monster flipping up to reveal Gravekeeper's Watcher, a man with a black turban, a black and white robe, and a stone tablet (LV 4: DEF 1000), who didn't stand a ghost of a chance as it was swallowed by the energy blast, with Dragon's Rage letting out a roar that made Ukitsu struggle to stand (Ukitsu: 2300-300 LP)._

" _My turn is done, and you're almost out of life points! This duel is about to reach its pinnacle!"_

" _You're right," said Ukitsu as he drew, "it is! First, I play my Rite of Spirit, which will Special Summon a Gravekeeper's monster from my Graveyard! And I select Gravekeeper's Curse, who I'm positive that you know is capable of dealing damage once he's summoned!"_

 _As soon as Gravekeeper's Curse returned to the field (LV 3: ATK 800), he unleashed another Doomsday Purge, Sonsaku flinching as it hit her (Sonsaku: 1600-1100 LP)._

" _Then I tribute my Curse to summon one of my top monsters, known as Gravekeeper's Visionary!"_

 _Gravekeeper's Curse was soon replaced by a much more powerful looking monster, one seated on a throne with a back that looked a little like a hawk. It was a man dressed in a headdress that looked like the head of a jackal, a black top with armored shoulder pads, black and gold bracers, a white kilt, and a golden staff that looked like a cobra (LV 8: ATK 2000)._

" _And despite being a level eight monster, he can be Normal Summoned by tributing one Gravekeeper's monster instead, and each Gravekeeper's monster in my Graveyard nets him two hundred additional attack points!"_

" _What!?" was the only thing that Sonsaku managed to choke out as his monster became stronger than even her Blue-Eyes (ATK 2000-3200)._

" _Now end this Shadow Game by eliminating her Luster Dragon! CURSE OF NECROVALLEY!"_

 _The Visionary pointed his serpentine staff at Luster Dragon, before firing a red blast of magic that looked a lot like a cobra, the blast appearing to bite down on her dragon, as her remaining life points were no more (Sonsaku: 1100-0 LP)(Winner: Ukitsu). As soon as the duel ended, Sonsaku couldn't help but scream as she saw her hand begin to evaporate before her eyes, her body turning to dust._

" _You've certainly exceeded my expectations," said Ukitsu as Sonsaku's body continued to fall apart, with her soul about to be whisked away to the Shadow Realm. "And there's no doubt in my mind that you did the same."_

' _So this is how it ends,' thought Sonsaku, tears running down her face. 'Shaoren, Meirin, Renfa…I'm sorry. Sorry that it had to be like this, sorry that I wasn't strong enough…sorry that I never got to say goodbye.' These were her last thoughts before she was consumed by darkness, her soulless body dust in the wind as her Duel Disk was left abandoned in the desert, as Ukitsu activated the communicator on his own Duel Disk, a wicked smile creeping onto his face._

" _Master Saji, the deed is done."_

~KD~

As Ukitsu finally arrived at his new barracks, he was about to unpack when he heard soft sobbing coming from across the hallway, as he smiled, checking his pockets to see that what he had requested from Genho were still there, having been delivered by the other elites. He left his room and reached the source of the crying, opening the ajar door to come across Daikyo and Shokyo, the latter letting out a sharp yelp as she saw Ukitsu.

"Who are you!" she demanded to know, her older sister shrinking back as Ukitsu entered the room uninvited.

"Don't worry, I'm one of your new coworkers. My name is Ukitsu, and you two are?"

"D-D-Daikyo," stammered Daikyo, "and this is my sister, Shokyo. What are you doing in our room?"

"I heard you crying, and I wanted to see why you were upset," said Ukitsu, having mastered the act of feigning niceness.

"It's Meirin," said Daikyo. "She's super mad at us."

"Don't worry," said Ukitsu, " I know how to get you two back on her good side."

"You do?" asked Shokyo, as Ukitsu held out both of his hands, palms up.

"Simply put your hands on mine, and I can grant you the power to crush your enemies, which will surely get you back in her good graces."

Daikyo and Shokyo looked at each other, not sure about this, before nodding, deciding it was worth it, as they placed their hands onto Ukitsu's, as his tattoo began to glow, as dark energy began to flow into their bodies. Once the ritual was done, they both recoiled, jerking their hands back.

"What the heck was that about!?" cried Shokyo, as Ukitsu reached into his pockets.

"Trust me, you'll know when the time is right," said Ukitsu, as he handed each girl a stack of cards. "In the meantime, take these. I'm positive that you'll use them well." As he left, he overheard their reactions to the cards.

"Whoa, these cards are awesome, Shokyo! That guy was kinda weird, but at least he gave us some great cards!"

"I hear you, Daikyo! I bet Meirin will be super happy with us once we show these off!"

Ukitsu could only smile, his soft smile curving into a sneer as he let out a low cackle.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! So yeah, Ukitsu and company have officially joined with Meirin, with Kurenai being revealed to use Vampires, in case that wasn't obvious, and we get a flashback (which wasn't had by Ukitsu, in case anyone was wondering how he could know about the parts he wasn't there for) about what happened to poor Sheren. Starpion out!**


	70. Amending Fences

"So that's it, huh?"

"All I can remember. After all, she's the one who taught me how to duel."

In the "planning room," Sonken had just finished going over all the cards that she knew were in Shuyu's deck to Anthony, making good on their deal. And they weren't alone; Anthony had invited both Shokatsuryo and Jun'iku, since they were his strategists, after all. Once Sonken had finished going over all that she could remember, Anthony let out a deep breath before he turned to his strategists, Shokatsuryo looking overwhelmed and Jun'iku looking mildly shocked.

"So girls, on a scale of one to ten, how fucked are we?"

"Well," said Shokatsuryo, "it's nothing that we can't figure out. In fact, from the sound of it, she seems pretty reliant on that one monster of hers."

"So what, I just get rid of Shinato?"

"Or keep her from getting it out."

"Well, I don't have any cards that can do that, so I'll just have to get it off the field, and fast."

"Sounds as good of a plan as any," said Jun'iku, "and if push comes to shove, we can just send her packing with sheer numbers."

"Actually, I think that we should only send the bare minimum," said Shokatsuryo, with Jun'iku raising an eyebrow.

"Did you suffer a concussion between now and the last time I saw you? Because that sounds utterly idiotic! Why would we limit ourselves like that?"

"Because if we send too many people, then Kikai won't have many duelists left," said Shokatsuryo. "Now, we'll definitely be sending Aisha with Anthony, but who else?"

Before the conversation could continue, however, Choun popped into the room. "Pardon the intrusion, but we have company at the front gates."

"Who is it?" asked Anthony immediately, practically jumping out of his seat.

"Shishun and Non," said Choun. "Ren and Shion are talking to them now, so I came to get you. They say that they need to talk to you."

"Then talk I will," said Anthony. "Just take me to them so I-"

"Wait," said Sonken. "I'm coming with you. They're my peerage members, my friends. And the reason that they came before was because they were trying to rescue me. I'm going with you to talk to them, whether you want me to or not."

"I'm not stopping you," said Anthony. "Come on!"

~KD~

"So, you two are back, it seems. I was wondering if you would return," said Kochu, who had her Duel Disk held out, Ryofu doing the same, as Rikuson shook her head, waving her hands in front of her.

"No no no, we just want to talk! We're sorry about the misunderstanding earlier, right Shishun?"

"Right."

Ryofu turned to Kochu. "Let's duel them."

"Wait!"

Kannei and Rikuson suddenly widened their eyes and turned to see Sonken, minus her signature headdress, alongside Anthony and Choun, as Anthony held up his hands. "Calm down, girls, just hear them out."

"If you say so, Lord Anthony," said Kochu with a smile, Ryofu nodding as the two of them lowered their arms, as Rikuson was practically a blur as she locked Sonken in a tight hug, with Kannei surprisingly following suit.

"RENFA! You're okay! I'm so happy!"

"I'm so sorry that I failed you, Renfa, but mark my words, I won't fail you again!"

"It's *cough* okay, girls," choked out Sonken, as the two released their grips, Rikuson in tears, as Kannei's eyes shifted to Anthony, who smiled at her before she looked away, filled with guilt, which the busty Fairy-type user noticed right away, bringing her index finger to her lips in thought. And not only did she notice Kannei looking away, but she noticed how neither Kannei nor Rikuson addressed Sonken as "Lord Renfa," which had to mean…

"Renfa…Lord Anthony…" said Rikuson, answering Kochu's question, "we know everything."

~KD~

"I knew it! No way would Meirin have done this without something happening to her!" screamed Sonken as she pounded her fist on the table, making Shokatsuryo jump back. She and Anthony had taken both girls from Go back to the room, with Choun, Kochu, and Ryofu continuing their patrol.

"Well, at least we have a better idea of what we're getting into," said Anthony. "I'm sure we all know about Dokuro."

"I don't," said Jun'iku.

"He's a White Clothes member that worked for Reiha, along with Yokai," said Shokatsuryo. "Hawawa…his Zombie-type monsters are brutal. Yue was crushed by him, and Anthony was lucky to get past him in the first round of the En Kingdom Tournament."

"And this 'Kurenai' character sounds like they could be trouble," put in Sonken. "Has anyone here heard of them?"

Everyone shook their heads or gave some form of no, as Anthony was the last to speak up. "Nope, but that hasn't stopped us before. After all, I didn't know what cards you had, and I still beat you."

"Hmm, can't argue with that," said Sonken.

"Alright, Non, can you help out Shuri and Keifa?"

"No problem!" said Rikuson. "I'd be happy to help!"

"That's what I was hoping you would say," said Anthony, as he got up. "I've got my own stuff to do, between my usual work as lord and getting ready for when we take on whatever's left of Go. Hey Renfa, there should be a few empty rooms by yours and your sister's. Can you take Shishun to one of those rooms?"

"Sure," said Sonken, who for once led Kannei to her room, the former lord and bodyguard going in the opposite direction of the King of Games, as she walked through the halls, with Kannei breaking the brief silence.

"Renfa…I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop Meirin from betraying you."

"It's not your fault, Shishun."

"Yes it is. As your bodyguard-"

Sonken stopped walking and turned around, looking Kannei right in the eyes. "Shishun, even if you had disobeyed my orders, I still let Meirin's words get to me and foolishly accepted her challenge. And even if you were in the wrong, you still tried to help me. You didn't fail me, Shishun. You never have."

Kannei just stood still for a second, before she gave a small smile, which made Sonken smile much wider. "Thank you, Renfa. You really are the kindest person that I've had the pleasure of knowing."

"Thank YOU, Shishun," said Sonken, as the two of them continued on their way, eventually reaching an empty room, as Kannei walked inside, placing her Duel Disk onto a nightstand before sitting on her bed. Sonken was about to leave, when Kannei spoke up.

"One last thing, Renfa."

"What is it, Shishun?"

"I…missed you these past ten days. I'm just happy to be with the woman who gave me a chance at redemption once more."

Sonken tried her absolute best not to burst into tears of joy at this, as instead of leaving the room, she walked inside and sat next to Kannei. "Well, why don't we make up for lost time and talk for a while? I don't have anything to do, and I'm assuming that you don't either."

Kannei allowed herself to give another small smile. "I'd like that very much, Renfa."

~KD~

For about an hour or so, Sonken and Kannei spent time talking not as lord and bodyguard, but just as friends, catching each other up on what happened during the week that Kannei spent in Kikai and anything else that was on their minds, although early on, when Sonken asked about her relationship with Anthony, Kannei dodged the question almost immediately, and Sonken decided not to press further.

Eventually, Sonshoko came in, and after getting over her surprise of seeing Kannei, asked to spend time with her big sister, which Sonken couldn't possibly decline. To the surprise of Sonken, her loyal bodyguard requested to stay in her room when Sonken extended the invitation, completely unlike the Kannei Koha she had known for over two years. She didn't have much time to dwell on this as Sonshoko grew impatient, and the Son sisters left, with Kannei left alone, only her thoughts keeping her company. As minutes passed, she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, until she was brought back to reality by the sound of a knock on the door.

"Knock, knock," came the voice of Kochu from the other side. "May I come in?"

"I suppose," said Kannei, as the door opened, Kochu walking in with a soft smile.

"Hello, Kannei. Or can I call you Shishun? After all, we do share a boyfriend, so it would probably be best if we were on a secret name basis." This comment was a lighthearted way for Kochu to indirectly bring up Anthony, and it worked as Kannei let out a sigh.

"Do I even have the right to call him that anymore, after the way that I acted?"

Kannei sat up and put her elbows on her knees, interlocking her fingers to make a platform to rest her chin on, as Kochu sat beside her. "I could tell something happened between you two when you didn't meet his gaze. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," said Kannei, "but I suspect that you won't leave until we do."

"Pretty much," admitted Kochu. "So care to tell me what happened?"

Kannei sighed again. "When I fell for Meirin's lies, I snapped. I was furious that the man I loved would do something so underhanded and evil, and that I failed my duties. So when Shaoren took Non and I to Kikai and get our revenge, I took all of my anger out on him. And now that I know he was innocent…I feel horrible. No matter how hard I try, I feel this guilt eating away at me."

Kochu clicked her tongue. "You could stop avoiding him and actually talk to him. Then you can think of a way to make up to him. It always worked when my husband and I got into arguments."

"This is a bit more one-sided, but that's not a bad idea," said Kannei.

"Well, I am experienced with this sort of thing."

"Any ideas?"

"Well, that's up to you, not me. Just do something that he would like. I mean, you know what he likes, right?"

Kannei groaned at this. Unfortunately, she wasn't entirely sure about everything that he liked, since she didn't know him that well compared to the other seven, having spent the least time with him. An idea suddenly popped into her head.

"He likes dueling. Maybe I could have a duel with him, just for fun?"

Kochu put her hand to her chin. "Not what I was going for, but it could work. Go for it, Kannei!"

"I will," said Kannei, "for both our sakes. And you may call me Shishun."

"Then you can call me Shion," said Kochu as she got up and began to leave the room. "I've got to go. I promised Riri I would make her favorite dinner tonight."

"You aren't going to come with me?" asked Kannei as she stood up.

"Sorry, Shishun, but this is something that you need to do on your own. But if you ever need my advice, my door is always open." She then left the room, once again leaving Kannei alone. The purple-haired duelist didn't stay in there for long, however, as she grabbed her Duel Disk and slipped it on in one fluid motion before she began marching towards Anthony's office, ready to (hopefully) make amends.

~KD~

"Ahh, finally, it's done," said Anthony as he set his brush aside, having finished his paperwork for the day. With his territory having grown so much since his appointment as chief magistrate all those months ago, the amount of paperwork had increased accordingly, and it was up to him to trudge through it. But now that he was done, he could focus on getting his deck ready for when he faced off against Shuyu, no distractions!

*knock knock*

Just then, he was distracted by a knock at the door, which opened to reveal Kannei.

"Shishun? What's up?"

"Lord Anthony, I'm here to make amends."

This odd statement put Anthony on edge. "What do you mean by, 'make amends,' exactly?"

"What I said to you, the way that I acted…it was completely uncalled for."

"Okay," said Anthony, as he got out of his chair and began to walk up to the purple-haired woman, "I'm going to stop you right there, because that's bullcrap. It wasn't 'uncalled for,' you thought that I kidnapped someone that you cared about. If the same had happened to you, Aisha, Rinrin, any of my friends or loved ones, I would probably act the same." He then scratched the back of his head. "I…didn't take it well when Aisha was sent to the Shadow Realm."

Kannei looked down. "But…but you were innocent. And I refused to listen to your side of the story. I let my emotions get the better of me, and our relationship suffered because of it. I…I feel awful." To her surprise, she felt Anthony's arms wrap around her and squeeze her torso as tight as they could, and as the hug caught her off guard, Anthony spoke.

"It's okay, Shishun. You didn't know. And those words hurt, but I'm still willing to forgive you. Because I know that you had the best intentions, whether or not they were misguided."

Kannei was speechless. 'Forgiving me so easily…he really is just like Renfa,' she thought as she returned the hug. "Still, I want to make it up to you. To prove that I really do care for you."

"No problem," said Anthony as they finished their hug. "I'd be happy to spend some time with you. What did you have in mind?"

Kannei held out her left arm, drawing attention to her Duel Disk. "A duel, just for fun. No stakes, no danger, no ulterior motives. After all," she said with a smile, "you did say to look for you whenever I wanted a rematch."

Anthony gave her a toothy grin. "And I can't wait to get started!"

~KD~

In the arena, only Anthony and Kannei were present, as both of them stood at their respective sides of the field, shuffling their cards.

"If I remember correctly, I made the first move when we first dueled, so now, you can go first," said Kannei, as she placed her now shuffled cards into their respective slot and drew five cards.

"Got it! And good luck, Shishun!" called out Anthony as he did the same. "Let's duel!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Kannei: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" shouted Anthony. "And for this turn, all I'll do is set one monster and two other cards. You're up!"

"Then I draw," declared Kannei, "and to begin, I summon my Kunoichi."

Her new monster was a female ninja with short blue hair, a red scarf and headband, triangular pink sunglasses, red hand guards that went up to her elbows, a yellow top with a leather vest over her torso, red leggings that went all the way past her skirt, and plain sandals. On her lower back was a sheath holding a ninjato sword, with Kunoichi having her left hand on the hilt (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"That's a new one," said Anthony.

"Yes, and she's about to destroy your monster."

The Warrior-type drew her sword and somersaulted into the air, before she brought down her blade, only for it to be intercepted by Battle Footballer (LV 4: DEF 2100), as the Machine-type simply shrugged off the attack (Kannei: 4000-3700 LP).

"It looks like I'm off to an early lead!" said Anthony, as Kannei looked through her hand.

"Don't get cocky now. I end my turn by setting four cards."

"Four, huh? Looks like you're not messing around," said Anthony as he drew. But neither am I! I play my Night Beam, destroying one of your face-downs and keeping you from activating it! And I pick the one furthest to your left!"

The crosshairs appeared on the back of her card as the Spell Card shot a yellow laser through it, shattering the card, as Kannei sent her Trap Hole to the Graveyard.

"Now I tribute my Battle Footballer to summon my Blowback Dragon!"

The large gun-shaped robot appeared with a mechanical cry, the orbs on its back crackling with electricity (LV 6: ATK 2300). It seemed that Kannei was prepared for a situation like this, as she activated a Counter Trap, one that had a picture of a net about to ensnare Raiza the Storm Monarch.

"Not so fast. You activated my Trap Card, Intercept. When a monster is Tribute Summoned with one tribute, Intercept gives me control of it."

As Kannei went over the effect of her card, a balled-up net came out of it, unfolding as it came closer to Blowback Dragon, only for Anthony to counter it.

"Not if I play this card! I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

As Anthony's life points fell as payment for his card (Anthony: 4000-3000 LP), the net was sliced apart in midair, bits and pieces of it covering the field and Anthony's monster before fading away.

"With your card negated and destroyed, Blowback Dragon is here to stay! And I activate his special ability, letting me charge up his laser cannon, and if he's at least two-thirds full, I can destroy any of your cards!"

Slowly, the three bars on the gun barrel began to charge up, before all three stayed lit, as the tip of the gun glowed yellow.

"Perfect! Blowback Dragon, destroy the card on her right with Proton Spark!"

The DARK monster shot a yellow projectile that destroyed another of Kannei's set cards, this one being her Sakuretsu Armor.

"Now my Blowback Dragon will blow back your Kunoichi!"

But no sooner had the Battle Phase begun when Kannei activated her last remaining face-down, as both monsters in play began to glow green, as they were suspended in midair.

"I don't think that your monster will be able to attack this turn," said Kannei, "on account of its battle position being changed, courtesy of Zero Gravity."

Both monsters fell back to the ground, before getting into defensive poses (DEF 1200)(DEF 1000).

"Well, I guess I end my turn," said Anthony.

"Then I draw, and I summon my Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke."

The master ninja joined the female ninja, ready for battle (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now I switch my Kunoichi back into attack mode."

Kunoichi, who was kneeling with her arms crossed, stood back up, and got ready to attack (ATK 1800).

"Now my Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke will attack, and since your monster is in face-up defense mode, his special ability will destroy it."

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke suddenly ran over to Blowback Dragon and ran up the barrel before jumping off of it, and threw both of his knives into the back of its neck, as it shattered into pixels.

"Now Kunoichi will attack directly."

Once again, the blue-haired ninja girl drew her sword and held it in a reverse stance before slashing at Anthony (Anthony: 3000-1200 LP).

"Not bad, but that actually helped me out a little! Because now, I activate my Damage Condenser!" said Anthony as his card flipped up, sparking with electricity as he discarded his Metalzoa. "Now I can Special Summon a monster from my deck with attack points less than or equal to the damage that I took!"

Anthony took his deck out of its slot in the Duel Disk and began to flip through it, before he picked a card and returned his deck to his Duel Disk, which was heavily shuffled. He then placed his new card onto his Monster Zone. "I summon Pendulum Machine!"

The red robot with the swinging blade appeared (LV 6: ATK 1750), as Kannei ended her turn, and Anthony drew.

"Now I tribute Pendulum Machine to summon my Machine King!"

Pendulum Machine faded away, with the mighty Machine King taking its place (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"I'm sure you're aware of his power, so I'll just cut to the chase! Machine King, take down her Sasuke with Jet Punch!"

Machine King had no problem rearing back its steel fist and blasting it at the ninja, shattering him before the fist came back and reattached itself (Kannei: 3700-3200 LP).

"That's all for now, Shishun! Give me all you've got!"

"If you insist," said Kannei. "I draw, and I set a monster, then switch my Kunoichi into defense mode."

A horizontal face-down joined Kunoichi, who returned to her defensive position (DEF 1000).

"And now I set a card, before I end my turn."

"Then it's my draw! And I summon my Giga-Tech Wolf!"

The robotic wolf pounced into action, with the strength of Machine King increasing (LV 4: ATK 1200)(ATK 2300-2400). As soon as it was summoned, Kannei activated her Trap Card, as two ghosts began to fly around Anthony (Anthony: 1200-200 LP).

"That was my Just Desserts," said Kannei, "dealing five hundred points of damage for each monster that you control. This duel has almost been decided."

"But it's not over until it's over!" said Anthony. "And I've overcome worse odds, Shishun! Giga-Tech Wolf, take down that Kunoichi with Iron Jaws! Then Machine King will take down your face-down monster with Jet Punch and clear your field!"

Giga-Tech Wolf growled as it pounced onto the WIND monster and bit down on her as she shattered into bits of light, followed by Machine King shooting another rocket punch at the face-down monster, which was briefly seen to be Armed Ninja (LV 1: DEF 300) before his destruction, as Anthony smiled.

"Having fun, Shishun?"

Kannei couldn't help but smile. "Yes," she said. Truly, he had the ability to bring out the best in people, yet another trait that he shared with Renfa. And she loved him for it. "This duel is much more entertaining than our first encounter. It's a true testament to how much we've both grown."

"And your smile confirms that," said Anthony with a smile of his own as he flipped down his sunglasses. "Your move!"

Kannei drew, and her smile widened. "I end my turn with one card face-down."

'This is perfect,' thought Kannei as Anthony drew. 'In order to beat me, he needs to attack with at least two monsters, and when he does, I'll have his own monsters be his undoing with my Confusion Chaff.'

"It's time to face the future! I summon Sergeant Electro!"

Kannei's smile slipped away as her eyes widened, the familiar white robot joining the party (LV 4: ATK 1600)(ATK 2400-2500).

"And now his effect will make your face-down useless for as long as he's in play! Go, EMP Shockwave!"

The two halves of Electro crashed together, sending the EMP towards the set card and trapping it in a cage of static, rendering it useless.

"Now to win this duel! First up, Giga-Tech Wolf will attack with Iron Jaws!"

Giga-Tech Wolf jumped over to Kannei and clamped its fangs around her arm (Kannei: 3200-2000 LP).

"Now Sergeant Electro will take a turn with Tesla Gatling!"

The high-tech gun began to spin as round after round of electromagnetic energy hit Kannei (Kannei: 2000-400 LP).

"And now, the final blow! Machine King, attack directly with Power Surge!"

Kannei was sent flying backwards as she took the blue laser head-on (Kannei: 400-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony), as she hit the floor, with Anthony flipping up his sunglasses and running past the already fading holograms.

"Oh shit, Shishun! Are you okay?"

"I'll live," said Kannei as she climbed back onto her feet. "I've endured stronger blows."

"Phew," sighed Anthony, as Kannei walked up to the lord of Kikai.

"So is all forgiven?"

Anthony just smiled and pulled her into a hug, giving her a brief kiss before giving his answer. "Was there ever any doubt?" Kannei smiled, and the two were about to go in for another, longer kiss, when a voice from behind them killed the mood.

"Hey, Lord Anth-oh, are you two busy?" Kannei craned her neck around Anthony to see Rikuson, who had a sheepish smile.

"Yes," was the purple-haired woman's blunt reply, as the two broke up their hug, Anthony clearing his throat as he addressed the green-haired strategist.

"Let me guess, you three wrapped up?"

"Yep! We're getting everyone to meet up in the throne room right now, so come on!"

"On it," said Anthony as he passed Rikuson, which gave the girl a chance to talk to her friend as they followed suit.

"So you two made up, I see?"

Kannei could only smile. "Definitely."

~KD~

"So as you're all aware by this point," said Anthony from his throne, his peerage gathered before him, with Shokatsuryo, Jun'iku, and Rikuson standing at the bottom of the steps, "Ukitsu is back, and has used his powers on Meirin, resulting in her overthrowing Renfa."

"That jerk is so gonna pay!" screamed Sonshoko, with Kakoton cracking her knuckles.

"Agreed," put in the Amazoness duelist.

"So now, it's time for a counterstrike. A group of us, led by me, are going to take on the Go capital and take back Go!" There were a few cheers from the audience, and once they died down, Anthony motioned his hand towards the three strategists. "Shuri, Keifa, and Non have determined who's going to join me. Take it away, girls."

"Well, it's obvious that Aisha will be going," said Jun'iku, pointing to Kan'u, the black-haired duelist smiling as she bowed.

"I won't let you down, Anthony, you can count on that!" Anthony could only smile at this remark, as Shokatsuryo spoke up.

"As for the twins, judging by what kind of cards they use, we can assume that they use swarming tactics, getting as many monsters out as they can. So we decided that Ren and Shia would be good fits, being able to clear out their fields."

"Alright!" said Choryo, wrapping an arm around Ryofu. "The two of us are gonna raise some hell!"

"As for the last duelist, well," said Rikuson, "we were having trouble figuring out who-"

"I'll do it," said Choun. "I want to make up for my poor performance during the war with Gi."

"Okay, then I guess that settles it," said Shokatsuryo, when Anthony spoke up.

"Hold on, I want the four girls from Go to tag along."

"What!?" cried out a good portion of the women, none more so than Sonken.

"With all due respect," said Sonken, "why us?"

"I think I know," said Soso, arms crossed. "I snapped out of my brainwashing when I drew the card that Shunran and Shuran gave me years ago, so he must think that you four have the best odds of bringing your strategist back."

"Exactly, Karin," said Anthony. "We're not leaving without Meirin. So what do you say, girls, you in?"

"I'm not going to let my teacher be controlled by those White Clothes jerks!" said Rikuson.

"Nor will I," said Kannei.

"Me neither!" said Sonshoko, as Sonken felt all eyes turn on her.

"Very well," she relented. "For all that you've done for me."

"Hold it!" said Ensho. "What about the rest of us!?"

"Guard duty," said Anthony. "If any more White Clothes members show up, you girls will be the ones to take them down."

"Got it, big bro!" said Chohi.

"Those punks won't know what hit them!" said Bacho.

"Excellent!" said Anthony, clapping his hands together. "We'll be leaving bright and early tomorrow, so everyone who's heading to Go had better get plenty of rest! Meeting adjourned!"

Everyone began to clear out of the throne room, with Anthony heading to his own room, Choryo tagging along, since it was her turn to bunk with him.

"You ready for this, Anthony?" she asked. "This is probably gonna be way tougher than Karin."

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," said Anthony as they went into his room. Tomorrow, the war would truly begin.


	71. First Wave

"So, it's come to my attention that the two of you want to make up for your previous failures, correct?"

It was 11:00 a.m. the next day, with Anthony, Sonken, and company having begun their journey to the Gi capital, where once again, Daikyo and Shokyo stood before Shuyu on the throne, the difference being the three figures who stood beside the recently appointed lord of Go. The identical twins nodded vigorously in tandem, hands clasped together.

"We sure do, Lord Meirin! That Ukitsu guy gave us a bunch of super cool cards!" said Daikyo. "We won't let you down a second time, we promise!"

"Just give us another chance, pretty please!" begged Shokyo.

Shuyu began to muse over their words, when an idea came to her. "Well, you clearly aren't fit to be spies, but maybe with these new cards of yours, the two of you will be better suited for the front lines."

"Wait a minute," said Daikyo, eyes widening in realization. "Are you saying…"

"You're gonna make us GENERALS!?" finished Shokyo.

"With our own forces being dwarfed by those of Kikai, I don't have many options," explained Shuyu. "Keep in mind that this is your last chance, so make it count."

"We will!" said the twins as they bowed, Shuyu grinning.

"Now that they've been given greater responsibilities, maybe we should give them a chance to test them," suggested Ukitsu.

"Agreed," said Shuyu. "Between Shaoren's little revenge stunt, and the twins being discovered, I have no doubt that Kikai is already planning a counterattack, if they haven't already begun one. I want the two of you to guard the main entrance to the city, and Dokuro and Kurenai, you two will guard the entrance to the palace."

"Yes ma'am!" saluted Daikyo and Shokyo as they sprinted out of the throne room, with Dokuro and Kurenai following them at a much slower pace.

"I only pray that these duelists prove to be worthy opponents," said Dokuro.

"Yeah! I can't wait for them to get all bloody and cute!" squealed Kurenai, fists to her chin as she skipped out of the room.

"What about me, my lord?" asked Ukitsu. "I have plenty of skill as a duelist."

"I would prefer that you remain here, and put those advisor skills of yours to use," said Shuyu, with Ukitsu bowing.

"Of course, my lord, but if I may, at the very least I can attempt to hinder the advancing forces?"

"When I took over, I was well aware that Lord Anthony and I would eventually have to duel," said Shuyu, raising her left arm and Duel Disk to make her point. "So if he's to beat all four generals and challenge me, then I will duel, and I will win."

"Just in case," said Ukitsu, "I'd like to give you something to ensure this. Just hold out your hand."

Shuyu cocked an eyebrow, but didn't question it. So far, Ukitsu hasn't steered her wrong, and she wasn't about to start second guessing him now. So she did as she requested, her right palm held out to receive her "gift," as Ukitsu placed his own hand on top of hers, his Millennium Symbol tattoo glowing.

"This should only take a second."

~KD~

"Yo Ren, is something up?"

Ryofu snapped back to reality as Choryo got her attention. The group of nine was already well on its way to Go, once more taking the forest route with the large group having been divided into little subgroups. Anthony was speaking with Sonken, discussing how they can snap Shuyu out of her spell. Kan'u and Choun were discussing strategies for their duels (mostly Kan'u, since she knew who she would be facing and what cards they used). And Sonshoko was complaining about having to walk the distance between the two kingdoms for a fourth time, with Kannei interrupting to point out that she and Rikuson had done it six times without complaint, which made the princess shut up. That left the former To generals, Ryofu and Choryo.

"You've been kinda…off for pretty much the whole way here. I mean, you not talking isn't outta the norm for you, but you look kinda sad."

"Just anxious…it's fine."

"It ain't fine, Ren," said Choryo. "If there's something bothering you, spit it out."

Ryofu let out a sigh as her cowlicks drooped, knowing that there was no getting past her friend. "I'm worried…I'll lose. Again."

"Whaddya mean, 'again?'" asked Choryo, scratching her head.

"Aisha…Toshi…Jun'iku…lost to all of them. I'm just…not good enough."

"Oh, that's a fat load of BS if I've ever heard it!" said Choryo. "You're a total sweetheart, you're the best when it comes to animals, and you've gotta be the strongest person I know! I bet you could lift ten of you, no sweat! I mean, you're no Aisha, but you're still awesome, Ren!"

"Not at Duel Monsters," said Ryofu. "I'm not as good as you…or them. I promised Anthony…that I would do my best…but maybe…my best isn't good enough."

"Come on, that isn't true," said Choryo in a softer tone of voice as she put her arm around her friend's shoulder. "You're plenty good at this game. Besides, you've got a lotta people who believe in you. Me, Anthony, Yue and Ei back in Kikai…we all think that you can do this. You gotta prove us right, okay?"

Ryofu didn't speak, but her expression became more determined as she gave a quick nod. Choryo was right. This was no time for a pity party. She had to at least try, and even if she did lose, she wouldn't go down without giving it everything she had. Ryofu Hosen wasn't about to break her promises.

"We're almost there."

At Sonken's voice, the party came to a stop, with Ryofu's hands clenched into fists as she saw, from a distance, two figures that both appeared to have pink hair, each standing guard by the gate to the city. They had to be the twins that Shokatsuryo had warned them about.

"That's Daikyo and Shokyo," confirmed Sonken. "But what are they doing out here?"

"I doubt they're part of the welcoming committee," said Choun.

"Hey Ren, Shia, you girls ready?" asked Anthony over his shoulders, as both of them nodded.

"Yep!" said Choryo as she cracked her neck. "Let's go introduce ourselves." Slowly, the party stepped out into the open, with Daikyo and Shokyo surprised to see Sonken and company.

"Renfa? You're not supposed to be here!" said Daikyo with a hint of fear. "What are you…uh oh," she trailed off as she suddenly grasped just how outnumbered they were. Shuyu had been right about the counterattack.

"We're here to take back Go, evidently," said Sonken, as she crossed her arms, perplexed. "I have a better question. What are you doing here? The two of you are entertainers, last time I checked, not guards."

"We've been promoted!" bragged Shokyo. "We're generals now! So if you guys want to get to Lord Meirin, you have to get past us!"

"Okay," said Choryo as she shuffled her cards. "Who's up first?"

"I'll go," said Shokyo, shuffling her cards, as she decided to use that power that Ukitsu gave her, a purple aura coating her cards, which Choryo noticed, although she kept quiet about it.

'Shadow Game, huh? Figured as much, though I didn't think it'd be happening so soon…'

(Choryo: 4000 LP)(Shokyo: 4000 LP)

"Think I'll make the first move," said Choryo, drawing a sixth card. "And to kick things off, I summon my Blade Knight!"

The sword-swinging knight appeared before his master, armed and ready (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now I'll set two cards and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn!" shouted Shokyo. "I draw! And I summon my Gemini Scorpion to the field!"

Two men appeared, one with long white hair and one with shoulder-length red hair. The one with white hair wore a set of black and red scorpion-themed armor with two curved daggers, black hilts and green blades, while the redhead wore an identical suit of armor with more focus on the red, wielding red and black copies of the other's weapons (LV 4: ATK 1600). Once they were out, the twin soldiers looked at each other and nodded, before their knives were covered in green sparks as they slashed open an X-shaped portal, out of which came a new monster, a red fishman with a skull-like face, a blue fin down its back, and plate armor, wielding two lances that had three-pronged tips like a trident (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And when Gemini Scorpion is summoned, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Gemini Monster from my hand, like Gemini Lancer here! And now my Lancer will take down that lousy Blade Knight!"

The Gemini Monster began to charge at Blade Knight, as Choryo grinned. "Don't think so. I activate Sakuretsu Armor, to destroy your attacking monster!" And as the Trap Card flipped up, Blade Knight was covered in the spiky armor, ready to counter the attack.

"Looks like the early lead is going to Shia!" said Anthony, although he would come to eat these words as Shokyo activated a card that had Goggle Golem covered in bright blue electricity, as Gemini Lancer became coated in the same electricity, body shining like diamonds as sparks began to fly off and hit Blade Knight before both monsters exploded.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," said Shokyo. "Thanks to Gemini Spark, I was able to tribute Gemini Lancer and blast your Blade Knight to bits! And now I get to draw a card!" After she drew her next card, Shokyo added it to her hand and pointed at Choryo, who got into a defensive stance. "Now I'll have Gemini Scorpion attack directly!"

Both warriors rushed at Choryo, who tried her best to fend off their slashes, and for the most part succeeded, although the redhead managed to nick her on the cheek, as a thin cut appeared, with Shokyo flinching (Choryo: 4000-2400 LP).

"What the heck!? Did…did my monster just cut you?"

"Looks like whoever gave you the power to create Shadow Games didn't fill ya in," said Choryo as she wiped away the line of blood with her thumb. "It's all real, and the loser gets their soul sent to the Shadow Realm. If ya want, you can end it before you draw next turn."

"That sounds like a good idea!" said Daikyo, only for Shokyo to shake her head.

"No way! I'm gonna prove to Lord Meirin that we can do this!" shouted Shokyo, with Daikyo worried about her little sister. "I end my turn!"

"Then I guess it's my turn!" said Choryo, with Ryofu in awe of how she was keeping her calm. "And I think I'll summon a favorite of mine, Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

The knight in shining metal armor appeared, standing proud (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And he's got enough power to wipe out your Gemini Scorpion! Go, Metal Forearm Thrust!"

Gearfried charged the two warriors and cut them down to size with his sickle arm, leaving Shokyo's field empty (Shokyo: 4000-3800 LP).

"I think that'll do."

"Great work, Shia!" cheered Kan'u, which made Choryo's smile widen, as Shokyo drew her next card.

"I summon my Gemini Soldier!"

The new monster was a small warrior with a fan-shaped green and white hat, a white scarf, a green, white, and black suit, white gloves, and boots with orange wings, as it held a green toy plane in its hand (LV 2: ATK 500).

"And now I end my turn with a face-down!"

Choryo coolly drew her next card, and placed it in her hand, picking a different card to play. "I summon my Tatakawa Knight!"

The trident-wielding knight entered the battle, hefting his weapon over his head (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now I'll have my Tatakawa Knight take down that Gemini Soldier!"

But no sooner than the attack was declared did Shokyo play her face-down, as Gemini Soldier was covered in a bright light, before it was surrounded by wind, its scarf flapping and rippling.

"Not before I Normal Summon Gemini Soldier with Super Double Summon, activating its ability!"

Just then, Tatakawa Knight jumped over to Gemini Soldier and got ready to impale it with his trident, only for the attack to be blocked by a gust of wind (Shokyo: 3800-2800 LP).

"Now what?" asked Choryo.

"It's the effect of Gemini Soldier," explained Rikuson. "When it's been Gemini Summoned, it can't be destroyed by battle once per turn."

"And that's not all, right, Shokyo?" said Daikyo.

"Right! When Gemini Soldier battles, after damage calculation, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Gemini Monster from my deck! And since you like Warrior-types so much, I think I'll bring out my Evocator Chevalier!"

Her monster spun the propeller of its toy plane and threw it, the toy buzzing through the air before it became an orange-skinned knight in red flame-themed armor with a sharp scimitar (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"No biggie. Gearfried, take down that Gemini Soldier!"

The ironclad warrior used his shield to break through the wind barrier as he slashed at the Gemini Monster, who managed to throw another toy plane before its destruction (Shokyo: 2800-1500 LP), this one summoning Goggle Golem (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now I set a card and end my turn!"

Shokyo drew, and she grinned as she saw what she drew. "Time to show you my newest monster, one who's about to show you the true power of Gemini Monsters! I activate my Polymerization!"

"Polymerization?" asked Anthony as the Spell Card appeared on the field. "I don't like where this is going."

"Neither do I," said Choun, as Ryofu began to worry about her friend.

"I fuse my Aquarian Alessa and my King Pyron to create Superalloy Beast Raptinus!"

The Aqua-type, and a monster that looked like a caped man made out of fire (LV 5: ATK 1500) appeared, as they swirled together, creating what appeared to be a dragon that was made by Victor Frankenstein. It was a patchwork creature, made of several different parts that were stitched together. It had a head with a bonelike cover that had a spike above and below its mouth, red eyes, fins, and two curved horns, with a blue neck that went to a light blue segment, then a yellow one, before reaching the dark green body, with its left foreleg being light green, its right foreleg being white, and its hind legs being black and heavily armored, with yellow wings and a thick blue tail lined with red spots (LV 8: ATK 2200). As soon as Raptinus appeared, Goggle Golem flipped on its goggles (ATK 1500-2100), and the left hand of Evocator Chevalier was wreathed in flames.

"What's happening? One of her monsters got stronger, but the other didn't!" said Sonshoko. "What gives?"

"That's because of the effect of my monster! All of my Gemini Monsters are becoming Effect Monsters, and gaining their effects in the process!" said Shokyo. "Now to finish you off!"

"Not exactly," said Choryo as she activated one of her face-down cards. "I play Emergency Provisions, letting me send my other face-down card to the Graveyard and gain a thousand life points!" As her card flipped up, her other card shattered, with Choryo sending Collected Power to the Graveyard (Choryo: 2400-3400 LP).

"Then I'll just take you down next turn! But for now, let's clear your field! Chevalier, slash Tatakawa Knight apart!"

Her monster lit his sword ablaze, and managed to slice through the shield of the other Warrior, destroying it (Choryo: 3400-3000 LP).

"Next, my Goggle Golem will bash that Iron Knight to bits!"

Letting out a deep battle cry, the Rock-type shattered the Warrior-type with a powerful punch (Choryo: 3000-2700 LP).

"And now, Superalloy Beast Raptinus will attack directly! Plasma Torch!"

The Fusion Monster opened its mouth, shooting a powerful blue blast of plasma which fortunately didn't hit Choryo directly, but did land right in front of her and send her onto her side, as she grunted in pain (Choryo: 2700-500 LP). Anthony looked like he wanted to run towards the purple-haired duelist, only to be held back by Kan'u, as Ryofu had to be restrained by both Choun and Kannei, as Choryo slowly stood up, breath ragged, as she looked up to give a toothy grin.

"Is *huff* that it? *huff* 'Cause I'm still standing!"

"Then I'll just have to end my turn."

Choryo slowly drew, and as she looked over her hand, she let a grin creep onto her face. "I set one monster and one card, before ending my turn."

"It looks like Shia's up to something," said Kan'u with a smile as she folded her arms, as Choryo smiled hearing her idol's words, with Shokyo drawing.

"Nice! I summon my Energy Bravery!"

A new monster appeared, being a man with red hair, yellow glowing eyes, pointed ears, and clawed hands like that of a dragon, wearing a blue vest and scarf with a red belt that had a large blue gem and a blue hakama, with yellow electricity dancing across his body (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And when he's out, all my Gemini Monsters that are treated as Effect Monsters can't be destroyed by card effects! So now, my Raptinus will blast apart your monster with Plasma Torch!"

The Dragon-type shot another blue beam, destroying the face-down monster, Command Knight (LV 4: DEF 1900). As soon as she was destroyed, Choryo activated her face-down, showing a knight being pulled up by a rope, as Choryo slid the last card in her hand, Gearfried the Swordmaster, into her Graveyard.

"By destroying one of my monsters in battle, you activated Rope of Life! Now by discarding my entire hand, I can Special Summon my Command Knight, and she gains eight hundred attack points, plus four hundred via her own ability!"

Command Knight returned to the field, her attack points doubled between both boosts (ATK 1200-2400). Shokyo ended her turn without doing anything else, as Choryo drew, and pumped her fist.

"Hell yeah! This duel is over! Since I don't have any other cards in my hand, I don't need to tribute to bring this guy out! I summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

The horseman joined the valkyrie on the field (LV 7: ATK 2300-2700), and Shokyo began to quiver, realizing that she had lost.

"Command Knight, attack her Energy Bravery!"

Command Knight drew both of her swords and proceeded to slice apart Energy Bravery (Shokyo: 1500-800 LP).

"Now to end this duel, my Swift Gaia will run down that Evocator Chevalier with Spiral Lance Thrust!"

The powerful warrior began to charge, as Gaia struck and destroyed the Gemini Monster with his lance, destroying it, as Choryo was declared the winner (Shokyo: 800-0 LP)(Winner: Choryo). As soon as the duel ended, the effects of the Shadow Game took hold, as Shokyo screamed, her soul slowly being pulled out of her, similar to Ketsugo. The members of Kikai and the rebels from Go could only watch in horror, as it didn't look like there was a way to save her from her fate like Anthony and Soso, as Daikyo covered her mouth, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"DAIKYO, HELP ME!" were the last words that Shokyo said before her soul was torn out of her, looking like an ethereal copy of her which was absorbed into a purple portal. Daikyo ran up to the soulless body of her little sister, and she cradled Shokyo, tears falling freely down her face, as she looked up, a look of pure fury across her face.

"You did this…"

"Look," said Choryo, "I didn't want to! I told her how to stop the Shadow Game, but she didn't listen!"

"SHUT UP!" shouted the usually polite Daikyo as she moved Shokyo's body out of the way, gently laying her aside, before marching towards where Shokyo had stood, shuffling her cards. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Shokyo!"

"My turn."

Daikyo's eyes shifted over to Ryofu, and followed the redhead as she walked over to Choryo. "It's my turn. Go rest, Shia. You earned it."

"You got it, Ren," said Choryo as she walked back over to the group, standing between Kan'u and Anthony as Ryofu shuffled her own cards. "You got this!"

"For Shokyo," said Daikyo, "I'll make you suffer!" As Daikyo said this, the familiar purple aura covered their cards.

(Ryofu: 4000 LP)(Daikyo: 4000 LP)

Ryofu drew, then slapped a card onto the field. "Summon…Mad Dog of Darkness."

The snarling hound from the underworld appeared before Ryofu (LV 4: ATK 1900), as she set a card before ending her turn, with Daikyo drawing.

"I summon my X-Head Cannon to blow you to bits!"

Anthony's eyes practically popped out of his skull as the monster appeared. It was a blue and yellow robot, with a red visor, large spikes on its shoulders, and a sphere with spikes in place of its legs, resembling a morningstar. But the most notable feature were the two huge blue laser cannons sticking out of its shoulders (LV 4: ATK 1800). Kan'u saw his reaction, and was quick to connect the dots.

"That monster…it's a Machine-type, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. Those White Clothes creeps must have given it to her, and I'm positive it's not the only one she has."

"Now I activate my Frontline Base!" said Daikyo, the Continuous Spell materializing on her side of the field. "With this card, I can bring out a level four or lower Union Monster from my hand once a turn! So now, I can bring out another of my new cards, Y-Dragon Head!"

Out of her card flew another Machine-type monster, this one being a red dragon made out of metal, which let out a mechanical roar, the inside of its mouth glowing blue (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Now I equip Y-Dragon Head to X-Head Cannon!"

X-Head Cannon flew above Y-Dragon Head before docking its base into a spherical indent, the two monsters connecting and becoming more powerful (ATK 1800-2200).

"Now my X-Head Cannon gains four hundred attack and defense points, more than powerful enough to take out that dog of yours!"

The two cannons of X-Head Cannon began to charge up, as Y-Dragon Head opened its mouth, as three blasts of blue energy shot Mad Dog of Darkness to bits (Ryofu: 4000-3700 LP).

"And now I end my turn!"

Ryofu drew, then silently set a monster and another card before ending her turn, and as soon as Daikyo drew, she glared at Ryofu with the fury of a thousand suns.

"It's time to get revenge for my sister, starting with you! I summon my Z-Metal Tank!"

The new monster was a yellow robot with one mechanical eye, two exhaust ports on the back, and two metal "claws" with blue plates on top and tank treads underneath (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, to bring out my ultimate monster! I banish X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank!"

Y-Dragon Head folded its wings as the combined monsters landed on top of the new arrival, which opened the two flaps on its body to reveal green and orange laser cannons, as sparks briefly covered the new monster (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Cool," said Anthony as he admired the newly formed Fusion Monster, until he realized that everyone, sans the two duelists and the comatose Shokyo, were giving him bewildered stares, as he coughed awkwardly. "Careful, Ren! That monster's dangerous!"

"What…is it?" wondered Ryofu.

"This is my best monster, known as XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" shouted Daikyo. "And it's about to bring you to your knees! I use its effect to discard a card and blast apart one of your cards! Hyper Destruction!"

As Daikyo slid her Monster Reincarnation into the Graveyard, the lasers of X-Head Cannon began to charge up, as XYZ-Dragon Cannon fired its lasers at the face-down card and blew it to bits, with Ryofu sending her Sleeping Lion to the Graveyard.

"Now I activate its effect again!"

"Wait, how many times can she use its effect per turn?" asked Sonken.

"As many times as she can discard," said Anthony.

"Blast that left card to ash with Hyper Destruction!"

The mouth of Y-Dragon Head opened wide and fired a blast that destroyed the card, Trap Jammer, as Daikyo discarded a card. She then sent the last card of her hand to the Graveyard as the cannons of Z-Metal Tank shot two beams that shattered the last of Ryofu's cards, Rush Recklessly.

"Now XYZ-Dragon Cannon will attack directly! Cannon Firestorm!"

All five of the Machine-type's weapons pointed at Ryofu and let loose a salvo of laser blasts, explosions blossoming as they hit their mark, as everyone averted their eyes, and looked on to see a cloud of dust (Ryofu: 3700-900 LP).

"REN!" screamed Choryo and Anthony, until the dust settled to reveal Ryofu, a little singed, but still standing.

"Oh, thank god," said Choryo, letting out a breath, "she's okay."

"Not for much longer," growled Daikyo. "I end my turn!"

Ryofu looked up, and Daikyo felt a chill run down her spine as their eyes met, Ryofu drawing without breaking eye contact, until they flickered over to her new card, which she immediately set, before ending her turn. Daikyo drew, then immediately discarded her new card without even looking at it.

"XYZ-Dragon Cannon, trash that face-down with Hyper Destruction!"

The guns all turned toward the set card, which flipped up to reveal Threatening Roar, which let out its roar as five laser blasts blew it apart, the massive LIGHT monster flinching at the effects of the card.

"This is perfect!" said Rikuson. "Now XYZ-Dragon Cannon can't attack this turn! If Ryofu can keep this up, then she can turn things around!"

"One problem, Non," said Kannei. "How long can she keep this up?"

"I end my turn!"

Ryofu drew, and once again set her new card right away, this time in her Monster Zone. "I end my turn."

"Then I draw, and discard my card to have XYZ-Dragon Cannon destroy that monster with Hyper Destruction!"

Yet another powerful blast came from the massive metal monster, striking the monster, which exploded, before coming out of Ryofu's Duel Disk. It was an odd-looking cat, with light orange fur, blue markings, and a purple hoop earring on its right ear, left paw raised like a maneki-neko statue, wearing what appeared to be Egyptian clothing (LV 1: ATK 0). It meowed before it brought down its paw, as the Duel Disk of Daikyo began to glow red.

"What's happening?"

"Your card effect…destroyed Neko Mane King. So your turn ends. I draw! And play Foolish Burial!"

"Now we're talking!" said Anthony as he pumped his fist, with Kan'u giving a knowing smile as Ryofu slipped a card into her Graveyard, one that was sure to tip the scales in her favor. And sure enough, Ryofu set a monster and ended her turn, sending her Meotoko to the Graveyard as she brought out her signature monster.

"Summon…Manticore of Darkness!"

The mighty manticore appeared on the field, kneeling as it brought its claws in front of it (LV 6: DEF 1000).

"I'll take care of that monster in a jiffy! I draw, and I activate the effect of my Dragon Cannon! Hyper Destruction!"

For the sixth time that duel, Daikyo had her monster unleash its devastating effect, blowing Manticore of Darkness apart.

"Now to take down your set monster with Cannon Firestorm!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon let loose another laser barrage, the monster being revealed to be Catnipped Kitty, a blue kitten with pink swirls all over its body, a red belly, and a bell tied around its neck with a red ribbon (LV 2: DEF 500). The poor Beast-type was blown apart, as Sonshoko unconsciously put her arms around her sister.

"That's it for now!" And as Daikyo ended her turn, Ryofu discarded her Dark Bat, as Manticore of Darkness returned to the field (LV 6: DEF 1000). Ryofu slowly drew, and her lips curled into a small smile as she saw what she had drawn, as she switched her Manticore into attack mode (ATK 2300), and slid her newly drawn card into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"Horn of the Unicorn!"

A golden horn appeared on the forehead of Manticore of Darkness, who let out its mighty roar as its power increased (ATK 2300-3000).

"That card gives the equipped monster seven hundred attack and defense points," said Rikuson, "which means…"

"Ren can take out the Dragon Cannon!" finished Choryo. "Get her, Ren!"

"Furious Frenzy!"

Daikyo began to panic as the Beast-Warrior flew on top of XYZ-Dragon Cannon and tore into it with its claws and teeth, destroying the massive monster (Daikyo: 4000-3800 LP).

"I'm done."

Daikyo simply drew her card as soon as she got over the shock of her monster's destruction. "Um, I use the effect of Frontline Base to Special Summon Pitch-Dark Dragon in defense mode!"

The black dragon flew out of the Spell Card before landing and entering a defensive stance (LV 3: DEF 600).

"Now I end my turn!"

"Come on, Ren!" said Choryo. "You got this!"

Ryofu drew, then summoned her Enraged Battle Ox, which snorted and scraped its hoof on the ground (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Game over," declared Choun.

"Furious Frenzy."

Manticore of Darkness roared as it swung its tail and knocked the Union Monster into the air before it flew up and clawed it apart, the effect of Enraged Battle Ox kicking in (Daikyo: 3800-1400 LP).

"Axe Charge Attack!"

Daikyo panicked as the minotaur began to charge her, only to get tackled to the ground by it rather than be chopped (Daikyo: 1400-0 LP)(Winner: Ryofu). With the Shadow Game over, Daikyo let out a bloodcurdling scream as her soul was violently ripped from her body, being absorbed into a portal to the Shadow Realm as her eyes closed and she became still, as Ryofu winced.

"Oh shit, Ren!" screamed Choryo as she ran up to Ryofu, although she also winced, as Anthony surveyed their wounds. Choryo was lucky to have not been hit by the plasma blast, but being knocked back had given her some painful-looking scrapes on her right arm, plus the cut on her cheek. Ryofu was littered with minor burns and bruises, with her hair and clothes slightly singed. No major injuries, but they looked pretty battered.

"Anthony, I don't think that either of them are in any condition for another Shadow Game, if it comes to that," said Sonken. "Maybe you should have them rest."

"Yeah, good idea," said Anthony as he looked over the pair. "Ren, Shia, I'm gonna have you stay out here and watch over the twins. We'll take them back with us once we're done."

"Ah, it's just a couple flesh wounds, nothing too bad. We can still-" began Choryo, only for Anthony to cut her off.

"You've already done your jobs and proved yourselves. I don't want to risk either of you getting hurt more, or worse, getting sent to the Shadow Realm," he said, crossing his arms, as Choryo had to relent. Kan'u walked up to her and put her hand on Choryo's good shoulder.

"Just take a break, Shia. You've more than earned it." Choryo smiled at the praise coming from her idol.

"You better kick some ass!"

"I intend to."

"And you were pretty cool too, Ren," said Anthony, walking over to the redhead. "Taking down XYZ-Dragon Cannon like that was awesome!" Out of gratitude, Ryofu pulled her boyfriend into a tight hug, which Choryo joined shortly after, neither caring that they were injured, and neither rejected by the lord of Kikai. Choun began to walk up to them, only for Kan'u to hold out her arm and block her path.

"Just let the three of them have this, Sei," said the black-haired general as she gave a stern glare and shook her head, as Sonken loudly cleared her throat.

"Any day now."

The two generals let Anthony go, as he tried to regain the air that the two had squeezed out of him, as Choryo walked over to Shokyo, and Ryofu picked up the comatose Daikyo, before she turned to the seven duelists who would be entering Go.

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Ren," said Kan'u with a smile, as she turned to the former lord of Go. "Renfa, lead the way."

Sonken nodded, and the group of seven made their way into the city, ready for their next challenge.

* * *

 **Happy holidays, everyone! Sorry that this chapter took so long. Starpion out!**


	72. Evil Undead

As the seven duelists made their way through the city, most of the citizens saw the group making their way through town and tried to stay out of sight, getting into their homes and closing any doors or windows that they could. But a few onlookers managed to get a glimpse of Sonken and got excited, which didn't go unnoticed by Kannei, who nudged the shoulder of the middle Son sister.

"It seems that your people are happy to have you back, Renfa."

"They're not my people anymore," said Sonken.

"Even so, you really left a positive impact on everyone here," said Kannei, who smiled. "You were a good leader, Renfa." Sonken couldn't help but smile back. Whether it was due to Kannei getting together with Anthony or being reunited with her, she seemed much happier, or at least, more capable of showing it. And that made her happy.

Before long, they reached the palace, with Dokuro and Kurenai keeping watch, as Kurenai, who was leaning against the doorway and tapping her foot in boredom, sprung to attention as she saw the group approaching, as she began to giggle in excitement, displaying her fangs and putting the more skittish duelists on edge.

"Oh, finally! I've been dying for some excitement! Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun!"

"Ah, Lord Anthony," said Dokuro. "Here to provide another challenge? I eagerly await the pleasure you'll give me."

"Dokuro," said Anthony. "Hasn't been long enough, has it? And this chick must be Kurenai."

"That's me! And I'm gonna make you bleed!" she said in her cutesy voice, making the Messenger from Heaven flinch as Choun stepped forward.

"Actually, I'll be your opponent. I hope you aren't disappointed."

"Nope!" said Kurenai, as she activated her Chaos Duel Disk and put her hand over her cards, black and purple energy not just covering the cards of herself and Choun, but surrounding all nine duelists, as Rikuson and Sonshoko looked around in panic. "You'll be plenty of fun."

"Wh-What happened?" asked Sonshoko. "Where'd we go?"

"To my personal playing field!" said Kurenai. "Where no one outside can hear you scream! Now let's duel!"

(Kurenai: 4000 LP)(Choun: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" said Kurenai. "And I summon Vampire Lady!"

The first of Kurenai's monsters was a vampire woman with sea green skin and green hair done up in a bun, pointed ears, and a circlet. She wore a purple sleeveless dress that went down past her ankles, purple gloves that went past her elbows, red armlets studded with spiked rhinestones, a belt, and a corset that looked like a fanged ribcage clamped around her waist. The most notable piece of her outfit, however, was a shawl attached to two black and gold bracelets, one that looked like a massive pair of bat wings (LV 4: ATK 1550).

"Vampires," said Rikuson. "Very dangerous in the right hands."

"Now I set one card and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn," said Choun as she drew. "I summon my Neo Bug!"

The alien insect flew onto the field and let out a distorted screech (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Now my Neo Bug will attack your Vampire Lady!"

The Insect-type flew over to the Zombie-type and locked her in its mandibles until she burst into shards of light (Kurenai: 4000-3750 LP), only for it to fly over to Kurenai and bite the neck of the White Clothes elite, much to the surprise of Choun and the non-White Clothes spectators.

"What is my monster doing?"

"You'll see~," said Kurenai in a sing-song voice as the mandibles, which didn't break the skin, but rather appeared to phase into her, began to drain a golden substance from her before releasing its jaws and flying back to Choun, as Kurenai played her face-down, flipping up to show a picture of a golem breaking out of the ground.

"Now I play my Regretful Rebirth, to bring back my Vampire Lady!"

The regal vampire returned, kneeling down and crossing her arms (LV 4: DEF 1550).

"Then I suppose that I end my turn with two cards face-down."

"I draw! And I tribute my Vampire Lady to summon Vampire Lord!"

As one vampire faded away, another, more powerful one stood in her place. This one was another vampire, one with light blue hair that covered his right eye, a dark purple suit, and a purple cape with a red interior that looked like it was held on by a large, bony hand with long yellow nails (LV 5: ATK 2000).

"And while he's plenty powerful enough to squash your bug already, I'd rather go for the jugular! I activate my Overpowering Eye, which will allow one Zombie-type I control with two thousand or less attack points to attack directly this turn!"

A Spell Card depicting a vampire with large red eyes glaring on either side of him appeared, and a dark purple aura covered Vampire Lord as he smiled, eyes glowing red. Choun only smiled and played her own face-down, which depicted a light blue succubus draining the life from a male warrior.

"Seeing how much you love Vampire cards, I wonder if you've heard of this card. I play Magic Drain, negating your Spell Card and destroying it, unless you wish to discard a Spell Card and negate the effect."

"Can't do that," said Kurenai, as the purple energy left the Vampire Lord.

"Nice! Now Sei managed to keep herself from losing half of her life points!" said Anthony.

"At the expense of her Neo Bug," said Sonken, and she was right, as Kurenai pointed at the Insect-type.

"Vampire Lord, attack Neo Bug!"

Vampire Lord put his hands together and released a cloud of bats that swarmed Neo Bug and destroyed it (Choun: 4000-3800 LP), before they began to swarm Choun, one of them biting her and draining the same golden energy. The bats then flocked back to Vampire Lord, who whisked them away with a wave of his cape.

"Strange, I don't feel any different," said Choun. "What exactly is the effect of this Shadow Game?"

"It'll take a while for the effects to really show, but it's already started!"

"What's going on? Are…are the monsters draining blood?" asked Rikuson.

"Doesn't look like it," said Kannei. "Maybe youth?"

"Neither Sei or Kurenai look a day older than when they started," said Kan'u. "So what is happening?"

"Now I use the effect of Vampire Lord! I can declare either Monster Card, Spell Card, or Trap Card, and you send one of those cards from your deck to the Graveyard! And I pick Spell Card!"

Choun took her deck out of its slot and sent Jade Insect Whistle to the Graveyard before she shuffled her deck and sent it back.

"Now I end my turn with a face-down!"

"Which I'll destroy with Mystical Space Typhoon!" said Choun, the cosmic tornado raging across the field and sending the newly set card, Vampire Takeover, to the Graveyard, before Choun drew.

"Your Vampire Lord is powerful, but my Fissure will take care of it!"

The ground opened up underneath Vampire Lord and swallowed him whole before closing back up, leaving the field of Kurenai empty.

"Now I summon Flying Kamakiri #1!"

The giant dragonfly made its appearance, buzzing overhead as its eyes locked onto Kurenai (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now, my Kamakiri will attack directly with Sonic Slashes!"

Flying Kamakiri #1 flew up to Kurenai and let loose a series of scratches (Kurenai: 3750-2350 LP) before it opened its jaws wide and bit her on the neck, absorbing even more gold energy before it had its fill and returned to Choun.

"Didn't know dragonflies could do that," said Sonshoko.

"They don't, Shaoren," said Rikuson, as Choun ended her turn, with Kurenai drawing, as she began to giggle.

"Wanna know something cool about vampires? They're immortal! And Vampire Lord is no exception, 'cause when he's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by one of your card effects, I can bring him right back during my Standby Phase!"

True to her word, a coffin rose from the darkness, before the door swung open and Vampire Lord stepped out with a malicious smile that was more refined, but just as evil, as his master's (LV 5: ATK 2000).

"Now I play Reload!" shouted the blonde as she slipped both cards in her hand back onto her deck, her Chaos Duel Disk shuffling it for her. "Now every card in my hand goes back to my deck, and I redraw the same amount I returned!" Kurenai drew two cards, and her smile became even wider as she began to giggle.

"This can only mean one thing for Sei," said Kan'u. "Trouble."

"Time for Vampire Lord to unleash his true power! I banish Vampire Lord to Special Summon my most powerful monster, VAMPIRE GENESIS!"

Vampire Lord wrapped his cape around him, completely covering him, as it began to expand, and was ripped to shreds as a much more feral and vicious vampire made its grand entrance. It was a tall beast with purple skin that was ripped with muscle, red eyes glaring at Choun. It had three horns: a curved horn on either side of its head, and a smaller one in the center of its forehead, with a gaping mouth lined with long, sharp teeth. It had six red claws wrapped around its shoulders and waist, and on its back was what appeared to be a huge bat wing web, with five finger-like segments connected with black skin webbing (LV 8: ATK 3000). Sonshoko got close to her sister, as the siblings hugged each other, with Kannei stepping in front of them.

"Aw, ain't he a cutie?" cooed Kurenai.

"I beg to differ," said Choun.

"And he's got a really cool effect! Once per turn, I can discard a Zombie-type monster to Special Summon one with a lower level from my Graveyard! So I discard my level five Vampire Dragon to Special Summon level four Vampire Lady!"

As Kurenai slipped her card into the Graveyard, her Vampire Lady came back (LV 4: ATK 1550).

"And now, I'll have Vampire Genesis attack your Flying Kamakiri #1! Crimson Storm!"

The mighty Zombie-type transformed into a bloody mist, as trails of vapor lashed forward and tore apart Flying Kamakiri #1 (Choun: 3800-2200 LP), as the mist turned back into Vampire Genesis, who loomed over Choun before sinking its massive teeth into the neck of Choun, draining more golden energy, before letting go and returning to its original position.

"Well, by destroying my *yawn* Flying Kamakiri #1 in battle, I can…what's happening? I feel so…tired." Kurenai just began to giggle again, the Millennium Symbol briefly flashing on her forehead before it went away.

"That gold stuff that our monsters have been sucking out of us? That's our stamina! By now, you're probably feeling pretty drained! Too bad they aren't actually sucking blood though. I bet you'd look super cute, all covered in blood!"

"At l-least she's only getting t-tired, right?" said Rikuson, as Anthony clenched his fists.

"It's not as bad as losing blood, but she's still getting more and more exhausted the more life points she loses."

"I just thought of something," said Sonken, eyes shrinking in fear. "If she gets tired enough, she might pass out. What happens if Sei falls asleep in the middle of a duel?"

"That would…be a forfeit," said Rikuson.

"Which means that Sei would lose her soul to the Shadow Realm," said Kan'u. "But I have a better question!" she shouted, eyes narrowing as she pointed at Kurenai. "You've lost almost as many life points as Sei, so why haven't you been affected!?"

"I have been!" said Kurenai, her smile not faltering for a second. "I've just got too much energy for it to be a bother!"

"That's completely unfair," said Kannei, her glare becoming sharper.

"Man, if Shia was here, she'd be going into conniptions," said Anthony.

"What do you expect from such deplorable humans, if they can even be described as such," said Kan'u. "Sei! I've seen you duel before, and I know that you can push through this fatigue and win!"

"Thanks, Aisha," said Choun, as she held back a yawn as a card stuck out of her Duel Disk, which she pulled out and slapped onto her Monster Zone. "As I was saying, now I can Special Summon a WIND monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, like Flying Kamakiri #2!"

As the huge mantis appeared (LV 4: ATK 1500), Kurenai pointed at it. "So what? It's about to become my Vampire Lady's next meal!"

Vampire Lady flew up to the Insect-type and bit it on the neck, destroying it (Choun: 2200-2150 LP) before hovering over to Choun and doing the same, taking a small amount of stamina.

"And when Vampire Lady deals damage, I can select a card type, and you send one card of that type from your deck to the Graveyard, just like Vampire Lord!" said Kurenai. "And I choose Monster Card!" As Choun snapped to attention, she pulled out her deck again and sent her Hercules Beetle to the Graveyard.

"Now I'm done! Your move!"

"Right," said Choun as she drew. "I summon Skull-Mark Ladybug!"

The skull-marked beetle flew onto the field (LV 4: ATK 500), as Dokuro laughed from the sidelines. "What a weak monster. How can that possibly help you?"

"Like…this," said Choun, fighting off the exhaustion as best as she could. "I play Insect Imitation, tributing Skull-Mark Ladybug to Special Summon an Insect-type monster from my deck that's one level higher! And when Skull-Mark Ladybug is sent to the Graveyard, I gain a thousand life points! So I tribute it to summon Grasschopper!"

Green cracks covered the ladybug before it split open, Grasschopper crawling out (LV 5: ATK 2350). As this went on, gold light seeped into Choun, some of her stamina restored (Choun: 2150-3150 LP).

"Now I'll have Grasschopper attack and destroy your Vampire Lady!"

The Insect-type bounced over to Vampire Lady and sliced her apart (Kurenai: 2350-1550 LP), before it bounded over to Kurenai and drained some of her stamina with its bite, before hopping back to Choun.

"That should be it for now."

"Now we're talking!" cheered Anthony from the sidelines. "Go, Sei!"

"I draw! And I use the effect of Vampire Genesis to discard my level six Vampire's Curse, and resurrect level five Vampire Dragon!"

Kurenai slipped another card into her Graveyard, and out of the shadows came another nightmarish beast. It was a snakelike dragon with a black body and red underbelly, with decently sized wings, a small pair of arms with three claws, large fangs like a viper, and one large eye (LV 5: ATK 2400).

"Vampire Dragon, destroy that Grasschopper!"

Her dragon flew over to Grasschopper and bit down on it, shattering it (Choun: 3150-3100 LP), before it flew over to Choun and bit her neck, draining her a minuscule amount.

"Now to attack directly! Get her, Vampire Genesis!"

Vampire Genesis went over to Choun and bit into her neck, draining a massive amount of stamina (Choun: 3100-100 LP). Once the attack came to pass and Kurenai ended her turn, Choun was wobbling in place, her eyelids feeling like they were made of lead.

"So…tired…" she said, before she slapped herself across the face.

"Uh, what is she doing?" asked Sonken, as Choun kept smacking herself, her cheeks turning red.

"It looks like she's trying to keep herself awake at all costs," said Kan'u with a smile. "You've got this, Sei!"

"Come on, there's no way that you can keep dueling! You look like you could be pushed over by a light breeze!" laughed Kurenai, as Choun drew, glaring at the White Clothes member.

"As long as my mind is strong, I won't let my body give out on me! Now I activate my Swords of Revealing Light!"

As the swords fell around the two Zombie-types, Choun managed to give a smile. "Now for three of your turns, your monsters can't attack! I end my turn."

"Then I draw, and I activate the effect of Vampire Genesis, and discard another Vampire Genesis to Special Summon Vampire's Curse!"

Kurenai brought out a third vampire to her field, one with pale skin, red eyes, spiky blue hair, and a fancy suit with purple shoulder guards and a black and red cape, a red demon wing sticking out of its right shoulder blade (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Now I end my turn!"

Choun's eyelids began to droop, before she slapped herself awake and drew. "I pass my turn."

"Doesn't look like she's doing too well," said Sonshoko.

"That's an understatement," said Anthony. "Not only is she down to her last sliver of life points, she's fighting to stay conscious, and her opponent is amassing an army of vampires."

"Cool! I draw, and I summon Blood Sucker!"

A fourth monster appeared, being a red demon with two small horns, a long green tongue, and large fins on its elbows like a ray (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Now I'm done. Your turn!"

Choun wasted no time making her move. "All I can do is set a card."

"Then I draw! And I tribute Blood Sucker to summon Vampire Lord!"

The demon disappeared, making way for a new Vampire Lord (LV 5: ATK 2000), as Choun played her face-down.

"I activate DNA Surgery, changing the type of every monster on the field to one of my choice! I pick Insect-type, of course."

All of Kurenai's Vampire monsters suddenly became more insectoid, gaining extra limbs, antennae, and wings, as Kurenai ended her turn, the Swords of Revealing Light vanishing. "Zombies or Insects, it doesn't matter what type my monsters are! You're finished!"

"Am I?" said Choun as she drew. "I draw! And I summon Pinch Hopper!"

The green grasshopper materialized before Choun (LV 4: ATK 1000), as she played another card.

"Now I activate Eradicating Aerosol, which will destroy all face-up Insect-type monsters! So now every monster on the field is about to be destroyed!"

The aerosol can appeared, releasing a cloud of insecticide that destroyed every monster on the field, as Kurenai laughed. "Don't forget that during my Standby Phase, Vampire Lord will come back due to his effect!"

"You won't have another Standby Phase! I activate the effect of Pinch Hopper, letting me Special Summon an Insect-type from my hand! And I pick Metal Armored Bug!"

The massive metal insect towered over Kurenai (LV 8: ATK 2800), as her smile suddenly began to falter. "Wh-What? No, I can't lose!"

"Nothing is impossible," said Choun. "Metal Armored Bug, attack directly!"

The giant insect began to charge at Kurenai, tackling her and sending her to the ground (Kurenai: 1550-0 LP)(Winner: Choun). Choun was suddenly covered with a golden energy, and her lost stamina was regained. Kurenai, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as lucky. As she began to climb to her feet, she let out a bloodcurdling scream as she began to rapidly age. Wrinkles began to form on her body, her hair turned gray, and her body became thin and bony. But she kept on aging, and Sonken covered Sonshoko's eyes as Kurenai let out one last scream before she became nothing but bones, which collapsed onto the ground and turned to dust as the soul of Kurenai rose from the ashes, only to fade away, as the shadows around them vanished. Beside Sonshoko, whose eyes were covered, and Dokuro, who was unruffled, everyone, even Kannei, was in various states of shock and horror.

"Oh my god," said Kan'u. "She may have been evil, but she didn't deserve that."

"Well, I'm not sleeping tonight," declared Anthony, as he ran up to Choun. "Sei, are you okay?"

"I'm fine now, but thanks for your concern," said Choun. "Now it's your turn, Aisha."

"So my opponent will be the famous Kan'u Uncho," said Dokuro with an evil smile. "I only hope that you provide a decent challenge."

"You'll get that and more from me," said Kan'u as she shuffled her cards, with Dokuro initiating the Shadow Game, the black fog once again surrounding the group.

(Kan'u: 4000 LP)(Dokuro: 4000 LP)

"I draw!" said Kan'u. "And I summon my Field-Commander Rahz in attack mode!"

The brunette commander appeared before Kan'u, sword pointed at Dokuro (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now I use the effect of Rahz, moving a level four or lower Warrior-type monster in my deck to the top!" said Kan'u as she took a card out of her deck and placed it on the top. "Now I'll set one card and end my turn!"

"My move," said Dokuro as he drew. "To start things off, I play a Spell Card called Call of the Mummy!"

A Continuous Spell appeared before Dokuro, one with a picture of several mummies coming out of their tombs. "With this card, once per turn, as long as I control no monsters, I can Special Summon one Zombie-type monster from my hand, no matter the level! And I have just the monster in mind!"

"That will have to wait," said Kan'u, "as I activate my Twister, paying five hundred of my life points to destroy that card!"

The gray tornado whirled across the field and ripped apart the Spell Card (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP), when Kan'u suddenly winced in pain, which wasn't unnoticed.

"Aisha? What happened?" asked Anthony.

"I…felt a sharp pain run through my body, but it's gone now," said Kan'u. "But I didn't take any damage, I just paid life points. How did that happen?"

"How you lost them doesn't matter," said Dokuro. "In this Shadow Game, losing life points equals pain!"

'And of course, my opponent is a masochist,' thought Kan'u, 'meaning that I'm the only one who's actually handicapped.'

"I summon Regenerating Mummy to the field!"

The new monster was a battered looking mummy, which groaned as it opened its mouth unusually wide (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And now, my Regenerating Mummy will destroy your monster!"

The Zombie-type groaned as it ran erratically to Field-Commander Rahz and clawed at him, destroying him as Kan'u briefly winced (Kan'u: 3500-3300 LP).

"Now I set a card and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn," said Kan'u as she drew. "I summon the monster I picked with Rahz, Marauding Captain!"

The blonde captain jumped into action (LV 3: ATK 1200), as Kan'u pulled another card out of her hand.

"And with his effect, I can Special Summon Exiled Force from my hand!"

The ragtag group of warriors joined the captain, pointing their various weapons at Regenerating Mummy (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"And here I thought that you were supposed to be one of the best duelists there was," said Dokuro with a sneer. "Neither of those monsters hold a candle to mine!"

"And yet they're perfectly capable of not only beating your monster, but giving me the lead! I tribute Exiled Force to destroy your Regenerating Mummy!" said Kan'u, as Exiled Force shattered, and orange particles of light surrounded Regenerating Mummy, destroying it.

"Alright Aisha!" cheered Anthony. "Now he's wide open!"

"Marauding Captain, attack directly!"

Marauding Captain jumped at the White Clothes member and slashed at him with both swords (Dokuro: 4000-2800 LP).

"Yes…" said Dokuro, as Marauding Captain returned to his original position.

"That ends my turn," said Kan'u, with Dokuro drawing.

"Then I draw, and I play my Book of Life!"

As the Spell Card appeared, Dokuro pulled a card out of his Graveyard. "Now I can Special Summon one of my Zombie-type monsters in my Graveyard and banish a monster in your Graveyard! So I Special Summon Regenerating Mummy, and banish your Exiled Force!"

Kan'u took Exiled Force out of her Graveyard as Regenerating Mummy returned (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And I summon Goblin Zombie to join my mummy!"

The sword swinging zombie appeared (LV 4: ATK 1100), with Kan'u getting into a defensive stance, preparing herself for the upcoming onslaught.

"Regenerating Mummy, destroy Marauding Captain!"

The mummy shuffled over to Marauding Captain and struck him to the ground, destroying him as Kan'u winced again (Kan'u: 3300-2700 LP).

"Now I'll have Goblin Zombie attack directly!"

Kan'u couldn't hold back a cry of pain as the blade slashed her (Kan'u: 2700-1600 LP).

"And it gets better for me, since whenever Goblin Zombie deals battle damage, you have to send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard!"

Kan'u let out a sigh, but obeyed, and with a heavy heart, she ended up sending her Gilford the Lightning to the Graveyard.

"Now I end my turn, and so far, you've thoroughly failed to impress me."

"Then let's change that!" said Kan'u as she drew. "Since you control two more monsters than me, I Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

In a flash of light, the powerful warrior in gilded armor appeared, cracking his knuckles (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And he'll be joined by The Immortal Bushi!"

The new monster was a man with a large bald spot and long black hair, his eyes pure white. He wore a set of purple samurai armor with red trim, including gloves and boots, with baggy tan pants, holding two swords, with multiple arrows sticking out of him (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"Now this is more like it!" said Dokuro. "Give me everything that you've got!"

"I was planning on it! Fiend Megacyber, destroy Regenerating Mummy with your Cyber Swipe!"

Letting out a war cry, the golden warrior slashed apart the Zombie-type with his claws, as Dokuro began to smile as a wave of pain went through his body (Dokuro: 2800-2400 LP).

"Now Immortal Bushi will slay that Goblin Zombie of yours!"

The other Warrior-type lunged at Goblin Zombie, slashing it into three pieces with his swords before it shattered (Dokuro: 2400-2300 LP), as a single card stuck out of Dokuro's deck.

"Thank you! By destroying Goblin Zombie, now I can add a Zombie-type with 1200 or less defense points from my deck to my hand!" he said as he pulled out the Monster Card.

"I end my turn," said Kan'u, as Dokuro drew, playing his next card right away.

"Now I activate my Blue Medicine," said Dokuro, as a glass chalice with a golden base appeared, as a green jug poured a blue liquid into it, and Dokuro took the chalice in his left hand. "Now I gain four hundred life points, meaning that I can handle more wonderful pain!"

He brought the glass to his lips and drank its contents, the medicine healing him (Dokuro: 2300-2700 LP). Once the glass was empty, Dokuro wiped his mouth and cast the cup aside before he continued his turn.

"Now I summon the monster that Goblin Zombie brought to me, my Zombie Master!"

The necromancer appeared on the field with a wicked laugh (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Zombie Master, destroy her Immortal Bushi!"

Zombie Master formed a skull in his hands, and blasted it at The Immortal Bushi, destroying him, as Kan'u winced (Kan'u: 1600-1000 LP).

"And that will end my turn!"

Kan'u drew, and smiled as she saw what she had gotten, playing her new card right away.

"I activate Monster Reborn, letting me Special Summon a monster from either of our Graveyards! And I pick the monster that you had me send away with Goblin Zombie, my mighty Gilford the Lightning!"

"Aw, sweet!" cheered Anthony. "Aisha's got this duel on lockdown now!"

"Not quite!" said Dokuro. "I activate my Trap Card, Dark Deal!"

The face-down card flipped up, showing Zure, Knight of Dark World meeting with the man from Coffin Seller in a dark location, with Zure seemingly giving some power to the coffin seller, as Dokuro was surrounded by a black fog as he began to laugh, the Millennium Symbol briefly appearing (Dokuro: 2700-1700).

"Now by paying a thousand life points, I can alter the effect of your Normal Spell, so now, rather than reviving a monster, it makes me discard one random card!" he said, as Monster Reborn and the two cards in Dokuro's hand began to glow black. "So, which will it be?"

'I have to pick carefully,' said Kan'u. 'Something tells me that he wants one of those cards in the Graveyard.' "I select…the card on my right!"

The card on Dokuro's right stopped glowing, but the one on the left was still covered in black smoke, as he sent it to his Graveyard. As soon as it went in, his Duel Disk began to glow purple, and a shadow began to creep out.

"Now what's happening?" asked Sonshoko.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," said Kannei.

"No it isn't!" cackled Dokuro. "Now to show you true power! Whenever this monster of mine is sent from the hand or the deck to the Graveyard by an opponent's card effect, I can Special Summon it! Rise from the shadows and take form, Despair from the Dark!"

The shadowy demon rose up, its shadow becoming its body as it towered over Kan'u and her monster (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Hold on, wasn't Dark Deal the card that sent Despair from the Dark from his hand to the Graveyard?" asked Sonken. "That was his card, so it doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm afraid it makes perfect sense, Renfa," said Choun. "Dark Deal changed the effect of Monster Reborn, so it was Aisha's Card that sent it there."

"What do you think, Kan'u Uncho?" asked Dokuro. "Now this is a monster!" Kan'u was admittedly a little intimidated by Despair from the Dark, but she couldn't show it. She refused to show weakness to such a wicked man.

"Fiend Megacyber, destroy Zombie Master!"

The Fiend Megacyber ran towards the necromancer and slashed through him, the Zombie-type shattering into pieces (Dokuro: 1700-1300 LP).

"Now I set one monster and end my turn."

"Come on, Aisha, you've got this," said Anthony, as Dokuro drew.

"I summon Master Kyonshee to join my Despair from the Dark!"

The new monster was a jiangshi, or a Chinese zombie, wearing a blue robe and hat, with a long ponytail behind it, face covered by a sheet of paper with the kanji for "curse" written on it. Its hands were blue and bony with long fingers and fingernails, and it wore a pair of yellow pants and black slip-on shoes, as it got into a martial arts stance (LV 4: ATK 1750).

"Master Kyonshee, destroy her face-down monster!"

The Zombie-type hopped over to the defending monster, which flipped up to reveal Swordsman of Landstar, who had his shield out in front of him (LV 3: DEF 1200), only for Master Kyonshee to break through it with a jab of his hand, running his hand through the body of the Warrior-type and destroying him.

"Despair from the Dark, destroy The Fiend Megacyber with Shadow Cataclysm!"

The huge monster dug its arm into the ground, as a shadow claw zipped towards the Warrior-type and rose up, crushing him, as Kan'u grunted, glaring at Dokuro (Kan'u: 1000-400 LP).

"I'm still standing," said Kan'u, "and I'm going to defeat you! I won't let somebody as evil as you get away with everything you've done!"

"Wrong!" shouted the White Clothes admin. "You may be skilled, but it doesn't matter. I'll send you to the Shadow Realm, just like I did to that weak redheaded lord!"

"What did he just say?" asked Choun in a soft, yet deadly tone, as Anthony clenched his teeth.

"No fucking way…"

"What was that?" asked Kan'u, rage building.

"That weakling was just as righteous as you, and yet she failed to give me a proper challenge, a proper thrill. Now then, my turn is up. Don't waste it, I'm dying for what you have in store. And I don't want you to disappoint me like that lord, whatever her name was."

"You monster," growled Kan'u as she drew. "Her name…was Kosonsan Hakukei!"

"Well, unlike you, Kan'u Uncho, she wasn't worth remembering."

"Then I'll make you remember! I banish Gilford the Lightning and The Fiend Megacyber from my Graveyard!"

Both monsters appeared, and turned into a black and white portal, becoming the gateway to summon one of Kan'u's best monsters.

"When the forces of dark and light combine, a new soldier is born, and comes to your defeat! Behold, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"

Out of the portal stepped the mighty warrior, light gleaming off of him which repelled Despair from the Dark (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Now, Black Luster Soldier! Destroy Master Kyonshee!"

With blinding speed, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning closed the distance between himself and the Zombie-type, slicing it in half with a single swing of his sword (Dokuro: 1300-50 LP), as Dokuro began to laugh.

"The pain, it's glorious! This is what I've been waiting for!"

"Now it's time to end this duel," said Kan'u. "When my monster destroys one of your monsters in battle, he can attack again! Slay that Despair with Luster Blade, my soldier!"

The powerful knight crouched down, then leapt high into the air before bringing down his blade on the head of Despair from the Dark, slicing it in two (Dokuro: 50-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"That's game," declared Kan'u, as the spectators went wild, as Dokuro saw a portal open up beneath him, as skeletal hands grabbed his ankles and began to pull him in, more hands coming out to grab him as he sunk, as another portal appeared, with someone coming out of it.

"What's happening now?" asked Sonken, staring at the portal, as Choun felt her eyes widen as she recognized the face.

"PAIREN!" she shouted, as she and Kan'u sprinted towards the body and pulled it out of the murky portal, before setting Kosonsan on her back, as she weakly coughed, before their attention went back to Dokuro, who had begun to cackle like a madman, before he was swallowed whole.

"Good riddance," spat Kannei, glaring at where he once stood, as she turned to the sleeping body of Kosonsan, as Anthony, Choun, and Kan'u were watching over her. "So how did she get here?"

"When Dokuro lost the Shadow Game," explained Anthony, "every soul that he sent to the Shadow Realm was freed. I'm guessing that she was the only one who lost her body too." As he said this, she began to stir in her sleep, and slowly, Kosonsan woke up, in complete confusion.

"Ugh…Anthony? Aisha? Sei? What are…where am I?"

"Right now, you're in Go," said Sonken, which made Kosonsan jerk her head in her direction, as Choun put her arm on her shoulder.

"It's a long story, Pairen, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

"Hey Sei," said Anthony, "you and Aisha should take her to Ren and Shia, and fill her in on what happened while she was gone."

Choun nodded and helped Kosonsan to her feet, but Kan'u shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm coming with you."

"Aisha-"

"I'm not going to just sit back while you're taking on Shuyu, Anthony. Besides, Sei has this handled by herself. I'm coming to give you my support, and that's final."

Anthony let out a sigh, and smiled at her. "Guess I can't stop you. Let's go." Kan'u smiled as Choun led Kosonsan to the outside of town, as Sonken walked up to the doors.

"Let's not waste any more time," said the former lord of Go as she opened the doors to the palace. "We still have one more challenge ahead of us."

* * *

 **And there you have it! Kurenai and Dokuro have been vanquished, Pairen is free, and the big showdown between Anthony and Meirin is steadily approaching. Hope that everyone has an awesome 2019! Starpion out!**


	73. Blinded by the Light

The group of seven, now a group of six, made their way through the palace, with Sonken taking the lead, knowing its layout the best of all of them. As they approached the throne room, two guards who stood outside the door widened their eyes in surprise.

"Sonken! What are you doing here?" asked the one on the right as they both pointed their weapons at Sonken. "You aren't supposed to be here!"

"And yet, here I am," said Sonken. "And as you can see, I'm not alone."

"The six of us need to get into that throne room," said Anthony, "so that I can challenge Meirin to a duel between lords. Think you can let us through?"

The two guards shared a brief look before turning back towards the group. "We'll allow entry to him and his general, but I'm afraid that the rest of you can't pass," said the one on the left, as Kan'u and Kannei took off their Duel Disks and stepped forward.

"Then I guess we'll have to change your minds," said Kan'u, as the two of them charged the two guards, the others backing up to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. One of them brought his weapon, a crescent blade, down on Kan'u, who stepped to the side and dodged the attack, before grabbing the polearm and kicking the guard in the stomach, making him release his weapon as Kan'u spun it in her hands, pointing it at the unarmed guard. He didn't stay unarmed for long, however, as he drew his sword and slashed at her, only to have every swing of his sword parried, as one solid swing of the crescent blade knocked it clean out of his hands, the sword clattering onto the wooden floor. Kan'u then spun the weapon around and hit her opponent with the blunt weight on the end, knocking him out cold as he crumbled to the floor.

Kannei, on the other hand, did a running slide between the legs of the other guard as he brought down his spear, only for it to pierce the floorboards. As Kannei came to a stop and her opponent tried frantically to pull the tip of his spear out of the floor, she managed to snatch his sword, unsheathing it as he finally managed to pull out his spear. The guard pivoted around and thrusted his spear forward, only for Kannei to block it, holding the sword in a reverse grip with the blunt end outside, as she spun over to him and struck him in the neck with the blunt end of the sword, sending him into unconsciousness as well. The four who witnessed the fight were completely floored.

"Whoa," said Anthony, clearly impressed. "Aisha, Shishun, I didn't know you two could fight like that!" Kan'u simply beamed with pride as she rested her crescent blade on her shoulder, while Kannei tried to hide her blush with her scarf.

"I…suppose that takes care of things," said Sonken as the two dropped their borrowed weapons by their unconscious owners and put their Duel Disks back on. "Anyway, lead the way, Lord Anthony. After all, you'll be the one dueling."

"With pleasure," said Anthony, as he swung the door open, revealing Shuyu on the throne, Sonsaku's Duel Disk on her wrist, which made Sonshoko scowl.

"What does she think she's doing?" she whispered to Kan'u. "That's Sheren's! Nobody is allowed to use it!"

"Remember, she's not exactly in her right mind," said Kan'u, noticing how Shuyu's eyes were dulled, a lot like those of Soso's. She then noticed a certain White Clothes member and scowled. "No thanks to that monster."

"Lord Anthony Calem. I can't say that I'm surprised," said Shuyu, standing up, as she glared at Sonken. "And unfortunately, it looks like Sonken Chubo has once again proven that she can't be relied on. I thought that I told you to never return."

"That was before I leaned the circumstances," said Sonken as she pointed at Ukitsu. "That man standing beside you has been manipulating you!"

"Lies," said Shuyu as she stood up forcefully. "Ukitsu has been nothing but helpful to me. He's the one who enlightened me about your failures as a lord!"

"I thought she was brainwashed," whispered Kannei to Anthony. "If she's under a spell, our words will be useless."

"Not necessarily," whispered back the King of Games. "We just need to snap her back to reality like we did with Karin. A strong enough emotional response should work."

"While the other factions gained territory and power, no progress was made for Go after the transition from Sheren to you, save for an alliance with Kikai, and it appeared that the dream to unite China under one rule was about to die," said Shuyu as she walked down the steps, with Sonshoko flinching at the mention of her sister, and Sonken's glare hardening. "And if it wasn't for the advice of Ukitsu, then I would have left Sheren's dream forgotten, and the Go Kingdom would fade into obscurity!"

"But he's the one who made Sheren disappear!" shouted Rikuson as she pointed at Ukitsu, who didn't react to the accusation.

"Enough lies!" shouted Shuyu as she reached the bottom of the stairs, as Anthony walked up to her.

"We aren't lying. I know Ukitsu, and I know that he can't be trusted. I mean, do you really think that Sonsaku would want-"

But before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off as Shuyu's right fist collided with his left cheek, sending him sprawling backwards as the onlookers, sans a stoic Ukitsu, watched the scene unfold in horror. Shuyu clenched and unclenched her fingers as Kan'u helped Anthony to his feet, a small line of blood trailing down his lower lip as the point of impact began to bruise.

"Are you okay?" asked a worried Kan'u.

"I'm fine, Aisha, but thanks," replied Anthony. First Kakoen, then Bacho, now Shuyu; Anthony was baffled as to why hot women kept hitting him in the face.

"Is that the 'strong emotional response' you were talking about?" asked Kannei, as Kan'u glared at the lord of Go.

"Don't you DARE act like you know anything about Sheren!" snapped Shuyu. "You don't know a damn thing about her!"

"Well, to be fair, what little I do know about her, you've told me," said Anthony as he rubbed his cheek and winced.

"This isn't working," said Sonken. "Everything we say just makes her angrier."

"I could say the same thing about her," said Kannei.

"Then we'll just have to change tactics," said Anthony. "The reason I brought you four is because you know Meirin the best, and have the best chance of bringing her back to reality. But for now, it's time to do what I do best."

He then opened his satchel and pulled out his Duel Disk, before he slid it onto his wrist, the device activating on the spot and shuffling his cards. "We've taken down your generals, Meirin! Now it's time to have a duel between lords! The winner gets the territory of the loser!"

"And when I defeat you and claim your land as mine, then Go will be the most powerful kingdom in the land!" said Shuyu as she shuffled her cards. "Prepare to be blinded by the light!"

"Then it's a good thing I've got these," said Anthony as he put on his sunglasses. "Let's duel!"

"Best of luck, Lord Shuyu," said Ukitsu, speaking for the first time since the cavalry arrived, as Shuyu smirked, both duelists having their cards briefly covered in shadows, as suddenly, behind Shuyu, a large wall of bright blue fire appeared, stretching from wall to wall. Anthony and company turned behind them to see the same thing happening behind them, blocking the door to the throne room, the seven of them trapped between two walls of brilliant blue flames that were taller than everyone inside, as Ukitsu remained outside of it.

"What's happening?" asked Rikuson, although she already knew the answer.

"This is the condition of the Shadow Game," explained Shuyu. "The more life points we lose, the more these cursed flames will surround us, until one of us loses. Then the winner will be granted a safe path out, while the loser will be completely engulfed! Their body burned away by the light as their souls plummet into darkness!"

"But the way out is blocked!" shouted Anthony. "If I lose, then everyone else - Aisha, Renfa, Shishun, Non, Shaoren - they'll lose their souls too!"

"Please, Meirin, you can't do this!" said Rikuson. "You're my teacher and my friend! I looked up to you!"

"I'm truly sorry, Non, but it's a necessary sacrifice to remove those two blemishes from the face of the earth," said Shuyu, as Rikuson shrunk back, and Sonken and Sonshoko glared at Shuyu, as Anthony's eyes hardened behind his sunglasses.

'Don't worry, Meirin, we will snap you out of this, and we won't let you lose your soul to the Shadow Realm.'

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Shuyu: 4000 LP)

"I think I'll make the first move," said Anthony as he drew a sixth card. "And I summon my Guardian of the Throne Room to the field!"

The golden robot rolled onto the field, missiles pointed at Shuyu (LV 4: ATK 1650).

"Now I end my turn."

"Then I draw, and I summon Kaiser Sea Horse."

The Sea Serpent-type entered the battle, light gleaming off the tip of its spear (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Kaiser Sea Horse, destroy that guardian with King's Pike!"

Kaiser Sea Horse sprinted forward and pierced the chest of the Machine-type with its spear, destroying it (Anthony: 4000-3950 LP), as the wall of fire inched forward a tiny amount.

"Now I end my turn with a face-down card!"

Anthony frowned as he looked at his hand. Barrel Dragon, Polymerization, Launcher Spider, Fiendish Engine Omega, and Zoa: none of which could be used.

'Hopefully, I can draw Blowback Dragon so that I can Fusion Summon my Gatling Dragon,' thought Anthony as he drew, and although it wasn't Blowback Dragon, it was still a card that could help him out.

"I play Reload, which will let me shuffle my hand into my deck and draw cards equal to the amount that I returned, giving me five new cards!" After sending his cards back and shuffling his deck, he drew his new hand and smiled, having a much better selection. "Now I summon Mechanicalchaser to the field!"

The multi-limbed robot joined the battle, blades ready for battle (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Now my Mechanicalchaser will take down your Kaiser Sea Horse with Arsenal Medley!"

The Machine-type flew over to Kaiser Sea Horse and slashed it into pixels with its weapons and claws, as the wall of fire inched a little closer to Shuyu (Shuyu: 4000-3850 LP).

"Great work, Anthony!" cheered Kan'u, only for Shuyu to activate her face-down card, showing a ray of light shining down from an opening in a sky full of storm clouds with mountains in the background, as the same ray of light came down, green and purple sparkles surrounding it as Kaiser Sea Horse returned in a flash (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"I won't let you get rid of my monster that easily! I play Miracle's Wake, letting me Special Summon a monster that was sent to my Graveyard by battle this turn, so my Kaiser Sea Horse is back!"

"No big deal. Now I set two cards and end my turn!"

"This isn't good," said Sonken. "Now Meirin can bring out a high-level LIGHT monster this turn." And of course, that was exactly what Shuyu intended to do as she drew her next card.

"I draw! And as I'm sure you remember from your duel with Renfa, Kaiser Sea Horse counts as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a LIGHT monster! So I tribute it to summon Guardian Angel Joan!"

Kaiser Sea Horse fades away, and a new monster took its place. It was a beautiful angel with bright orange hair in a bob cut, a brilliant white dress with no sleeves and golden trim, white and gold braces around her arms and wrists, a white and gold choker, and a corset with two massive ivory ribbons with golden vine-shaped designs on them attached to the back and wrapped around her arms, with two wings made of light sticking out of her back (LV 7: ATK 2800).

"Guardian Angel Joan, destroy Mechanicalchaser!"

The Fairy-type brought her hands together, a white ball of light forming in her hand, as she shot a blast of white light at the Machine-type, blowing it to bits as the wall of fire closed in (Anthony: 3950-3000 LP).

"And whenever my Joan destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I gain life points equal to its original attack points!" said Shuyu as her monster folded her hands, as Anthony played his Trap Card.

"Nice play, but you're not the only one who can bring back monsters! I activate Time Machine, bringing back my Mechanicalchaser!"

The Time Machine appeared before Anthony as the door hissed open, Mechanicalchaser came out, good as new (LV 4: ATK 1850), as Shuyu regained life points (Shuyu: 3850-5700), with the fire wall behind her going down, as the wall that was once at least eight feet high became half that height.

"That should be enough for now. I end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" Anthony looked over his hand, as he began to plan out his next move. "And I activate Enemy Controller, switching your monster's battle position!"

The controller plugged itself into Guardian Angel Joan as she crossed her arms over her body (DEF 2000).

"Nice try, but it isn't enough," said Shuyu. "My monster's defense points are too high."

"I'm not finished yet! Next, I tribute Mechanicalchaser to summon Needle Burrower!"

Mechanicalchaser faded away, and a new monster appeared. This one was a large red robot in the shape of a scorpion, with glowing yellow eyes. It had large claws with curved metal spikes and thin pincers, six legs, and a long metal tail with a curved blade similar in appearance to an axe at the end (LV 5: ATK 1700).

"And what, may I ask, was the point of that?" asked Shuyu. "That monster has less attack points than your last!"

"Not for long," said Anthony. "I activate my other face-down, Rare Metalmorph!"

The card flipped up to show the metal monster in Metalmorph reflecting a laser beam, as a metal coating covered Needle Burrower (ATK 1700-2200).

"This Continuous Trap targets one of my Machine-types and gives it five hundred attack points, meaning that Needle Burrower is strong enough to destroy your Joan!"

"You could have just used it on Mechanicalchaser and summoned another monster to attack directly," said Shuyu.

"It appears that the 'Messenger from Heaven' is off his game," said Ukitsu.

"We'll see about that, once Needle Burrower takes care of your monster!"

Needle Burrower swung its tail around before bringing it down on Guardian Angel Joan, slicing her in half before she exploded into light.

"Now the effect of Needle Burrower activates, inflicting five hundred points of damage for each level that your monster had! And since Guardian Angel Joan is level seven, you take 3500 points of damage!"

"WHAT!?" screamed Shuyu.

"Just like that monster he used in our duel," said Kannei. "KA-2 Des Scissors."

"Go, Stinger Storm!"

Needle Burrower opened its claws and fired a shower of needles from them, as Shuyu held up her arms as they flew her way, the wall of fire flaring up to full height and coming closer (Shuyu: 5700-2200 LP).

"Now I end my turn!"

Shuyu drew, then added her new card to her hand and picked another one. "I hope that you don't need that Trap Card, because I activate my Remove Trap, destroying it!"

The red mist made short work of Rare Metalmorph, bringing the strength of Anthony's monster back to normal (ATK 2200-1700), as Shuyu played the card she had drawn that turn.

"Next I play Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards!" And as soon as she drew, she opened her Field Spell Zone and put in a card that a red demon looking away from a bright light and covering its face. "Now I activate the Field Spell Luminous Spark!"

Above the battlefield, a brilliant white light appeared, shining rays of light on the field.

"Gah, it's so bright!" said Sonshoko as she tried to look away.

"With this Field Spell, every LIGHT monster gains five hundred attack points, although they lose four hundred defense points. Now I summon my Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!"

The new monster was quite the odd one, looking to be a teal blob with many arms sticking out of it, and a head that also had a bunch of arms on the top and side, with black eyes that had red pupils (LV 4: ATK 1400-1900). As soon as it hit the field, a card stuck out of Shuyu's deck, which she pulled out and added to her hand.

"And when he's Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, Manju lets me add a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand, and I pick my Shinato!"

"Crap," said Sonken, "she's already got her best card!"

"It doesn't look like she has the Ritual Spell, though, or at least enough tributes," said Kan'u. "Anthony still has a chance."

"And with Luminous Spark boosting the power of my LIGHT monsters, and your Rare Metalmorph destroyed, Manju is powerful enough to destroy your Needle Burrower!"

The Fairy-type unleashed a series of punches from every which way, completely clobbering the Machine-type until it exploded (Anthony: 3000-2800 LP), the fire inching closer.

"Now I end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I summon Reflect Bounder!"

The reflective robot appeared, and being a LIGHT monster, its power was boosted by Luminous Spark (LV 4: ATK 1700-2200).

"Now I'll have my Reflect Bounder blast apart your Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands! Mysterious Mirror Ray!"

Reflect Bounder put its hands together, and fired its mirror ray at Manju, blasting it to pieces as the bright flames inched even closer to Shuyu (Shuyu: 2200-1900 LP).

"Having fun yet?" asked Anthony. "I'm having a total blast! I end my turn!"

Shuyu said nothing as she drew, only to smile wickedly when she saw what she had drawn. "Oh, I'm about to."

"Be careful of that monster," said Ukitsu. "If you attack it when it's in attack mode, you'll take damage equal to your monster's attack points."

"Thanks for the tip," said Shuyu with a smile. "I suppose it's a good thing that I've been holding onto this card! I play Block Attack, switching your monster from attack mode to defense mode!"

A Spell Card with a picture of a knight raising his sword and a white "X" over him appeared, as Reflect Bounder switched into defense mode (DEF 600), as Anthony was dumbfounded, as were his friends.

"How did he know about that card's effect?" asked Sonken, to nobody in particular. "He should be the only one who has that card!"

"Even if Dokuro or Yokai told him, he shouldn't have known that it needed to be in attack mode," said Rikuson. "I've seen him use it twice, and I didn't even know that."

"The White Clothes has used Machine-types," said Kan'u. "We ran into a member named Tanoshi who had access to at least two."

"Don't forget Daikyo!" said Sonshoko.

"And when Non and I were caught spying on Ukitsu, one of his goons used Jinzo cards against me," said Kannei. "The more we learn about the White Clothes, the more of a threat they become."

"And now, I activate Shinato's Ark, using my Neo the Magic Swordsman and Shining Angel to form the ritual!"

The massive ark appeared, the doors opening to reveal the portal, as both of Shuyu's monsters appeared and floated into the portal (4+4=8).

"Behold my ultimate monster, who shall transcend this plane of existence and shine beyond the limits of humanity! Let your light shine for all eternity! I Ritual Summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

Out of the gate came the powerful Ritual Monster, floating above the field as it smiled down on its opponents (LV 8: ATK 3300-3800).

'Her best monster,' thought Anthony. 'I gotta get that card off the field if I wanna beat her.'

"Attack with Endless Transmigration, Shinato!"

Shinato held out his hands as he fired a purple blast at Reflect Bounder, destroying it.

"And my monster has his own damaging effect! When my monster destroys one of your monsters that's in defense mode, you take damage equal to that monster's original attack points!"

The flames inched even closer as those who were closer to the door like Rikuson and Sonshoko ran out of harm's way (Anthony: 2800-1100 LP).

"Now I'm back in the lead, and I intend to keep it that way as I secure my position as the ruler of China! I end my turn!"

"Don't think it'll be that easy, Meirin! I draw! And I set one monster, then activate Nightmare's Steelcage!"

As the horizontal face-down appeared, it and Anthony were covered by the spiked steel cage, blocking out any attacks.

"Now neither of us can attack until two of your turns have passed, so I'm safe from your Shinato's attacks! I end my turn!"

As Shuyu drew, she glared at Anthony. "Don't think that because I can't attack, I can't deal damage! I summon my Fairy Archer!"

The newly summoned monster was a fairy with short auburn hair, big green eyes, and no nose, with four thin yellow and red wings. She wore a blue sleeveless shirt with tall shoulder fins, a frilly light blue collar, and no sleeves, light blue gloves, blue tights with a light blue ring of cloth under a skirt made of leaves, and blue boots with light blue flower-shaped decorations around the ends. In her hands, she held a golden bow, with an arrow that had a light red garnet on the end in place of an arrowhead (LV 3: ATK 1400-1900).

"And once per turn, by forfeiting her attack, I can inflict four hundred points of damage for each of my face-up LIGHT monsters!"

Fairy Archer pulled back her arrow and launched it at Anthony, as it exploded into light as it hit its mark, and once the smoke cleared, the wall of bright flame was much closer to Anthony, as the others had moved to the side (Anthony: 1100-300 LP).

"Now I end my turn! This duel is almost over!"

"Not yet!" said Kan'u as Anthony drew. "You're not the first lord that he's gone up against, or the first lord he's beaten!"

"Then let's fix that!" said Shuyu. "He's about to find out just how outclassed he is!"

"And here I thought we were friends, Meirin," said Anthony.

"Right now, you're just an obstacle in my way! And stop calling me by my private name! I never gave you permission to use it!"

"But I did," said Sonken. "Back when he helped me back in the Anti-Totaku Alliance. Don't you remember?"

"As if your permission means anything!" snapped Shuyu. "Anthony, hurry up and make your move!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Meirin," said Anthony, Shuyu growling. "I Flip Summon my Sonic Jammer!"

The card flipped up, revealing the robotic insect (LV 2: ATK 350), as it buzzed and trapped Shuyu in a dome of green waves.

"Now until the end of next turn, thanks to the Flip Effect of my Sonic Jammer, you can't activate any of your Spell Cards! Now I set one card and end my turn!"

"An impressive move, or it would be if not for one important detail," said Shuyu as she drew. "You forgot about my Fairy Archer! Now your life points are about to drop to zero!"

"Oh no!" said Sonken as Fairy Archer pulled back another jewel-tipped arrow and shot it at Anthony, only for the arrow to be blocked by a clear force field.

"I didn't forget about Fairy Archer," said Anthony as he drew a card. "Thanks to Damage Polarizer, I reduced the damage to zero, and now we can both draw a card." Shuyu let out a "Hmph" before she drew.

"Then I suppose I end my turn, meaning that the effect of Sonic Jammer wears off, and your Nightmare's Steelcage is destroyed!" said Shuyu, as the green force field disappeared, the cage shattering.

"Then I draw! And I tribute my Sonic Jammer to summon Machine King!"

The metal cicada faded away as the mighty red robot appeared, fists clenched as it gained a little boost from its special ability (LV 6: ATK 2200-2300).

"Machine King, scrap that Fairy Archer with Jet Punch!"

Machine King launched its powerful rocket fist at the Fairy-type, destroying her (Shuyu: 1900-1500 LP).

"Now I set one card and end my turn!"

"Then it's my move," said Shuyu as she drew. "For a little precaution, I play Elf's Light, and equip it to Shinato, increasing his attack points by four hundred and decreasing his defense points by two hundred!"

An Equip Spell appeared, showing a fairy holding a ball of light that had many rays of light coming off it, as the strength of Shinato increased even more (ATK 3800-4200).

"And it's time to destroy you once and for all! Shinato, attack with Endless Transmigration!" But as Shinato began to prepare his attack, Anthony smiled as he adjusted his sunglasses.

"Not so fast, Meirin! I activate my Compulsory Evacuation Device, which will send your monster right back to your hand! So it's time for Shinato to return to the higher plane he came from!"

"What!?" cried Shuyu as Shinato, King of a Higher Plane left the field, with the lord of Go adding it to her hand, Elf's Light being destroyed as a result.

"Now that your Shinato is gone, you're about to go down!" said Anthony.

"Not yet, I'm not! I play my Soul of the Pure, increasing my life points by eight hundred!"

Another Spell Card appeared, showing an angel with white wings, blonde hair, and a pure white robe holding a light blue soul in her hands, as Shuyu's life points increased, the wall of fire receding (Shuyu: 1500-2300 LP).

"Now I set one monster and end my turn! And soon, all of China will be under my rule!"

"Well said, Lord Shuyu," said Ukitsu.

"Not if I put a stop to your plans!" said Anthony.

"My plans?" asked Shuyu. "No, they're not MY plans. They're Sheren's! Everything I've done has been to fulfill her dream, and I won't rest until my task is complete!" These words made Sonken look down, as she spoke in an even tone.

"Everything? Including betraying her family?"

Shuyu was about to argue back, but Sonken looked directly into her eyes, and the words were caught in her throat as she met the enraged gaze of the middle Son sister. "Betraying and dethroning her younger sister, lying to her youngest sister and framing their ally! Sheren would never allow any of that, and you should know that!"

Shuyu grunted in pain as she grabbed the top of her head. "Shut up, shut up!"

At the same time, Ukitsu grabbed his own head and grunted. 'No, not again! Not when I was so close!'

"It's working!" said Anthony. "Ukitsu's brainwashing is starting to falter! Keep it up, Renfa!"

"When Sheren was still in charge, she had me as next in line for the throne, even though I wanted nothing to do with it. But when she disappeared, and I was forced into the role, you and Anthony helped me become a better ruler, and you in particular were always helping me. But now you're erasing all of that work! If anything, I'm not the one who's let down Sheren. You are!"

Shuyu let out one final scream, and Ukitsu's tattoo briefly lit up, as the spell was lifted, with Shuyu slumping over, and when she looked back up, her eyes were back to normal.

"You did it, Renfa!" cheered Sonshoko, as Sonken gave a weak smile. "You freed Meirin!"

"Renfa? What hap-gah!" Shuyu screamed as memories of her actions when she was brainwashed flooded her mind, before her voice cracked. "What…happened?"

"You were brainwashed," said Sonken, as she pointed to Ukitsu, who was still next to the throne. "By him!"

"He did what!?" snapped Shuyu as she glared at him.

"Yeah, and he's the reason why Sheren disappeared! He sent her to the Shadow Realm!" screamed Rikuson, as Shuyu clenched her teeth.

"You manipulative, despicable-"

"I'd love to stay and chat, really," said Ukitsu as he jumped from the throne and landed on the ground, outside of the field. "But I've got to go!" He then ran out of the room through a side door, as Kannei was about to follow him, only to be stopped by Sonken.

"Shishun, wait! You can't follow him with these fire walls up!"

Kannei growled, but complied. "He'll get his." As this happened, Shuyu was staring at the ground.

'What have I done…'

"Hey Meirin!" called Anthony, as she looked up. "Let's wrap up this duel so that we can get you out of here! I draw! And I play my Iron Call!"

The new card had Scrap Recycler holding a magnet, and using it to pull Golgoil out of a pile of scrap, as red waves came out of his card, and Reflect Bounder appeared next to Machine King (LV 4: ATK 1700-2200)(ATK 2300-2400).

"I can only play this card if I control a Machine-type, and with it, I can Special Summon one of my level four or lower Machines from the Graveyard, although its effect is negated, and it's destroyed during the End Phase! Now Reflect Bounder will destroy your face-down monster with Mysterious Mirror Ray!"

Reflect Bounder shot the silver ray of light from its hands and struck the face-down monster, which was revealed to be Mystical Elf before she was destroyed (LV 4: DEF 2000-1600).

"It's time to face the future! Machine King, attack directly with Jet Punch!"

Once again, Machine King aimed its fist at Shuyu and launched it, Shuyu not even flinching as the fist hit its mark (Shuyu: 2300-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony). As the duel ended, the wall of fire began to close in on Shuyu, as a path opened behind Anthony and company.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" said Sonshoko, only for Anthony to shake his head.

"Not without Meirin," he said as he ran forward, as Rikuson followed him.

"I'm gonna help you! She's my teacher and my friend!"

"Thanks, Non!" said Anthony, as the two of them both grabbed onto Shuyu and tried to pull her back, only to not budge her. They both came to the same realization: she was resisting.

"Come on, Meirin, let's go!" said Anthony, as he and Rikuson kept pulling.

"We're trying to save you!" said Rikuson, when suddenly, Shuyu pushed both of them back, as a line of fire appeared in front of her, with Kan'u and Kannei keeping the duo from going back.

"I…don't deserve to be saved," said Shuyu.

"Meirin, what are you talking about?" asked Sonken, the bright blue flames slowly spreading towards Shuyu.

"Brainwashed or not, I did horrible things, Renfa," she responded. "I let my guard down, let his words get to me, and as a result, I forced you out of your home, took away your rightful duties, lied to your family and friends…"

At this point, tears had begun to fall, Shuyu's voice cracking. "And without a doubt, I let down the only woman that I ever loved. I failed Sheren, and I failed you, Renfa. And so, this is my punishment."

"Stop it, Meirin!" said Anthony. "Let us help you! We won't let you go to the Shadow Realm!"

"It might not be so bad," Shuyu said, managing a weak smile as tears rolled freely down her face, the bright flames having formed a shrinking ring around her. "After all, Sheren's soul is in the Shadow Realm too, isn't it? Then maybe…maybe I'll see her again. We can be together again."

"Meirin, NO!" screamed Rikuson as Shuyu began to take off Sonsaku's Duel Disk.

"Anthony, Kan'u, Shishun, Non, and especially Shaoren, Sheren, and Renfa, I'm so, so sorry." She then tossed the Duel Disk to Sonken, who managed to catch it.

"Meirin, what are you-"

"Take it. It's yours."

"But, we agreed that-"

"Renfa, listen to me. If Sheren saw you using her prized Duel Disk, as well as her precious Blue-Eyes cards, then she would be so proud of you. Please, take it. And, despite what I said…to serve you was just as much of an honor as it was to serve your sister, and I'm so proud to have taught you."

Sonken felt tears begin to form in her eyes as she clutched her sister's Duel Disk, bringing it to her chest. "We will free you, Meirin. I promise."

"I know you will," said Shuyu as the flames began to close around her, not flinching as the cursed fire singed her skin. "I just hope that when you do, I'll be somebody who deserves your forgiveness."

"MEIRIN!" screamed both Anthony and Rikuson as they were dragged out of the room, Sonken and Sonshoko running out ahead of them, as the duo saw her consumed by the flames, a sad smile on her face. As soon as all six were out, Kan'u slammed the doors shut, and after that, it was silent, the six of them standing around with the guards still unconscious.

"Ukitsu got away, the slippery eel," said Kannei with clenched fists, trying and failing to control her rage.

"And Meirin's soul was lost to the shadows, despite our best efforts," said Rikuson as she sat against a wall, fists holding up her head.

"Let's…let's go home, you guys," said Anthony as he began to walk towards the exit. "Sei and the others should still be waiting for us." Kan'u put her arm around his shoulders, as he gave her a smile as thanks, as the group made their way out of the castle.

~KD~

The journey home was pretty uneventful, and between the distance they had to walk and having to stop to eat, it wasn't until very late that they returned home, and although those who were awake were happy to see them, it was best for everyone to just rest. Shuyu's deck and old Duel Disk were put in Sonken's room, and both Daikyo and Shokyo were put into the infirmary along with Totaku's generals, as Kosonsan was taken to her new room by Choun. At the moment, Anthony was alone in his room, thoughts of Shuyu still fresh in his mind, as he heard a knock on the door.

"May I come in and talk a little?" came Sonken's voice on the other side of the door, as Anthony hopped out of his bed and opened it, with the former lord of Go walking in.

"What's up, Renfa? Where's Shishun?"

"She had to talk with Kochu about something, what it was she didn't say. But that's not important. I saw you were affected what happened with Meirin. I already talked to Non about it, so now it's your turn."

Anthony sighed as he went and sat on his bed, Sonken sitting next to him. "It's just, we were right there! Non and I could've easily saved her, and yet…we didn't."

"You're making it sound like she was suicidal," said Sonken. "I understand that this Shadow Realm isn't pleasant, but as we saw with your friend Kosonsan, it isn't permanent. We can still save her."

"I guess…" said Anthony, as Sonken let out a sigh.

"You know, it isn't either of your faults. That was Meirin's choice, even if I don't necessarily agree with it. And I understand the desire to help everyone that you can. But you need to move on from this, overcome it, like you helped me overcome the loss of my sister." Sonken put her hand on his back, as he gave her a soft smile.

"Thanks, Renfa. And don't worry, we'll bring her back, too."

Sonken smiled back. "Oh, and thanks for helping me with all this."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

Sonken gave one last smile before she left the room, and as the door closed behind her, Anthony kept smiling.

'Renfa's right. I'm not gonna feel sorry for myself. I'm gonna keep facing the future, just like I've been doing.' He was brought out of his thoughts by another knock at the door. 'That must be Shion. It is her turn tonight.' But as he opened the door…

"Hello, Lord Anthony."

"Shishun? What are you doing here?"

"I asked Shion if I could spend the night with you in her place," said Kannei as she walked inside, Anthony closing and locking the door once she was in. "She said it was no trouble at all."

"So that's what you talked to her about," said Anthony, earning a raised eyebrow from the ninja girl. "Oh, Renfa told me."

"Ah. Anyway, is it okay with you?" she asked, undoing her bun as her purple hair fell loosely, reaching her lower back.

"No problem, Shishun," he said. "I think after what we've been through, you deserve this."

Kannei allowed herself a small smile as she took off her shoes and bandages. "Thank you, Lord Anthony."

"Just call me Anthony," said the Messenger from Heaven, as the two of them crawled into bed, as he gave her a soft kiss. "And don't forget, I love you, Shishun, and that's never going to change."

"I love you too," she said, hugging him as they enjoyed each other's company before drifting to sleep, Anthony's earlier statement about not sleeping that night not coming to pass.

~KD~

"Again, you've failed me, Ukitsu!" screamed Genho as he kicked his remaining admin into a wall, the bespectacled man grunting in pain. "I thought that I could rely on you this time. Instead, not only are two more of my best underlings gone, but now that damned Kikai is more powerful than ever!"

"Master, please, give me one more chance!" begged Ukitsu, as Genho growled.

"You're fortunate that you have skill, and your invaluable powers. But my generosity has its limits, and you're reaching them. It's obvious that we can't do the same tactics anymore." Genho tightened his fist as the tattoo on his forehead began to glow. "So we'll have to change our tactics."

"Master, if I may," said Ukitsu, "perhaps we could avoid confronting Kikai for the time being, especially since they don't know where we are. We should instead bide our time, collecting more souls from weaker duelists and gaining recruits." This made Genho cackle.

"Excellent idea. If we can't weaken Kikai, then we'll just have to strengthen ourselves."

* * *

 **And here we are, the first chapter of the new year, and the final chapter in the Go Arc! Now all that's left is the standard breather chapters, before we hit the final arc: the White Clothes Arc. I hope to see you all there! Starpion out!**


	74. Spoils of War

"Time to wake up."

Anthony yawned as he opened his eyes, only to see Kannei already fully dressed, arms crossed. Slowly, he managed to drag himself out of bed as he put on his hat. "Hey there, Shishun. You sleep well?"

"I did. And I assume you did the same?"

"Yeah," said Anthony as he cracked his neck. "Come on, let's go." As he slid on his shoes, Kannei was making her way towards the door, and opened it to come face to face with Kochu, with Riri standing next to her.

"Hello, Shishun. Did you and Anthony have a good night? Do anything…fun?"

"We slept," said Kannei in confusion. "Nothing more."

"Oh. Well, I thought that I would check up on you before I went for breakfast with Riri," said Kochu, her daughter smiling and waving at Kannei, who awkwardly waved back. "Do you want to join us, you two?"

"Sounds good," said Anthony as he adjusted his hat in the mirror. "Just gimme a sec."

Kochu smiled. "Of course, dear."

~KD~

As the four of them made their way to the dining hall, Riri humming to herself and skipping down the hallways, they opened the doors to find Sonken and, surprisingly, Kan'u eating their breakfast and making small talk. As Kochu went into the kitchen to get their food, the rest of them sat down, with Kannei sitting next to Sonken and Anthony and Riri sitting on either side of Kan'u, Anthony and Kannei across from each other.

"Hey Aisha, Renfa," said Anthony. "Where's everyone else?"

"If I were to take a guess," said Kan'u, "they're all still asleep, or at least haven't left their rooms. I'll wake them up myself after I'm finished."

"Hi, Aisha!" said Riri, as Kan'u smiled and tousled her hair.

"Good morning, Riri. How are you?"

"I'm good!" she said with two thumbs up, as Anthony and Sonken smiled.

"Did you sleep well, Renfa?" asked Kannei, as Kochu returned with a tray holding four plates of food, humming as she distributed the dishes before sitting next to her daughter.

"I slept okay, for the most part," said Sonken. "I was surprised to see that out of everyone, Aisha and I were the first two up, considering how late it was when we got back."

"I'm used to getting up early," said Kan'u.

"So am I," said Kannei, taking a bite of her breakfast.

"What about you two?" asked Anthony, pointing to the mother and daughter duo, as Kochu just pointed at Riri.

"Blame this one. I woke up to her shaking my arm with a huge smile on her face."

"Uh huh! I didn't get to see you last night, so I woke up mommy so we could see you today!" Anthony smiled, as Sonken set aside her empty plate.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Riri, but I need to ask Anthony something."

"Okay!"

"Anthony, now that you're here, I want to ask about my new position, as well as those of my friends and sister, now that we're members of Kikai."

"Good point," said Kan'u. "We can't just have four freeloaders."

"Well, I'm sure that Non will be a strategist," said Anthony.

"Without a doubt," said Kannei. "And I would be honored to serve you as a general."

"See, we've already figured out the positions of two of you," said Kochu.

"But what about Shaoren and I?"

"I…haven't given that any thought," admitted Anthony. "Any ideas?"

"Well, I'd prefer not to be on the front lines if possible, so I don't think I'd be the best general. And I doubt that I'm smart enough to be a strategist. The problem is, I'm not sure what else there is."

"The only other position that I've got is servant, if you're okay with that," said Anthony, as Sonken considered this.

"Not what I expected, but I'll accept. I'm just happy to help people," she answered, earning five smiles. "Now we just need to take care of Shaoren, who's probably still asleep."

"I'll go get her," said Kan'u as she got out of her chair, only for Sonken to get out of her chair as well.

"Let me do it. I'm her sister, after all."

"Then I'll come with you," said Kannei.

"Look, let's just all go," said Anthony as he dropped his chopsticks onto his empty plate. "Better than sitting around here arguing about it."

~KD~

"Rise and shine, Shaoren," said Sonken as she gently shook her sister, who was fast asleep. Of course, the shaking did absolutely nothing, as Sonshoko murmured a little, but didn't wake up. The others watched as Sonken tried and failed to get her little sister out of bed from outside the door, and after two minutes with no progress, Kan'u stepped in.

"Let me try," she said as she gently pushed Sonken aside.

"Be my guest."

Kan'u proceeded to pull down Sonshoko's covers down to her waist, as Sonshoko let out a groan. "Come on, Shaoren, you need to wake up. We need to talk to you." Sonshoko simply reached down, grabbed her blanket, and pulled it over her head.

"Ten more minutes," came the muffled reply from under the covers, as Kan'u let out a sigh of frustration.

"Guess we have to do things the hard way," she said, before Anthony stepped in and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hold on, Aisha, I've got an idea."

Sonken was a little unsure about this. "You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

"No, of course not! But I'll need you all to cover your ears."

"Why?" asked Riri, as Anthony opened his satchel.

"This is gonna be a little loud," he said as he pulled out his Duel Disk and slipped it on, before he pulled out his deck and extra card and started looking through them, as everyone put their hands to their ears.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Kannei as she covered her ears.

'She may have a bad feeling, but I'm intrigued,' thought Kochu, as Anthony put his cards away, save for three that he put onto his Monster Zone. In a flash, Barrel Dragon, Blowback Dragon, and Twin-Barrel Dragon appeared in Sonshoko's bedroom, as Sonken's eyes widened.

'Oh my god, what is he doing!?'

Once all three monsters were out, a mischievous grin spread across Anthony's face as he plugged his ears, a high-pitched whining coming from the laser guns as they charged up.

"Three, two, one…FIRE!"

All three of his Machine-types fired their guns at once, six laser blasts launched from the high-tech dragons. Being holograms, the lasers harmlessly disappeared upon impact with the walls, but the loud gunshots did the trick, as Sonshoko practically jumped out of bed, her blankets falling onto the side of her bed.

"GAAAAAH!"

As she flailed around in panic, she glared at Anthony, who was trying his hardest to hold in his laughter to no avail, as Kan'u and Sonken gave disapproving glares from either side of him.

"That wasn't very funny," said Sonken.

"Come on, it was a little funny," said Kochu, who was also chuckling, as Riri began to cheer.

"Do it again, do it again!"

Anthony smirked, only for Sonshoko to throw her pillow across the room, as it hit him in the face.

"What's the big idea? I was trying to sleep!"

"We understand, Shaoren," said Sonken as she walked over to her sister, Anthony fixing his hat and sunglasses as Kochu and Riri chuckled. "But we needed to talk to you about what your new position will be."

"What do you mean, 'new position?'" asked Sonshoko.

"Your new job," said Anthony.

"Yeah, no," said Sonshoko, only for Kan'u to cross her arms.

"And what is that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"Well, I don't really need to do anything, do I?"

"I seem to remember you coming with Non and I to help Kikai when they were at war with Gi," said Kannei, "and when the three of us went to take revenge for allegedly kidnapping Renfa."

"Well, the first time, Renfa asked me to, and she's my sister. I can't just say no to her, plus it sounded like fun. And I was lord the second time."

"You were lord for less than a day," remarked Kannei.

"Besides, when Sheren was in charge, Renfa didn't have to do anything either."

"This is different," said Kan'u, marching up to the former princess. "Like it or not, you aren't royalty anymore. Now that you're with Kikai, you need to pull your own weight."

"She's right, Shaoren," said Sonken. "The two of us aren't going to just sit around all day. I've already been assigned a new position, and so have Shishun and Non. Just bear with it, please? For me?"

Sonshoko let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine…"

"Perfect!" said Anthony. "Seeing as you're a pretty good duelist, how about being a general?"

"Fine…" repeated Sonshoko, only to receive a nudge from her sister.

"Shaoren, cheer up."

"If it would help, Renfa," said Kochu, "I can take her with me on the first patrol, once she's ready anyway."

"I don't see any reason why not," said Anthony.

"I think that would be a big help," said Sonken, as she looked at Sonshoko. "Shaoren, please listen to Shion here, okay?"

"Fi-I mean, okay, Renfa," said Sonshoko, as Sonken smiled and turned towards Anthony.

"So now what do I do?"

"For starters, go see Yue and Ei, and they'll give you a basic rundown. In the meantime, I'll be altering the patrol schedule. We've got twice as many generals as we did when I first made it, and with the White Clothes out there, I'm not taking any chances," said Anthony as he left the room, although not before saying goodbye to everyone.

"I'll take you there, Renfa," said Kannei.

"Thanks, Shishun," said Sonken, as the two of them left the room, Kan'u following.

"I'm going to check on the others, starting with Rinrin. And I'll be sure to tell Non about her new position." And with the black-haired general gone, that just left Sonshoko, Kochu, and Riri.

"So what are you two doing?" asked Sonshoko.

"I'm going to take Riri back to her room and grab my cards," said Kochu. "Do you want me to pick you up something to eat when I come back?"

"Sure," said Sonshoko.

"Great. See you in a minute."

"Bye-bye!"

As the two left, Sonshoko groaned as she began to get dressed. She could already tell she wasn't going to enjoy this.

~KD~

"I'm bored."

"I know, you've said that already. Multiple times."

"Because it's still a problem!"

Kochu just shook her head. It had been twenty minutes since the two of them had begun their watch, the two of them walking downtown, and already Sonshoko had begun to get on her nerves. The entire time, she had complained about being bored, and it didn't look like there was any end in sight.

"Is there gonna be some action soon? All we've been doing is walking through the town, back and forth! I can't stand it!"

"You know, Shaoren, patience is a virtue. And just because work isn't always fun doesn't make it any less important."

"It would certainly make it BETTER," said Sonshoko as she watched a pair of kids start up a duel, as Kochu smiled.

"Well, why don't we pass the time by talking, rather than complaining? For instance, how does it feel to be reunited with your sister?"

"Great," said Sonshoko, smiling for the first time since she started her patrol, if not for the first time since she woke up. "I'm always happy to spend time with my big sister. By the way, what position does she have?"

"She's a servant."

"What!?" said Sonshoko. "Are you telling me that despite all that they've done for each other, Anthony decided to give Renfa such a lowly position? What kind of crap is that?"

"Actually, your sister chose that position of her own free will, deciding that the other positions didn't suit her well," said Kochu, as Sonshoko grumbled.

"Goodie. My sister went from the lord of a kingdom to a lowly servant, and I'm being bored out of my skull wandering around the city, getting lectured by an old lady."

The last two words of that sentence instantly proved to be a grave mistake, as Kochu stopped walking, and slowly turned around, her eyes closed and her smile cold, as Sonshoko flinched. "What was that?"

"I-ah-er-"

"I may be the oldest member of Anthony's peerage, but that doesn't make me old. And maybe this 'old lady' is sick of a certain spoiled brat running her mouth, hmm?"

Sonshoko couldn't respond, paralyzed in fear, as Kochu slowly began to shuffle her cards. "If you want excitement so bad, then how about a quick break? Let's have a duel, and if I win, you'll stop complaining for the rest of our shift. Do we have a deal?"

Sonshoko finally managed to snap out of her state of fear as she shuffled her own cards. "You're on!" And like that, the duel began, a few citizens watching with interest.

(Kochu: 4000 LP)(Sonshoko: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move," said Kochu, back to normal. "I draw, then set one monster, and end my turn."

"That's it? This will be quick! I draw! And since there are no monsters in my Graveyard, I Special Summon my Guardian Eatos!"

The powerful Fairy-type appeared before Sonshoko, flapping her wings and letting out her bird-like cry (LV 8: ATK 2500).

"Now I'll equip her with my Shooting Star Bow - Ceal!"

The flame-shaped bow materialized in the hands of Guardian Eatos (ATK 2500-1500), as Kochu brought her hand to her chin.

"Why would you weaken your own monster like that?"

"Because now, I can summon Guardian Ceal to the field!"

The Pyro-type joined Eatos on the battlefield, aiming his own bow at Kochu (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now I'll have Guardian Eatos attack directly, thanks to the effect of my Shooting Star Bow!"

Guardian Eatos slowly drew back her bow, and fired her powerful blast, as Kochu threw up her phoenix-bearing cape as the arrow hit its mark (Kochu: 4000-2500 LP).

"Not bad, not bad at all," complimented the older woman.

"It's about to get even better! Ceal, shoot down that face-down!"

Guardian Ceal prepared a flame-tipped arrow and fired it, only for the attack to be absorbed by the cute little pink blob known as Marshmallon (LV 3: DEF 500)(Sonshoko: 4000-3000 LP).

"Sorry, but that won't work. Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle, and you take one thousand points of damage when you attack it face-down," said Kochu.

"Whatever! I end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn," said Kochu. "I tribute my Marshmallon to Tribute Summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!"

Marshmallon was quickly replaced by the angelic lion, which let out a powerful roar as it hovered above the field (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Now to take out your Guardian Eatos! Ohka, attack with Celestial Roar!"

Majestic Mech - Ohka blasted its mighty laser at Guardian Eatos, tearing through her and blowing her to pixels (Sonshoko: 3000-2100 LP).

"Now I end my turn by setting a single card."

"Then I draw! And I'll power up my Guardian Ceal by equipping him with my Butterfly Dagger - Elma!"

The green dagger appeared in the claw of Ceal (ATK 1700-2000), only for the claw to heat up as the Pyro-type crushed the weapon (ATK 2000-1700).

"And now by sending my Butterfly Dagger to the Graveyard, Guardian Ceal's effect activates, destroying your Majestic Mech!"

The molten lump of metal was turned into an arrow as Ceal aimed it at Ohka, shooting it through the Fairy-type and blowing it to kingdom come.

"Now you're wide open! Ceal, attack directly!"

Ceal aimed another arrow at Kochu, and fired it, only for it to be knocked away, as Kochu's Trap Card activated, with Sonshoko recognizing it.

"Aw, man! Not Waboku!"

"I see you're familiar with this card," said Kochu. "Now I don't take any battle damage this turn."

"Well, my turn isn't over yet! I set a monster and end my turn!"

"Then it's my draw," said Kochu, "and I summon Royal Knight!"

The metallic angel floated above the ground, sword pointed at Sonshoko's monsters (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"That guy won't last a second against my Ceal!" boasted Sonshoko.

"Maybe not right now, but you aren't the only one who uses Equip Spells. I equip my Royal Knight with Cestus of Dagla, increasing his attack points by five hundred!"

The golden pair of cestuses appeared, as Royal Knight sheathed his sword and wrapped its detached fingers around the bladed knuckles (ATK 1300-1800).

"Now Royal Knight is strong enough to destroy your Guardian Ceal!"

Royal Knight flew towards the Pyro-type and punched it with its cestus, destroying it (Sonshoko: 2100-2000 LP)(Kochu: 2500-2600 LP), as multicolored orbs of light flew out of where Ceal once stood, being absorbed by the gladius of the Fairy-type (Kochu: 2600-4000 LP).

"Now the effects of both my cards activate. When a monster equipped with Cestus of Dagla deals battle damage, I gain life points equal to that amount, and when Royal Knight destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I gain life points equal to that monster's defense points. Now my life points are back to the amount I started with, and you've lost half of yours."

"That doesn't matter! This duel can still turn around!" said Sonshoko.

"We'll see. I end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I Flip Summon my Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu!"

The monster switched into attack mode, revealing it to be a muscular man with long dark blue hair done in a ponytail, a dark blue goatee, and a green hat with yellow kanji reading "craftsman" on the side. He had a green hakama tied around his waist, tattoos on his right arm, and bandages wrapped around his right hand, with a hammer clenched in the other (LV 2: ATK 500). As soon as he was flipped up, an anvil with a lump of molten metal on top appeared before him, as he began to skillfully pound the ore into shape, as Sonshoko pulled a card out of her deck.

"And when Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu is flipped, he lets me add an Equip Spell from my deck to my hand! Like Gravity Axe - Grarl!" And sure enough, as the Beast-Warrior finished pounding the weapon into shape, he dunked it into a bucket of water to cool it, pulling out the legendary battle axe as it vanished, before it appeared in the hands of Royal Knight (ATK 1800-2300).

"Now I equip Royal Knight with Gravity Axe - Grarl!"

"Ah, I see. You intend to summon one of your Guardian monsters?"

"Yeah! I tribute Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu to summon Guardian Grarl!"

The Beast-Warrior-type was instantly replaced by the Dinosaur-type, which let out a vicious roar as it swung its own axe (LV 5: ATK 2500).

"Now I play Tailor of the Fickle, which will equip my Gravity Axe to Grarl!"

The battle axe left the hands of Royal Knight (ATK 2300-1800), only for the axe in the hands of Guardian Grarl to gain a bronze glow, Grarl letting out another roar, louder than the first (ATK 2500-3000).

"Attack with Gravity Axe, Grarl!"

Guardian Grarl charged Royal Knight, chopping it in half with its huge axe (Kochu: 4000-2800 LP).

"That's it for now!"

Kochu drew, and slowly looked over her hand, before she picked a card from her hand. "I set one monster, then one other card to end my turn."

"My move, then! I draw! And I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back Guardian Eatos!"

As Sonshoko activated her Spell Card, Kochu activated a card of her own, her card flipping up to reveal a card with an odd blue and silver artifact with a blue conical stone, two ribbons holding a chain, a silver base, and silver strips of metal forming an eye-shaped design with a blue gem in the center.

"I chain my Chain Healing to your Monster Reborn, gaining five hundred life points, and since this card was activated as Chain Link 2, it's shuffled back into my deck."

As Kochu gained life points and sent her card back to the deck (Kochu: 2800-3300 LP), Monster Reborn resolved, as Guardian Eatos was summoned to the field, letting out a powerful shriek (LV 8: ATK 2500).

"And she's more than powerful enough to destroy your face-down monster! Spirit Opera, Eatos!"

The Fairy-type launched a volley of spectral blasts at the defending monster, revealing it to be Kelbek (LV 4: DEF 1800). As the Fairy-type was destroyed, its eye flashed golden, as Guardian Eatos was sent back to Sonshoko's hand.

"Hey, what gives?" asked Sonshoko.

"My Kelbek sends any monster that attacks it back to the hand," said Kochu.

"Well, now I attack directly with Guardian Grarl!"

Grarl lumbered over to Kochu and brought down his axe, bringing the older general's life points critically low (Kochu: 3300-300 LP).

"And that's it for me!"

"Then I draw, and I end my turn by setting a monster."

"I draw! Now I play my Pot of Greed!"

As Sonshoko drew two more cards, she smiled as she saw one of her cards, playing it to show a white and gold pot with a smiling face and handles that looked like hands folded in prayer, with small wings.

"And now, I activate my Pot of Benevolence, returning my Ceal and Kotetsu to the deck! And then I'll have no monsters in my Graveyard, making me free to Special Summon Guardian Eatos!"

As Sonshoko moved both monsters to her deck and set Pot of Benevolence aside, as it was banished by its own effect, Guardian Eatos was Special Summoned a third time (LV 8: ATK 2500).

"And she's about to destroy your face-down monster, leaving you wide open!"

Guardian Eatos unleashed another of her powerful blasts, Kochu's monster revealed to be Agido (LV 4: DEF 1300), as the wheel of numbers labeled one through six surrounded the Millennium Symbol, which began to spin around.

"I wouldn't say that, because by destroying Agido in battle, I'm able to roll a die and Special Summon a Fairy-type monster from my Graveyard with a level equal to the result!" And as soon as she finished her explanation, the eye came to rest on the number three. "And now, I Special Summon level three Marshmallon!"

"Great, that thing again," said Sonshoko as Marshmallon returned to the field (LV 3: DEF 500). "I set one monster and end my turn."

Kochu drew, and as her eyes flashed towards Sonshoko, the teenage duelist knew fear. "I tribute my Marshmallon to summon my most powerful monster, Majestic Mech - Goryu!"

Marshmallon soon left the field, as the gold and white mechanical dragon came down from the heavens, staring down at Sonshoko and her monsters (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"And since my monster inflicts piercing damage, unless your face-down monster has more than nine hundred defense points, this duel has just been decided. Goryu, attack with Aether Stream!"

The massive Fairy-type charged up its mighty attack, launching a golden blast of energy that completely vaporized the face-down monster, Guardian Baou (LV 4: DEF 400)(Sonshoko: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Kochu).

"Well then, was that fun enough for you?" asked Kochu, walking up to Sonshoko as the spectators began to clap and cheer.

"Yeah…sorry for calling you an old lady, Miss Kochu. You're pretty good."

"No harm done, I'm sure that you've learned your lesson, and please, call me Shion. Now let's go, we have a lot of work to do."

"I'd say you do."

Kochu and Sonshoko turned to see an absolutely livid Kan'u with her arms crossed, tapping her foot as her eyes bore into their skulls. "Hello, Aisha. What are you doing out here?"

"Not much, it's just that when I was busy checking in on everyone, I happened to look out the window and see two generals shirking their responsibilities. While the two of you were dueling, the city goes unprotected. I could expect such behavior from you, Shaoren, but to see it from you, Shion, is an unpleasant surprise."

"I'm sorry, Aisha," said Kochu, "I suppose I wasn't thinking straight."

"You don't have to apologize!" said Sonshoko, as she ran up to Kan'u. "Aisha, please, let me explain! The only reason why Shion challenged me in the first place is because I kept complaining." She then looked down guiltily. "I get that I was a little spoiled before, but that's because I never had to do work like this before. But I've learned my lesson, I promise!"

Kan'u's glare softened, but didn't disappear. "Very well, I hope that you'll be able to demonstrate this as you finish your shift, and complete the next one."

"Which I'll gladly accompany her on," said Kochu. "Now then, shall we make up for lost time? Aisha is right; this is very important work, especially with the White Clothes still at large."

Sonshoko nodded, filled with newfound determination. "Let's go!"


	75. Spell of Strength

A week had passed since the fall of Go, and Rikuson was taking full advantage of the extra free time, as she lay on her bed, reading a poetry book that she had picked up in the library. After all that had happened recently, between the White Clothes, the fall of Go, and the loss of her teacher, it was nice to have some much-needed downtime, especially with what happened to Shuyu, as she thought back to the night that she returned to Kikai.

~KD~

"Why…why did you do that? Why didn't you let us save you, Meirin?"

In her new room, Rikuson was in her bed, sobbing into the pillow that she squeezed in her arms. No matter how hard she tried, Shuyu's final words kept echoing through her head, the image of her body being consumed by the cursed fire burned into her memory. As Rikuson continued to cry into her pillow, she suddenly heard a knock at her door. Slowly, she looked up, wiped her eyes, and put on her glasses. "Who's *sniff* there?"

"It's me, Non," said Sonken from the other side. "Could you please let me in? The door's locked."

"*sniff* O-Okay," said Rikuson as she slowly got up and walked towards the door, undoing the lock and opening the door as Sonken smiled, only to look concerned as she saw Rikuson's face, her eyes red and puffy.

"Have…you been crying?" asked Sonken, as Rikuson nodded and rubbed her eyes, as the former lord let herself in, with Rikuson sitting down on her bed, hugging her pillow. Sonken sat down next to her, and put her hand on her back, handing a handkerchief to Rikuson.

"I saw how badly you and Anthony were affected by what happened to Meirin, and I figured that I should talk to you about it. And since you were closer to her than he is, it made sense to start with you. It…seems that I made the right choice."

Rikuson dried her eyes as much as she could with the handkerchief, letting out a soft whimper. "I miss her…"

"I understand how you feel, Non. I still miss Sheren, and so does Shaoren. And I know that everyone else who knew her close enough feels the same."

Rikuson then got into a fetal position, her head against her knees as she felt more tears coming, Sonken putting her hand on her friend's back. "Why didn't she let us save her? It wasn't her fault! She was being brainwashed!"

Sonken paused for a moment as Rikuson started to cry again, thinking carefully about what to say without risking upsetting her anymore, before she continued. "Have you ever accidentally broken something or hurt someone by accident?"

Rikuson lifted her head, but didn't look at Sonken, instead staring at the wall. "Y-Yeah…"

"Even though you had no ill intention, you would still feel guilty, wouldn't you?"

"Of c-course."

"Well, that's a little like what happened with Meirin. She may not have been in control of her actions, but she was clearly aware of them, at least once she was freed from the spell. And in her mind, that was the only way to make amends. I don't like it anymore than you do, Non, but that was Meirin's choice."

Rikuson didn't respond, and Sonken continued. "I know it's hard, Non, but you need to get through this. It hurts me to see you like this, to see one of the most cheerful people I know reduced to a crying mess. I know you're strong, Non, and I want you to know that you're not alone. I'm here to help you, and so is everyone else."

Sonken was caught off guard as Rikuson uncurled her legs and gave Sonken a tight hug, as Sonken returned it, patting her friend on the back.

"Thank…thank you," said Rikuson, as she began to cry once again, although this time, they were tears of joy.

~KD~

As Rikuson finished reminiscing about Sonken coming to comfort her, she was about to return to her book when she heard a soft knock on the door, and looked up from her book.

"Door's unlocked, come in!"

The door slowly creaked open as Shokatsuryo stepped inside, and Rikuson beamed and set her book aside as she got up to greet her friend. "What's up, Shuri? What brings you here?"

"Well, I'd like to know if you would want to spend some time with me. I know you're still a little upset about what happened back in Go, so I thought I'd cheer you up."

Rikuson beamed as she heard this. "That sounds great! Lead the way!"

~KD~

As Shokatsuryo brought Rikuson to the lounge, she brought her to a table that had a few board games, like xiangqi and, ironically, Go, along with a few books. In another part of the room, Jun'iku was sitting by herself, with a tea set and a book, and Rikuson waved at her.

"Hi there, Jun'iku!"

"Hello," said Jun'iku apathetically, not even bothering to look up from her book.

"So, what would you like to do first?" asked Shokatsuryo, as Rikuson eyed the assortment of activities.

"It's been a while since I've played xiangqi," said Rikuson as she sat down, Shokatsuryo picking up the board from the top of the stack and setting it down before she sat across from her friend, the two of them setting up the tiles.

"So how do you like being an official member of Kikai?" asked Shokatsuryo as she made the first move.

"It's kind of weird, what with Renfa being a servant now, but at the same time, I like being able to spend time with my friends, old and new, and at least I know my way around a little better, since I was here for a week before. And at least I've still got my old position."

"That means we'll be able to work together again," said Shokatsuryo. "That will be fun."

"I hope so!" said Rikuson. "I had fun teaming up with you back during the Anti-Totaku Alliance."

"Are you two done?"

As Rikuson was about to make her next move, she turned towards Jun'iku, who didn't look up from her book, though her scowl was as clear as day. "I don't know why I didn't just stay in my room. It's almost like the two of you are on a mission to drive me to insanity."

"Hawawa…we're sorry if we're distracting you, Keifa," said Shokatsuryo. "We can talk quieter, if you think that it would help."

"It would help if you left me in peace for once," said Jun'iku.

"I don't understand why you have to be so mean to us," said Rikuson, forgetting her game with Shokatsuryo. "Can't you be a little nicer, like you were back when we asked you to spend time with us in the library?"

"I won't deny I had fun, but that was mostly on account of being ordered to," said Jun'iku. "Maybe if you gave me a reason, Boob Monster, I could stand to treat you a little better."

"Hey, don't call me that!" said Rikuson, covering her chest with her arms. "There's nothing wrong with how I look!"

"Quit it, Keifa!" said Shokatsuryo. "I'm not going to let you keep bullying her for no reason!"

"You mean besides being a stupid weakling?"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Shokatsuryo, as Rikuson gasped. She had never heard her friend raise her voice to such an extent. "Non isn't stupid! She's really smart, nice, and brave! And she isn't weak either! She's really good at Duel Monsters!"

"I have yet to see any indication of either of those."

"Well, you've never seen her duel before! I'm sure that if she dueled you, she would win!"

"Pass," said Jun'iku. "I'd rather not waste my time having a duel where I know the outcome."

"Hey Shuri, what if the two of us dueled?" asked Rikuson. "If Jun'iku at least watched me duel, maybe she'd leave me alone!"

"Hawawa! Me against you?" asked Shokatsuryo, caught off guard by this.

"Hey, it would be fun! I've wanted to duel you for a while now, actually!"

Shokatsuryo smiled before she turned back to Jun'iku. "Does that sound better, Keifa?"

"Whatever. I might as well see how this plays out," said Jun'iku.

"Perfect!" said Rikuson. "Come on, Shuri, let's get our cards and meet up at the arena!" As the three of them left the lounge, with Jun'iku going her own way, Rikuson turned towards her friend.

"Hey, thanks for sticking up for me."

"Hawawa, it wasn't that big of a deal. I wasn't about to let her keep picking on my friend like that. I would to the same to anyone."

"Well, it meant a lot to me," said Rikuson. "You're a really good friend, Shuri. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to go easy on you! Let's both give it all we've got!"

"Sounds good."

~KD~

In the arena, both Rikuson and Shokatsuryo began to shuffle their decks, as Jun'iku sat in the front row between them, her own Duel Disk on her wrist just in case, although she doubted that she would need it. Soon, both duelists finished shuffling as they drew their opening hands, the duel beginning.

(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)(Rikuson: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first, if you don't mind!" said Shokatsuryo. "I draw! Then I summon my Mirage Dragon!"

The yellow dragon appeared before Shokatsuryo, letting out a roar as it hovered above the ground (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Then I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Looks like I'm up!" said Rikuson as she drew. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

The magical knight in red appeared, pointing his sword at Mirage Dragon (LV 4: ATK 1600).

'So she uses Spellcaster-type monsters, hmm? Interesting…' thought Jun'iku.

"And his effect gives him a Spell Counter as soon as he's Normal Summoned, and each Spell Counter he has gives him an extra three hundred attack points for each one!" And as the purple orb in the hilt of his sword began to glow, magical energy surged through the body of Breaker (ATK 1600-1900).

"Now I'll have Breaker attack! Mana Slash!"

Breaker rushed over to Mirage Dragon and swung his sword, cleaving through the Dragon-type as it shattered into pixels (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3700 LP).

"And now, I'll use the effect of my Breaker, removing his Spell Counter to destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards! Say goodbye to the card on your left! Mana Break!"

Breaker shot a purple beam of magic from his sword that destroyed the face-down, Dragon's Rage (ATK 1900-1600).

"Now I'll set two of my own cards and end my turn!"

"But before you do, Non, I activate my face-down, Dust Tornado!" said Shokatsuryo, as the tornado raged across the field, towards the newly set cards. "Now I'll destroy one of your face-down cards, and I pick the one on your right!"

"Uh oh!" said Rikuson as her Dark Renewal was shattered, and Shokatsuryo set a card from her hand.

"Now I'll use the second effect of Dust Tornado, letting me set a Spell or Trap Card from my hand."

"Well, I end my turn."

"Then I draw," said Shokatsuryo. "I summon Spirit Ryu!"

The blue dragon flew onto the field, ready for battle (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Now I'll have Spirit Ryu attack!"

"What? But your monster is weaker than mine! It's gonna be destroyed!"

"Not quite," said Shokatsuryo, as she sent two cards from her hand to the Graveyard. "When Spirit Ryu attacks, I can discard any number of Dragon-type monsters, then increase the attack and defense points of Spirit Ryu by one thousand for each one! So I discard my White-Horned Dragon and my Serpent Night Dragon to increase the attack points of my monster by two thousand!"

Spiritual versions of both monsters appeared, before they were absorbed into the body of Spirit Ryu, which let out a powerful roar (ATK 1000-3000).

"Now destroy Breaker the Magical Warrior with Sonic Flash Attack!"

Spirit Ryu opened its mouth and fired several silver blasts that struck Breaker, blowing him to bits (Rikuson: 4000-2600 LP)(ATK 3000-1000).

"It looks like I was right," said Jun'iku from the sidelines. "Rikuson is going to lose, no question."

"Now I play my face-down card, Super Rejuvenation!" said Shokatsuryo, the Quick-Play Spell flipping up. "Now during the End Phase, I draw cards equal to the amount of Dragon-type monsters that I discarded or tributed this turn! So I end my turn, then draw two new cards!"

As Shokatsuryo drew two cards, Rikuson drew a card of her own, and began to bounce in place. "Yes, yes! Perfect! I summon Skilled White Magician!"

Rikuson's newly summoned monster was a magician who wore a white robe that went down to his ankles, opening to reveal a black outfit underneath, with a hood hiding his eyes in shadows. Over his chest was a silver piece of plate armor with golden trim and three blue crystal balls with the Spell Counter symbol, one below the neckline and one on each shoulder plate. He also wore white and gold braces, and he held a white staff with a blue crystal ball at the end (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"HAWAWA!" said Shokatsuryo, backing up as she saw the card, which made Jun'iku raise an eyebrow. "This isn't good, not good at all!"

'What's so bad about that monster that she's freaking out about it?'

"And now I play my Magical Mallet, which will let me shuffle any number of cards from my hand into my deck, then draw the same amount of cards! And I pick my entire hand!"

As Rikuson shuffled the two cards in her hand into her deck, she drew two new cards, and one of the blue spheres on the outfit of Skilled White Magician began glowing.

"And whenever a Spell Card is played, Skilled White Magician gains a Spell Counter after it resolves! Now I activate my Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!" And as Rikuson drew her cards, another of the blue orbs began to glow a bright blue, bringing the total number of Spell Counters to two.

"And for my next move, I play my face-down card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"

As the card flipped up, the floating black ball appeared, three green magical balls floating around it, as Shokatsuryo backed up a little.

"This card gains three Spell Counters the second I play it, and once per turn, I can move one of its counters to another card that can have Spell Counters! So I move one Spell Counter from Power Stone to Skilled White Magician!"

One of the green orbs stopped orbiting the black sphere, before it flew over to the Spellcaster-type, as the last blue sphere began to glow.

"Hawawa, now Skilled White Magician has three Spell Counters!"

"So what?" asked Jun'iku, and Rikuson grinned as she heard the brunette strategist.

"You're about to find out, Jun'iku! Now that Skilled White Magician has three Spell Counters, I can tribute him to Special Summon a monster from my hand that's going to turn this duel into my favor! Get ready, because here comes Buster Blader!"

The crystal ball on the end of the magician's scepter began to glow a bright blue, just like the other three, as he smiled before raising his scepter above his head as he was enveloped in a huge pillar of white light, which rose all the way to the ceiling of the arena. The pillar began to increase in diameter, before there was a flash of light, and the pillar was gone, as well as Skilled White Magician, with the mighty Buster Blader in his place, both hands gripping his sword tightly (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Hawawa, hawawa…" muttered Shokatsuryo.

'She had THAT in her deck!? Maybe I was a little too hasty to judge Rikuson after all,' thought Jun'iku.

"And I'm sure you know all about him, don't you? After all, he's trained specifically to fight against dragons, so every Dragon-type monster on your side of the field and in your Graveyard gives many monster five hundred extra attack points! And since there's four in total, my monster gains a whopping two thousand extra points!"

As Rikuson finished her explanation, the attack points of Buster Blader jumped up (ATK 2600-4600).

"Hawawawawawa!"

"Buster Blader, cut that Spirit Ryu down to size with your Dragon Sword!"

The mighty Warrior-type swung his mighty sword through the Dragon-type, and it shattered into pieces (Shokatsuryo: 3700-100 LP).

"Whoo, that was awesome, Buster Blader!" cheered Rikuson, as Buster Blader rested his sword on his shoulder in pride. "I end my turn by setting one card!"

Shokatsuryo drew, and as she saw what she had drawn, she slipped it into the Spell & Trap Zone, as a Spell Card depicting a vase that had two faces appeared, one being the serene face of Pot of Generosity, and the other, the vile face of Pot of Greed.

"I activate Pot of Duality, and with this card, I reveal the top three cards of my deck, then add one to my hand, and send the others back to my deck, and I also can't Special Summon the turn I play this card. Here's hoping I get something good!"

Shokatsuryo pulled the top three cards off of her deck and showed them to Rikuson, before turning them around to look at them herself.

'Let's see, Masked Dragon, A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon, and…yes! This is just what I need!' "I pick Exploder Dragon!" said Shokatsuryo as she added the monster to her Graveyard, shuffling the other two cards to her deck and shuffling it.

"I summon my Exploder Dragon to the field!"

The new monster was a blue and tan dragon, which had large wings with huge claws sticking out of its back, spikes running down its back and the back of its neck, and red eyes, as it held a black and orange bomb with spikes in its claws (LV 3: ATK 1000)(ATK 4600-5100).

"And since I control a Dragon-type, I can activate my Stamping Destruction, destroying your face-down card and dealing five hundred points of damage!"

Exploder Dragon flew over to Rikuson's back row and stomped on the face-down card, which turned out to be Magic Cylinder, as pieces of shrapnel hit Rikuson (Rikuson: 2600-2100 LP).

"Now I'll have Exploder Dragon attack your Buster Blader with Cannonball Blast!"

"Wait, what!?" asked Rikuson, completely confused as to why her friend was making such a move, as Exploder Dragon opened its mouth and began to charge a fireball. "But my Buster Blader is way stronger than your monster!"

"True, but neither of us take any damage when Exploder Dragon attacks!"

Exploder Dragon spat a fireball at Buster Blader, the attack exploding on impact, but Buster Blader was left unharmed, as he slashed the Dragon-type in half, destroying it. Suddenly, the bomb that it was holding fell on the ground and exploded, blasting Buster Blader into pieces, as Rikuson and Jun'iku were stunned.

"What…just happened?" asked Rikuson.

"If Exploder Dragon is destroyed in battle, it destroys the monster that destroyed it. Now I don't have to worry about Buster Blader anymore! I set a card and end my turn!"

"That was a good move, Shuri," said Rikuson as she drew, "but now you're wide open for a direct attack! I summon Magician's Valkyria!"

A new magician appeared, this one being a woman with long auburn hair, blue eyes, and a blue witch hat with wings, wearing a blue and purple dress, pink stockings, and blue and yellow high-heeled boots, with blue bracers and a gray staff with green orbs and a hook shape like a shepherd's crook (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"I hope that you had fun, because it's time to finish this!" said Rikuson, only for Shokatsuryo to play her face-down card.

"I don't think so! I activate Call of the Haunted, and I use it to bring back White-Horned Dragon from my Graveyard!"

Out of the Continuous Trap came a large red dragon that stood on two legs, with a white horn and yellow eyes (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And when White-Horned Dragon is Normal or Special Summoned, I can select up to five Spell Cards in your Graveyard and banish them, with my monster gaining three hundred attack points for each one! So I banish Magical Mallet and Pot of Greed from your Graveyard!"

Rikuson pulled both Spell Cards out of her Graveyard and set them aside, as the Dragon-type became stronger as a result (ATK 2200-2800).

"I guess I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I summon Gray Wing!"

The red dragon was joined by a dragon with dull brown scales and gray wings, as its name implied (LV 3: ATK 1300).

"White-Horned Dragon, attack with Horn Drive Buster!"

A white ball of electricity formed on the tip of White-Horned Dragon's horn, as it blasted it at Magician's Valkyria, destroying her (Rikuson: 2100-900 LP).

"Now let's finish this! Gray Wing, attack directly!"

The smaller dragon flew over to Rikuson and struck the strategist with its wings, as the duel ended (Rikuson: 900-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo). Shokatsuryo then ran up to her friend, who despite her loss, had a huge smile on her face.

"Man, that was fun, Shuri! You were awesome out there!"

"Thanks, Non. You were pretty good yourself." The two then heard a slow clap, as they turned to see Jun'iku walking down the stairs to the arena floor.

"I must admit, you're not as weak as I initially believed."

"Thanks, I think?" said Rikuson.

"However, I want to test you myself."

"What do you mean?" asked Shokatsuryo.

"I've reconsidered the previous challenge, and I think I'll accept it. Rikuson Hakugen, I challenge you to a duel!"

Rikuson's response was a toothy grin. "Challenge accepted!"

~KD~

As Shokatsuryo sat in the stands, Jun'iku and Rikuson shuffled their cards, Jun'iku frowning in concentration and Rikuson smiling in anticipation. Soon, both of them were finished, as they drew their five cards.

"Is it okay if I go first?" asked Rikuson as she drew her opening hand.

"I don't care either way," said Jun'iku.

"Okay then! Let's duel!"

(Rikuson: 4000 LP)(Jun'iku: 4000 LP)

"I draw! And I set one monster, and one other card before I end my turn!"

"That's it? Alright then, I summon Giant Red Seasnake!"

Jun'iku summoned a monster that took the form of a huge red sea serpent with purple stripes and sharp teeth (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And since my Seasnake is an Aqua-type monster, I can equip it with Power of Kaishin, increasing its attack and defense points by three hundred!"

Jun'iku's card had a picture of Poseidon raising his trident, which had a yellow glow to it, as the trident appeared on the head of Giant Red Seasnake (ATK 1800-2100), only for Rikuson to activate her own card, which had an odd machine with eight metal legs and eight metal flaps which began to unfold, as a blue generator on top created a force field, with the Equip Spell shattering (ATK 2100-1800).

"Sorry, but I play my Spell Shield Type-8, which can either have me discard a Spell Card to negate and destroy one of your Spell Cards, or negate and destroy a Spell Card that targets a monster! So your Equip Spell is destroyed!"

"Whatever. Giant Red Seasnake will still chew up that monster. Attack!"

Her monster obeyed, swimming towards the face-down monster, opening its jaws, only to bite down on solid wood as the bookshelves of Royal Magical Library sprung up (LV 4: DEF 2000)(Jun'iku: 4000-3800 LP).

"Not bad, I suppose. I set a card and end my turn!"

"Come on, Non, you can beat her, I know it!" said Shokatsuryo from the sidelines.

"Thanks, Shuri," said Rikuson. "I draw! And I summon Rapid-Fire Magician!"

The Spellcaster-type appeared, spinning his clawed wands as magical orbs formed in their grasps (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And I equip him with Book of Secret Arts, increasing his attack and defense points by three hundred!"

The book appeared before Rapid-Fire Magician as he read the sacred tome, before he set it aside, having absorbed its strength (ATK 1600-1900), as a green orb appeared over Royal Magical Library.

"And whenever a Spell Card is played, Royal Magical Library gains a Spell Counter! Now I'll enter my Battle Phase, and activate Anti-Magic Arrows!"

Rikuson played a Quick-Play Spell with a picture of a barrage of arrows falling down on a face-down card, as a volley of arrows shot out of it and embedded themselves into the face-down card that Jun'iku controlled, as another Spell Counter began to float above the library.

"With this card, all Spells and Traps, and their effects, can't be activated until end of this turn! Rapid-Fire Magician, destroy her Giant Red Seasnake!"

The Spellcaster-type swung both of his wands in front of him, summoning many more multicolored orbs of magic, as he launched them at the Aqua-type with an incredible rate of fire, blowing it to pieces (Jun'iku: 3800-3700 LP).

"I think that's enough for now! Your move!" And as Rikuson ended her turn, the arrows vanished, as Jun'iku drew, then activated her new card as soon as possible.

"I activate Terraforming, which lets me add a Field Spell from my deck to my hand!"

As Jun'iku pulled a card from her deck, another Spell Counter was added to Royal Magical Library.

"And now, I activate A Legendary Ocean, which will reduce the level of all WATER monsters on the field and in our hands by one, and increase their attack and defense points by two hundred!"

The field around them transformed into the underwater ruins, as Jun'iku rose an eyebrow as she saw that the number of Spell Counters above Royal Magical Library remained the same.

"Why isn't your monster gaining any more Spell Counters?"

"It has a maximum of three," said Shokatsuryo from the stands, which remained unaltered.

"It doesn't matter, because now, I don't need a tribute to summon my Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness!"

A new monster appeared before Rikuson, taking the form of a huge orca. On its back, however, was a metal platform, with a cockpit around the dorsal fin, and a crane arm beside it. There was a Torpedo Fish underneath it, and six Cannonball Spear Shellfish on the platform (LV 5-4: ATK 2100-2300).

"Now to take care of that Rapid-Fire Magician! Killer Whale Cannon!"

The Sea Serpent-type opened its mouth, a cannon barrel sticking out, as it fired an orange blast of energy that decimated the Spellcaster-type (Rikuson: 4000-3600 LP).

"I end my turn with that."

Rikuson drew, and after looking over her card, she pointed at Royal Magical Library, as its Spell Counters suddenly transferred into the shelves, as Rikuson drew another card from her deck.

"Thanks to the effect of Royal Magical Library, I can remove all three Spell Counters from it to draw another card! And now, I tribute my library to summon Chaos Command Magician!"

The library faded away, as a more powerful monster took its place. It was a magician wearing a dark green and yellow outfit with many red orbs and a pointed hat that curved forward with another point on the back which curved upwards, carrying a green scepter with a red orb, his face green with black tear-shaped markings (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"And now, Chaos Command Magician will destroy your Orca with Chaos Magic Attack!"

Chaos Command Magician pointed his wand at the giant whale and shot a red blast of magic, but it was absorbed by a large wave that crashed down on the floor of the ruins, splashing at Rikuson (Rikuson: 3600-2800 LP).

"I won't let you destroy my monster! I activate Poseidon Wave, negating the attack, and dealing eight hundred points of damage for each Aqua, Fish, and Sea Serpent-type I control! Lucky you, I only had the one."

"Then I end my turn by setting a card!"

"My move," said Jun'iku. "I play Steel Shell, and equip it to my Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness, increasing its attack points by four hundred, at the cost of decreasing its defense points by two hundred, meaning that it's powerful enough to wipe out that magician over there!"

The shell covered the back of the WATER monster, steel spikes jutting out (ATK 2300-2700).

"And now, I summon my Cannonball Spear Shellfish!"

The small turban snail appeared on the field beside Orca (LV 2-1-2: ATK 1000-1200-1000).

"And with the effect of Orca, I can tribute Cannonball Spear Shellfish to destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards!" declared Jun'iku, as the Aqua-type suddenly faded away, as Orca launched one of the Shellfish from its back, the snail piercing and destroying the face-down card, Mirror Force.

"Oh no! Chaos Command Magician, look out!"

"Scream all you want, Boob Monster, it won't help! Now destroy that spellcaster!"

Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness opened its mouth, the cannon in its mouth blowing Chaos Command Magician to pixels, as Shokatsuryo whimpered, worried about her friend (Rikuson: 2800-2500 LP).

"I think that should be enough punishment for now. Your turn!"

Rikuson drew, and slid her newly drawn drawn card into her Duel Disk, as a volley of arrows shot out, piercing the field and the shell of Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness, before they exploded, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, even Rikuson. As the dust settled, the field was back to normal, with the Field Spell having been destroyed, as well as the Equip Spell (Jun'iku: 3700-2700 LP)(LV 4-5: ATK 2700-2100).

"Pretty cool, huh? That was my Spell Shattering Arrow, destroying all of your face-up Spell Cards and dealing five hundred points of damage for each! Now I set a monster and end my turn!"

Jun'iku growled as she drew her next card, and slapped her newly drawn card onto her field. "I summon Fiend Kraken!"

The large yellow squid joined the orca (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now I'll have my Orca blast your face-down monster with Killer Whale Cannon!"

The Sea Serpent-type unleashed a third blast, which blew apart the face-down monster, a magician who wore a red hat, a blue mask over their face, and a red and brown outfit with a blue cape, a crystal ball in their hands (LV 1: DEF 100). As they were destroyed, Rikuson drew the top two cards of her deck.

"Thanks for that. By flipping my Crystal Seer, you've activated their Flip Effect, letting me look at the top two cards of my deck, then add one to my hand, while sending the other to the bottom of my deck. Hmm…I think I'll pick this card!" Rikuson added one card to her hand, and slid the other into the bottom of her deck.

"Whatever. Fiend Kraken, attack with Squid Submission!"

The monster raised two of its tentacles, then slammed them down on Rikuson (Rikuson: 2500-1300 LP).

"I end my turn! Give up?" asked Jun'iku.

"No way! I'm having too much fun!" said Rikuson as she drew. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician!"

Another Spellcaster-type was summoned, this one taking the form of a man in a black robe with a blue headdress, blue plates on his torso with three black stones, and a staff with a black spherical stone with the Spell Counter symbol at the end (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Now, my Skilled Dark Magician, destroy Fiend Kraken!"

The Spellcaster-type aimed his wand at the kraken, shooting a purple blast of magic that blew it apart (Jun'iku: 2700-2000 LP), as Rikuson ended her Battle Phase and activated her next card.

"Now I play Swords of Revealing Light, which will stop you from attacking for three turns!"

The green swords surrounded Jun'iku's side of the field, as one of the stones on Skilled Dark Magician's outfit began to glow.

"And whenever a Spell Card is activated, Skilled Dark Magician gains a Spell Counter! Now I end my turn!"

"Then it's my move! I play Pot of Greed!"

As Jun'iku drew, a second Spell Counter appearing on Skilled Dark Magician, she sneered, a plan forming. "I set a monster and end my turn!"

'This seems suspicious,' thought Shokatsuryo. 'Hopefully, Non realizes this.'

"I draw! Now I'll attack that face-down monster!"

Shokatsuryo's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "Hawawa! Non, wait!" But it was too late as Skilled Dark Magician blasted the face-down monster, which turned out to be Mother Grizzly (LV 4: DEF 1000), as a blue portal appeared, with Jun'iku bursting into laughter.

"Ha! I can't believe that you fell for that trap! What an idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot!" said Rikuson as she stomped on the field.

"Thanks to your gullibility, you've let me Special Summon a WATER monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, and I pick Unshaven Angler!"

Out of the blue portal swam the anglerfish (LV 4: ATK 1500), as Rikuson bit her bottom lip.

"I…end my turn."

"Then I draw! And since my Unshaven Angler counts as two tributes for a WATER monster, I tribute it to summon a beast that commands the tides and stirs the seas, with a great flood washing over my foes! Rise from the deep, Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

The mighty sea serpent appeared before Rikuson, the Swords of Revealing Light being the only thing holding it back (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"Now I end my turn!"

Rikuson's hand hovered over the deck, before she closed her eyes and grabbed the top card of her deck.

'I have to be strong. And I will be strong! I will win!' "I draw!"

As Rikuson saw what she had drawn, she slid her newly drawn card into her Duel Disk. "I play my own copy of Pot of Greed!" And as she drew, with the thord and final stone on the outfit of Skilled Dark Magician beginning to glow, she activated another card, with two magicians standing on opposite sides of a multicolored portal, with one casting a red spell, and the other casting a blue spell.

"Now I activate Double Spell! With this card, I discard one Spell Card, then play a Spell Card from your Graveyard! And I pick your Pot of Greed!"

As Rikuson slid her copy of Sage's Stone into the Graveyard, Pot of Greed appeared next to Double Spell, as Rikuson drew two more cards. As Rikuson looked over her hand, she smiled as wide as she physically could and began to bounce in place, Shokatsuryo smiling.

'It looks like Non just drew exactly what she needed.'

"I activate the effect of Skilled Dark Magician! Now that he's got all three Spell Counters, I can tribute him to Special Summon one of my favorite monsters from my deck! Go, Dark Magician!"

The wand of the Spellcaster-type started glowing as he pointed his wand in the air, a purple pillar of light consuming him, as it grew wider and wider before it vanished, Dark Magician standing where Skilled Dark Magician was (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"Welcome, Dark Magician!" said Rikuson, as the mighty master of magic gave her a smile.

"That monster may be powerful, but he won't last five seconds against my Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

"He doesn't have to be! I play Polymerization, fusing my Dark Magician with Buster Blader!"

As Rikuson activated her Spell Card, Buster Blader appeared beside Dark Magician, and the two monsters swirled together, as Shokatsuryo's eyes bulged again.

'Dark Magician…and Buster Blader? That can only mean one thing…'

"Come on out, Dark Paladin!"

Where the two monsters once stood was now the most powerful monster that Rikuson had. It was a man with aquamarine skin, wearing an ornate green, blue, and gold outfit that appeared to be somewhere between a wizard's robe and a suit of armor, with a curved hat and a massive collar, as well as spiked elbows and knees, and a long cape. In his hands, he held a polearm with a large single-edged blade on one end, and a smaller one on the other (LV 8: ATK 2900).

"HAWAWA!" screamed Shokatsuryo. "Non, I had no idea that you had such a rare card in your arsenal!"

"He's pretty cool, huh Shuri? And he's about to take down that Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness, with Super Magical Shadowless Slash!"

A purple magic covered Dark Paladin's weapon as he rushed over to the WATER monster and swung his polearm upwards, sliding the orca clean in half (Jun'iku: 2000-1200 LP), as Jun'iku growled.

"Now I end my turn!"

Jun'iku drew her next card, and immediately began to laugh. "It's game over! I activate my Umi!"

Suddenly, the field began to change again, becoming an ocean, when suddenly, Rikuson plucked a card from her hand.

"I discard Dark Magician Girl so that I can use the effect of Dark Paladin, negating and destroying your Umi!"

Suddenly, Dark Paladin slammed his polearm on the ground, repelling the water, as Jun'iku's hood fell back, her eye twitching as she stood in stunned silence as her plan to win failed.

"W-Well, it's not over yet! I set a monster and switch my Daedalus into defense mode before ending my turn!" said Jun'iku, her remaining Sea Serpent-type coiling up (DEF 1500), the Swords of Revealing Light fading away.

Rikuson drew, and smiled as she slid her card into her Duel Disk, as a Spell Card with a picture of an exploding green orb appeared, as her life points took a self-inflicted hit (Rikuson: 1300-300 LP), as Dark Paladin began to charge a purple ball of magic at the tip of his polearm.

"I activate my Diffusion Wave-Motion! By paying a thousand life points, I pick one level seven or higher Spellcaster-type monster I control, and during this turn, it's the only monster I control that can attack, and it has to attack all of your monsters! So I'll start with Levia-Dragon - Daedalus, then destroy your face-down monster!"

'She's just walking into her own demise,' thought Jun'iku. 'She's only got three hundred life points left, so when she destroys my face-down Deep Diver, I'll use his effect to put Drill Barnacle on top of my deck, and next turn, I'll win with a direct attack!'

"Alright, Dark Paladin! Battle!"

The orb of magic began to fire X-shaped blades of magic that flew all around, one hitting Daedalus and slicing it to pieces. Another one then hit the face-down monster, Deep Diver (LV 3: DEF 1100), as the attack died down, and Jun'iku once again began to laugh.

"Perfect! Now that the Battle Phase is over, the effect of my Deep Diver activates!" But as she said this, she noticed that nothing was happening. "What's going on?"

"Any monster that a monster affected by Diffusion Wave-Motion destroys in battle can't activate its effect, so the effect of Deep Diver is useless! I end my turn!"

As Jun'iku drew, she grimaced, before settling on a card. 'Hopefully, she ends up with a dead draw.' "I set one monster and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Dark Magician!"

'Are you kidding me!?' thought Jun'iku as Dark Magician returned (LV 7: ATK 2500).

"Now let's end this duel! Dark Magician, destroy her face-down monster with Dark Magic Attack! Dark Paladin, attack directly and win this duel!"

Dark Magician shot a green orb of magic at the face-down monster, Skull Kraken (LV 3: DEF 1600), and destroyed it, and Dark Paladin brought down his blade, Jun'iku's life points dropping to zero (Jun'iku: 1200-0 LP)(Winner: Rikuson).

"That was awesome, Non!" cheered Shokatsuryo as she ran down the stairs over to Rikuson, who was beaming in pride, Jun'iku staring into space. "I knew that you could do it!"

"I knew you did," said Rikuson, giving her friend a high five. "Thanks for believing in me!" The green-haired woman then walked over to the brunette, who was still stupefied. "Now can you apologize to me, and try to be a little nicer?"

Jun'iku sighed. "I'm…sorry," she said reluctantly, as Rikuson held out her hand.

"Why don't we just start over as friends? Call me Non!"

Jun'iku just stared at the hand for a second, before she shook it. "Keifa."

* * *

 **Edit 2/12/2018: fixed an error with Skilled Dark Magician.**


	76. Parallel Dimensions, Part 1

A week after the duels between Rikuson, Shokatsuryo, and Jun'iku, Sonken was sitting at a pavilion outside the palace, eating her lunch in solitude, as a familiar figure walked up to her with her own lunch in hand.

"May I sit here?"

Sonken stopped eating for a moment, looking up to see Kannei, and smiled, gesturing to the seat in front of her. Kannei gave a small smile and sat down, opening a box lunch.

"How have you been doing over the past two weeks, Shishun?"

"I have no complaints, or at least, none that immediately come to mind. What about you?"

"Well, so far, things have been nice. The transition from lord to servant seemed a little jarring at first, but I've been able to manage, with a little help from Yue and Ei. Although it's certainly an experience, sharing my quarters with both Reiha and Karin."

"Just remember, I may not be your bodyguard anymore, but whenever you feel down, you can rely on me."

"Thank you, Shishun." The two of them continued to make small talk while they ate their lunches, but after some time had passed, the two of them were approached by Choryo, who was wearing her arm guards and Duel Disk.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you and I are next on patrol duty, Shishun. You done, or do you need a sec?"

"I'm finished," said Kannei, getting out of her seat and picking up her empty lunch box, already wearing her Duel Disk. "Nice talking with you, Renfa."

"Same here, Shishun. Good luck," said the former Lotus Queen, as Kannei smiled before the two purple-haired generals made their way into town.

~KD~

As the two generals did their patrol, Kannei kept a sharp eye on her surroundings. She carefully scoped out every passerby, every corner, anywhere where trouble could happen. She wasn't about to let anything get past her. After all, she had new responsibilities, and she was sure to take them seriously.

"So Shishun, how goes things?"

However, to her frustration, the same could not be said for Choryo. While Kannei kept a firm posture, Choryo was much more relaxed, hands behind her head as she walked down the streets. While Kannei was watching for any suspicious activity, Choryo happily greeted everyone she saw, a goofy grin on her face. And despite the fact that Kannei was clearly trying to focus, if her silence was any indication, Choryo kept trying to make conversation with her, frustration slowly building. How was it that Choryo had been the one to pull her away from what she was doing, and yet it was HER who was the only one taking things seriously?

"C'mon, Shishun, what's wrong? You were talkin' with Renfa no prob, so what's wrong with me?"

"Other than the fact that I'm trying to do my job?" said Kannei, finally giving a response in the hopes that Choryo would leave her be for a moment. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"Well, so am I! But that doesn't mean we can't talk."

Kannei sighed. "I'm trying to concentrate, Shia, and your constant badgering me is breaking my concentration. Please just let me focus."

"Sorry, but to be fair, nothing's going on, and I want to pass the time. Trust me, if something happens, I'll be ready for it. But until then, it's okay to loosen up a little."

"Well I'm sorry for actually caring about my job, unlike you," said Kannei.

Choryo gawked at this statement, then looked down, as her hair covered her eyes in shadow. "Yeah, I don't care. It's not like I used to be a criminal, and a gang leader at that. It's not like all that went to shit when we got found out and run out of town, and I was barely scraping by. And it's definitely not like one day, I saw somebody who inspired me to become a better person, which led to me eventually joining the Imperial Guard, which all led to this moment. You're right, I don't care about protecting people and making them happy, Shishun."

She then looked forward, a stern expression on her face, as it was Kannei's turn to gawk. She had absolutely no idea about Choryo's past; in fact, despite having been working together for two weeks, not counting the week she, Sonshoko, and Rikuson stayed in Kikai, the two having the same position and even the same boyfriend, Kannei knew very little about her, and she felt a twinge of guilt over her harsh accusations. "I'm…sorry…I didn't know."

"It's cool," said Choryo, although Kannei wasn't entirely convinced. She knew that she had messed up, and she wanted to make it up to Choryo.

"I'm really sorry for suggesting that you don't care about your duties. If anything, you have a very good reason to protect people. In fact…I can relate."

Choryo's expression softened as she turned back to Kannei. "What do you mean?"

"Before I met Renfa…I was a criminal myself."

Choryo's face turned into one of shock as she stumbled a bit. "Seriously!? You sure you ain't screwing with me?"

"I'm positive, although I wasn't as…high-profile as you were. I was a pickpocket, since I was an orphan at an early age, and I lived alone, leaving me with seemingly one option. I also had my fair share of scuffles if I was caught, which I won with either my fists or my cards."

"Yeesh. Sounds rough," said Choryo. "So, how did YOU get onto the right path?"

"It all started about two years ago…"

~KD~

 _Kannei Koha tried her best to blend in as she walked down the streets, keeping her eyes on those around her, looking for her newest pinch. She was getting low on cash, and while she had managed to snatch some food here and there, she needed the money to last her a bit longer. Fortunately, she found exactly who she was looking for._

" _Man, did you see the look on that guy's face as we shook him down?"_

" _By the way he was trembling, I'm surprised that the loser didn't piss his pants! Hahaha!"_

 _In front of her, two men, seemingly wearing gray bandit uniforms with bandanas wrapped around the tops of their heads, were standing around talking to each other, from the sound of it, about a recent mugging they had just pulled off, and one of the thugs had a coin purse looped onto his belt, seemingly filled to the brim with cash. They were loud, loaded, and distracted: perfect prey._

 _Slowly, Kannei crept up to the two of them, slowly walking towards them, neither of them paying her any attention. As she got within reach, she carefully untied the coin purse and caught it without making a sound, and once the task was complete, she held the coins tightly in her hand and began to walk away, seemingly in the clear. Seemingly._

" _Not to mention the haul we got from…what the hell?"_

 _Kannei froze, the bandit who she had stolen from having realized that they just got robbed, as they turned around, one of them catching a glimpse of the coin purse in her hand._

" _Hey, bitch with the Duel Disk! You've got something of ours!"_

 _Immediately, Kannei bolted, the two bandits chasing after her. Kannei saw an alleyway up ahead and turned into it, thinking that she could lose them in there, only to smack into somebody and fall onto her back, dropping the coins. As she looked up, she saw a third bandit who grinned as he picked up the bag, tossing it between his hands as he looked down at Kannei, who got back onto her feet._

" _What's the hurry, miss? Got somewhere to go?"_

" _Away from you," said Kannei as she spun on her heel, only to run into the other two bandits._

" _Don't think so, thief," said the one who she had taken the cash from. Being blocked off from both sides, Kannei began to think of a way out, only for the bandit behind her, who was taller and stronger than his two friends, caught her in a bear hug that locked her arms to her sides. Desperate, she tried to kick his legs, but while he winced at the surprising strength, he only tightened his grip in retaliation._

" _Keep that up, you little shit, and I'll squeeze you so hard, your eyes will pop out of your head."_

" _Go eat worms," spat Kannei,_

" _Oh, think you're clever, bitch?" asked the man who she had stolen from, getting in her face. "Don't you know who we are? The three of us are members of the most cutthroat gang in this part of China, with a leader who will chew you up and spit you out if you're not careful! And we're gonna make you pay for crossing us!"_

" _Hold on a second," said the remaining bandit, giving Kannei a sly smile. "She was pretty slick, wasn't she? The only reason she didn't make off with our stolen loot was blind luck. Plus, she's a duelist. I bet you're pretty good with those cards, right?"_

" _Of course," said Kannei, as the smile of the bandit widened, as he turned to his companions._

" _I bet the boss could really use this girl."_

" _Have you lost your mind? This punk tried to rob us, and you want to recruit her?"_

" _Well, we'll see what Lady Koso says," said the smiling bandit, turning to Kannei. "Tell you what, kid. We'll let this robbery attempt slide, on one condition."_

" _I'm listening," said Kannei, glaring as hard as she could._

" _You come back with the three of us to our base, and to our leader. She'll want to know about someone as talented as you."_

" _Forget it," said Kannei. "You can count me out."_

" _Guess that means that we'll be beating you senseless," said the bandit restraining her._

" _And if you somehow manage to escape," threatened the first bandit, "we'll tell our boss, and she won't like that you tried to pull one over on us, and by extension, her. You'll be on her hit list, without question."_

" _Besides, pickpocketing will only get you so far. You can get much richer as a part of our little family."_

 _The smiling bandit's words made Kannei's eyes widen. Family? As in, she wouldn't have to be alone, having to steal just to eat another day? She was still cautious about the bandits, but an offer like this? It was far too tempting. "Fine. If you're so desperate, I'll come with you."_

" _Perfect," said the smug bandit, the muscular one releasing Kannei. "This way, but don't even think about making any sudden moves."_

~KD~

 _The three bandits, with the one who extended the offer in the front and the other two behind Kannei to make sure she didn't do anything stupid, led her out of town and into the woods, with Kannei keeping her guard up in case it was a trap. Eventually, they reached a clearing which held a large camp, surrounded by a tall wooden fence, with two bandits standing guard at the front gate, one of them tilting her head as she saw Kannei._

" _Who's the street rat?" she asked, as the grinning bandit enlightened her._

" _This little punk tried to rob us, and she almost got away. I bet Lady Koso will be interested in her skills._

 _The two guards looked at each other, before opening the gate. "Fine by me," said the other guard. "But you'll have to wait until she's finished."_

' _Finished with what?' thought Kannei, as she looked inside, seeing tents lined up against the tall wooden spires, bandits everywhere, most of them just talking or messing around. However, further inside, it looked like a crowd was building, as a group of bandits were standing in a ring, as something was going on, although what, she wasn't sure. Suddenly, she felt a hard shove, as she was led to the commotion._

" _What's going on?"_

" _You'll see," said the muscular bandit with a smile on his face, as Kannei and the bandits joined the circle, and Kannei got a glimpse of what was going on: a duel about to start._

 _One of the participants looked like a fairly average man in simple clothes, while the other party looked far more exotic. She had very light blue hair that was very short and spiky on the left side of her head, and waist-length and straight on the right, with a choppy cut and bangs that covered the right side of her face, the color changing from blue to red as it reached her neckline. She wore a black feather headdress that faded into red at the tips, and her visible eye was blood red, her full lips curled into a wicked smile. Her left ear had two earrings: a golden bead on the top, and hanging from her earlobe, a golden earring in the shape of an anchor. She wore a two-piece top that consisted of a dark blue top that cut off just below her breasts and a lighter blue bottom that was connected in the front, exposing her cleavage and stomach, and reached her thigh on her left, and her ankles on the right and back, along with a pair of ridiculously short navy blue shorts, an asymmetric black belt, and knee-high black boots. Completing her outfit was a cape over her right arm connected by a bronze chain, the cape being jade with an orange flame pattern, and black fishnets down her left arm, along with a Duel Disk with a blue trim._

" _So, who's the outsider?" asked a bandit next to Kannei._

" _Hopefully, a new recruit," said the smiling bandit. "I'll show her to Lady Koso as soon as she wins this duel."_

' _So that's Koso,' thought Kannei. 'She looks dangerous. I had best watch my step around her.'_

" _So what's up with him?" asked the bandit, pointing at Koso's opponent._

" _He wandered too close to our territory, so we captured him. Now Lady Koso is cutting him a deal: if he beats her, she'll let him go scot-free, but if he loses, then he'll leave without his cards or cash," said a new bandit._

" _Oh, this should be fun to watch," said the one Kannei robbed._

" _So, are you ready to go?" asked Koso._

" _As ready as I'll ever be," said her opponent._

" _Very well. Let's duel!"_

 _(Duelist: 4000 LP)(Koso: 4000 LP)_

" _I'll be a good sport and let you decide who makes the first move," said Koso, as her opponent drew a sixth card._

" _Alright, I'll go first! And I Special Summon two Grinder Tokens, so that I can Special Summon Grinder Golem on your side of the field!"_

 _On the man's side of the field, two monsters appeared, both looking like robots, with giant buzzsaw blades in place of heads, their right hands having four clawed fingers while their left hands were grabbing claws, with chains on their chests that looped over their shoulders and down their backs to the ground, and spikes on their right wrists, waists, and knees (LV 1: ATK 0), while on Koso's side, another monster appeared that looked exactly like the other two, only twice as big, towering over the tokens and the duelists (LV 8: ATK 3000)._

" _Giving me such a powerful monster in order to summon two tokens? Hmm, what do you intend to use them for?" mused Koso._

" _Nothing right now, since I can't Normal Summon or set the turn I Special Summon Grinder Golem. But I can do this! I activate Owner's Seal, returning control all monsters on the field to their original owners! So now, I control Grinder Golem!"_

 _The card depicted a hand pointing at a face-down card and creating a green glyph that looked like the one in Spellbinding Circle, as the same circle appeared underneath Grinder Golem, as the Fiend-type walked over to its owner and turned towards Koso._

" _Ooh, clever," said Koso._

" _Uh, thanks? Anyway, I end my turn!"_

" _Then I draw. I set one monster and two other cards, then end my turn."_

' _I wonder what she's up to,' thought Kannei as Koso's opponent drew._

" _Then it's back to me! And I tribute both of my Grinder Tokens to summon White Knight Dragon!"_

 _Both tokens faded away, as a pillar of white light emerged, surrounded by freezing winds, before it burst apart, revealing a large dragon made entirely out of blue ice, which let out a roar as it hovered beside Grinder Golem (LV 8: ATK 3000)._

" _Two monsters, each with three thousand attack points," said Kannei. "How is she planning on countering that?"_

" _Keep watching," said the bandit beside her, still smiling._

" _Grinder Golem, chew up that face-down monster!"_

 _The saw blade roared to life, as the massive Fiend-type lumbered over to the face-down monster, which was revealed to be a large creature with a long red body with four gray legs ending in claws, a yellow lower jaw, large teeth, and six eyes, with four being red, and two being green (LV 3: DEF 1400). The monster was sliced in two by the spinning blade of Grinder Golem as it shattered into pixels._

" _Oh my, it seems like my D.D. Crazy Beast was no match for your monster."_

"' _D.D.?'" wondered Kannei aloud._

" _Short for Different Dimension," said a bandit in the crowd._

" _Now my White Night Dragon will attack directly!"_

 _The Dragon-type opened its mouth, releasing a powerful blizzard that struck Koso (Koso: 4000-1000 LP), although she merely began to chuckle, as her laughter grew in volume, the bandit leader throwing back her head as her chuckles turned into a vicious laugh._

" _Wh-What's so funny? I just took out three-quarters of your life points, and my monsters are massive!"_

" _Because, since I took three thousand points of battle damage from a single attack, I can play this!" said Koso, one of her face-downs flipping up to show a huge inferno coming down on an army of knights. "A very dangerous Quick-Play Spell called Inferno Tempest! Now every monster in our decks and Graveyards are banished!"_

" _All of them!?" asked her opponent, as Koso just smirked as she pulled D.D. Crazy Beast out of her Graveyard, and the two of them pulled their decks out of their respective slots and began to sift out the Monster Cards._

" _This will leave both of them with only the monsters in their hands and on the field," said Kannei. "What is she planning?"_

" _Guess I end my turn," said the man, as Koso drew, and flashed her opponent a wicked smirk that made his blood run cold, as she slipped her newly drawn card into her deck, displaying a Spell Card with a picture of a black and white portal opening in the sky and shining rays of white light down on a dying forest, the trees leafless and cracking apart._

" _I play Chaos End!" said Koso, as suddenly, cracks began to form on Grinder Golem and White Night Dragon, much to the horror of their controller._

" _What's happening to my monsters!? They're breaking apart!"_

" _That's the effect of my Chaos End. I can only play it when I have seven or more banished cards, and with it, every monster on the field is destroyed! Say goodbye to your monsters!"_

 _Both powerful monsters broke apart, the pieces shattering into pixels, as Koso activated her other face-down card, a Trap Card that had D.D. Warrior, D.D. Warrior Lady, Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness, Manticore of Darkness, and Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness falling out of a multicolored portal, as a similar portal appeared over Koso (Koso: 1000-500 LP)._

" _Now I activate my Return from the Different Dimension, letting me pay half my life points to Special Summon as many banished monsters as possible, while banishing them again during the End Phase! So I summon D.D. Warrior, D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Assailant, D.D. Survivor, and D.D.M. - Different Dimension Master!"_

 _Out of the portal fell five monsters: D.D. Warrior, a man with short red hair and blue eyes wearing multicolored armor and a yellow scarf wielding a cutlass (LV 4: ATK 1200), D.D. Warrior Lady, a blonde woman with iron armor and a sword with a blade made of blue energy (LV 4: ATK 1500), D.D. Assailant, a woman with short pink hair and a white headband wearing armor and a red scarf, wielding a huge sword with blue writing along the back of the blade (LV 4: ATK 1700), D.D. Survivor, a blonde knight in a tan cloak (LV 4: ATK 1800), and D.D.M. - Different Dimension Master, a man with long white hair wearing a black cloak with leather belts over a suit of armor, his hands glowing white (LV 5: ATK 1700)._

" _Oh no," was all that her opponent was able to get out, as Kannei was completely stunned at the amazing turnaround._

" _All of you, end this duel!"_

 _All five monsters rushed the man, striking him with their blades and blows as he fell onto his back (Duelist: 4000-0 LP)(Winner: Koso). With the crowd of bandits cheering for their leader, Koso approached her defeated foe, smug smirk on her face, as the man got onto his knees, and looked up in fear._

" _Please…have mercy…"_

" _I will, as long as you honor our deal. Your money and cards, all of them."_

 _Panicking, the man reached into his pockets, pulling out a coin purse and his banished cards, before he took off his Duel Disk and put it into the pile, before he was grabbed by the arms by two bandits._

" _Get him out of my sight," said Koso, as the bandits carried the poor duelist to the exit, as the crowd dispersed, with the three bandits pushing Kannei towards Koso, who turned to them, giving Kannei an odd look before turning to the smiling bandit._

" _And who is this? Another challenger?"_

" _Far from it. I think that she might be a welcome addition to our family."_

 _As Koso took in these words, she turned to Kannei and gave her an evil smile._

~KD~

 _As Koso and the three bandits who caught her were talking outside Koso's personal tent, Kannei was sitting at a table inside, her guard up as Koso stepped inside, then went further into the tent, before coming back out with a tea set and a plate of almond cookies, setting them between the two before she sat down, pouring a cup of tea and taking a sip, while Kannei just stared at the set._

" _Go ahead, nothing is poisoned," said Koso, gesturing to the teapot and the cup she had just drunk out of, as she poured a cup for Kannei, who warily took it. "So, my men have been saying a lot about you."_

" _I doubt there was much good," said Kannei._

" _Well, there were a few death threats, but I must say, you do show promise as a burglar. If not for dumb luck, you would have escaped without being noticed, long gone. Where did you learn how to steal like that?"_

" _I taught myself," said Kannei. "I have no friends, no family. Stealing is how I survive."_

" _And what about dueling?" asked Koso, pointing to the Duel Disk on Kannei's wrist. "Any good at that?"_

" _I have to be," said Kannei, "in order to get out of messes. Usually it's a thug who's angry at me for wandering into his turf."_

" _Ah, it's amazing how much a simple card game has had such an impact," said Koso. "Have you ever had to get into an actual fight?"_

" _Not everyone has card or a Duel Disk," said Kannei. "And not everyone can be outrun or out maneuvered. If I must fight, then I fight, no question."_

 _Koso took another sip of tea, her cup concealing a smirk. 'Stealthy. Steady hands. Swift. Agile. And capable of fighting her way out of situations, if anything goes awry. She's perfect.' "I'm sure that you'll make an excellent addition to our little family, if you can pass one small test first."_

" _What kind of test?" asked Kannei._

" _Tell me, child, are you aware of the lord of Go?"_

 _Kannei nodded. "Sonsaku Hakufu, eldest daughter of the previous lord, Sonken Bundai. The Little Conqueror, the Lotus Queen, a young woman who dreams of controlling all of China through dueling. But what does she have to do with me?"_

" _I'm sure that you've heard of her legendary cards, the Blue-Eyes White Dragons?"_

" _I've heard of them, yes," said Kannei, taking a sip of her tea._

" _Your initiation into my bandit tribe will be to steal the Blue-Eyes cards."_

 _Kannei almost choked on her drink. "Excuse me?"_

" _Just think about it. Not only are they her greatest cards, but they're practically a symbol of Go. So if she were to lose them, not only would her power decrease, but the resolve of her people."_

" _I understand, but the thing is, with all due respect, I'm not a professional. I pick pockets and occasionally steal small things like food from stands. A heist as grand as this, and alone…it's much more daunting than I thought."_

" _It may be difficult, child, but I have complete confidence in your abilities. And besides, you DO want to join our little family, don't you?" Kannei thought this over: breaking into the Go palace and swiping those cards would NOT be easy, but was the reward worth the risk? After a moment, she made up her mind._

" _More than anything, Lady Koso. I accept."_

" _Perfect! If possible, I'd like the cards brought to me by midnight, and if you succeed, then you'll have earned a place in our family…forgive me, but I never did get your name."_

" _Kannei. Kannei Koha."_

 _Koso smiled. "In that case, best of luck, Kannei. I can see great things coming from you."_

" _Thank you," said Kannei, as she left the tent, about to make plans for the most ambitious theft of her life, and her one shot of no longer being alone._

~KD~

After telling Choryo about her initiation assignment, she proceeded to tell her about her attempt to steal the cards, her duel with Sonsaku, and how Sonken had spared her, with Kannei gaining a place in Go. For the most part, Choryo just listened in silence, but as soon as she finished telling how she was assigned the role of bodyguard, she spoke.

"Hold on a sec. What happened to Koso?"

"Her?" said Kannei. "Well, after the revelation that she was the mastermind behind the attempt to steal the Blue-Eyes cards, Lord Sheren decided that it was time to deal with her."

* * *

 **Okay, two things to go over here. First, Koso. When I began writing the Koihime Duel saga, the plan was to have only characters from the first game appear in the first story, OCs and anime characters notwithstanding, introduce characters from the second game in the sequels, and have later characters relegated to omakes, only being mentioned in the canon, as I did with Ruo and So. Koso is an exception, and most likely the only one, since her inclusion provides more backstory for Shishun. As for her age and deck, Koso was 34 during Shishun's flashbacks, making her 36 in "present" time, and her deck is built around banishing cards, fitting for a villain.**

 **Second, the fact that this is a two-parter. It wasn't SUPPOSED to be a two-parter, but I was busy with college this week, and I had to split up the chapter to release this chapter on time. Don't worry, I'll try my hardest to keep updates to weekly at the latest. See you next time, Starpion out!**


	77. Parallel Dimensions, Part 2

" _Kannei Koha, but you may call me Shishun."_

 _Sonken's smile widened as Kannei rose to her feet. "My name is Sonken Chubo, but you can call me Renfa. I'm sure that you'll do a good job, and I hope that we can be friends."_

 _As the two of them got acquainted with each other, Sonsaku looked oddly serious, her hand pressed against her chin as she thought, which Shuyu noticed. "Is something wrong, Sheren?"_

" _Meirin, could you please get Non and bring her to the meeting room for an emergency meeting?"_

 _Shuyu was confused, but complied. "Uh, of course, Sheren. I can postpone her lesson until afterwards."_

 _Sonsaku smiled and gave Shuyu a peck on the cheek, causing the strategist to blush furiously. "Thank you, Meirin, and see if you can get Shaoren while you're at it," she said as the flustered woman left the library, and turned to Sonken and Kannei. "Renfa, Kannei, please come with me."_

" _As you wish, Lord Sonsaku," said Kannei, bowing her head._

" _Please, call me Sheren. You're a member of my peerage, after all."_

 _Sonsaku left the library, with Sonken close behind, Kannei keeping as close to her as possible._

" _Sheren, what's going on? What's this meeting about?" As Sonsaku turned around, Sonken noticed her features were much harder, catching the princess off guard. She had seen her older sister get this serious while dueling, but this? Something strange was going on._

" _Kannei, could I ask you something?"_

" _Please call me Shishun, and yes."_

" _You said that you had to deliver my Blue-Eyes cards to someone named Koso, correct?"_

" _Yes, why?"_

 _Sonsaku looked forward, and Sonken caught a glimpse, her older sister's face unreadable. "I've heard that name before…and if I'm right, we need to act now, before anybody gets hurt."_

' _What could be so dangerous about this Koso character that's making you act like this, Sheren?' thought Sonken, as the three of them entered the meeting room, where Shuyu, Rikuson, and Sonshoko were already waiting._

" _Hello, Non, Shaoren. Glad you could make it," said Sonsaku, sitting on the end of the table, with Shuyu sitting on her right, and Rikuson to Shuyu's right, with Sonken sitting across from Shuyu, between her two sisters, as Kannei stood behind Sonken. Sonshoko turned to face the newest member of Go, raising an eyebrow._

" _Who the heck are you?" asked Sonshoko, with Kannei raising an eyebrow herself._

" _Shaoren, meet Kannei Koha, Renfa's new bodyguard. Shishun, this is Sonshoko, my other little sister."_

 _Kannei outstretched her hand, and Sonshoko just stared at it, not exactly comfortable with shaking the hand of some random girl she just met._

" _Hi! I'm Rikuson Hakugen, strategist-in-training!" said Rikuson, waving her hand. "Nice to meet you!"_

" _Nice to meet you as well," said Kannei, as Sonsaku cleared her throat._

" _Alright, now that you're all acquainted, I brought everyone here for a reason, to discuss a rather…recent event. But first, a question. Who here, besides Shishun, remembers a woman by the name of Koso?"_

" _I'm afraid I don't, Sheren," said Sonken._

" _Vaguely, bits and pieces," said Shuyu._

" _Nope," said Sonshoko._

" _Never heard of her," said Rikuson._

 _Sonsaku let out a deep sigh as she looked down. "To be honest, I forgot about her too, until recent events. Renfa, Shaoren, I'm sure you know that in her lifetime, our mother had to fight against many a warlord to expand her territory, or defend what she had?"_

" _Of course we do, Sheren," said Sonken, with Sonshoko looking down somberly._

" _One warlord went by the name Koso, and she was one of the worst there was."_

 _A few gasps went across the room, Shuyu's eyes widening in recognition, as Kannei was unable to hide her own surprise. 'Koso was a warlord?'_

" _Our mother was barely able to defeat her forces and make it through alive. She would send hordes of soldiers to batter down her enemy's defenses, while she would stay in the back with her archers and fire off volley after volley of arrows, the shafts descending like a swarm of locusts. When she was defeated, she apparently went on the run, but now, she's back."_

" _Wh-What makes you think that, Sheren?" asked Sonshoko._

 _Sonsaku sighed again. "Less than an hour ago, as Renfa and Meirin can testify, a thief snuck into the palace, and when I caught them, they revealed that they were after my Blue-Eyes cards."_

 _Sonshoko gasped, and Rikuson was confused. "What does this have to do with Koso? Unless…she was the thief!?"_

" _No, but after I beat the would-be thief in a duel, they revealed that Koso was the one who told them to steal my cards, in exchange for joining her 'tribe.' So from the sound of it, Koso is back, and has formed a bandit group."_

" _And with the…untimely passing of your mother, she likely wants revenge on her daughter, the new ruler of Go, if not all of her kin," said Shuyu._

" _What happened to the thief?" asked Sonshoko. "Did you lock them up?"_

 _Sonsaku steeled herself in preparation for the inevitable uproar. "Renfa's new bodyguard, Kannei Koha…is the same person who attempted to steal my cards."_

" _WHAT!?"_

 _Kannei winced at the immediate reaction of Sonshoko and Rikuson, with Sonken biting her lip, having a bad feeling that this would happen. Shuyu and Sonsaku just shared a look of concern._

" _Look, let me explain-"_

" _What is there to explain, Renfa!?" shouted Sonshoko. "You're just going to trust this woman, who tried to rob our sister what, ten minutes ago?"_

" _W-Well, I'm sure that Renfa has a really good reason for this," said Rikuson, trying to be positive. "You do have a good reason, right, Renfa?"_

" _After she lost to Sheren, she broke down, saying that she needed to give those cards to Koso and that she hated being alone. It didn't feel right to let Sheren and Meirin arrest her when it sounded like more than anything, she needed our help."_

" _And you bought that?" said Sonshoko. "You didn't stop for one second to think maybe, just maybe, she was lying?"_

" _Well, she sounded so sincere-"_

" _So what if she did! You can't trust her, Renfa! She's just a lying, stealing little-"_

" _SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU BRAT!"_

 _Sonshoko let out a noise that sounded like, "meep," as she turned to the former thief and froze in fear. Kannei's already narrow eyes had narrowed even further, her gaze boring into Sonshoko as her entire body trembled in a rage that she couldn't contain any longer, with Sonken trying to calm her down._

" _Shishun, please, snapping at her won't make her trust you!"_

" _No, I need to say this!" said Kannei, as she looked around the room, everyone on edge. "I understand that you don't have much to justify why you should trust me, other than my word. But let me explain myself, at the very least!"_

 _With the exception of Sonken, the other members of Go looked around at each other in silence, before Sonsaku spoke. "Very well. Go on."_

 _Kannei nodded. "When I was young, both of my parents died, leaving me by myself. In order to get money or food to live, I only had a single option: steal it. And it was never easy: I've gotten into countless scraps and always have to be on my guard. Something that somebody like you would probably never understand!"_

 _Sonshoko shrunk back at the accusation, as Kannei continued. "But the worst part? The loneliness. No family, no friends in a dog-eat-dog environment. The few people that I thought I could trust just ended up ditching me at the first sign of trouble, or using me for their own gain. But when Koso offered to take me in, I thought that finally, the days of loneliness would be but a memory. I would finally have friends: no, a family! And now that the chance has been ripped away from me, another has been given."_

 _Kannei turned to Sonken. "Renfa, you're the first person in years that has granted me unconditional kindness, a concept that I no longer thought existed. Despite my past actions, you offered me your hand, a chance of redemption. A chance to finally be free of the loneliness that has haunted me for so long! So let me ask all of you this…"_

 _She then turned to look at the entire table. "Why in my right mind would I throw that away!?"_

" _Shishun…" said Sonken, tears running down her face as Kannei began to breathe heavily and raggedly, calming herself to the best of her abilities, before she turned back towards Sonken and bowed before her, surprising the princess._

" _You spared me from spending the rest of my life in chains, or worse, back out in the streets. As I said before, you have my undying loyalty, Renfa. From this day forward, I pledge allegiance to Go, and I will never let any harm come to you as long as I draw breath."_

 _Sonken continued to cry with a smile on her face, touched by the declaration, as she wiped away her tears, and turned to Sonshoko and Rikuson. "Are you convinced now?"_

" _Yes…I'm sorry," said Sonshoko, head down as she avoided making eye contact out of shame._

" _If you trust her, Renfa, then so do I," said Rikuson._

" _Well, if I wasn't convinced before…" said Sonsaku as she recaptured everyone's attention, Kannei standing back up. "Now that that's been settled, we need to get back on track and find out how to stop Koso before she makes her next move." She then snapped her fingers. "Shishun, you know where her base is, right?"_

 _Kannei nodded. "I do. And I can take you there."_

" _And since you're Renfa's bodyguard, she'll be coming too, right?" asked Sonsaku, looking at her little sister._

" _Of course," said Sonken._

" _Don't worry," said Kannei, "I won't let any harm come to you. However, I'm not sure how we can get in. Koso's base is surrounded by a large palisade, with a single entrance that I assume is guarded at all times."_

 _Shuyu smirked. "I think I have an idea. Kannei, you said that you needed to bring Koso the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards by midnight, correct?"_

" _I did," said Kannei._

" _Well then, I think I have an idea."_

~KD~

" _I'm not sure about this, Sheren."_

 _With a plan made, Kannei, Sonsaku, and Sonken were en route to Koso's hideout. Kannei was in front, her Duel Disk on her left wrist. The Son sisters were both behind her: however, Sonsaku was notably not wearing her Duel Disk, which was in the right hand of Kannei. In addition, both sisters had their hands tied with rope, loosely enough to free themselves, but tight enough to look convincing._

" _What's not to be sure about? After all, Shishun has you covered."_

" _I know, but this whole 'pretending to be prisoners' thing just doesn't sit right."_

" _Don't worry, I'll protect the both of you," said Kannei._

" _Oh, Shishun, I've been wondering," said Sonsaku, "do you know what cards Koso uses? I'd like to know how my opponent plays."_

" _She uses cards that focus on banishing cards, whether her own or her opponent's, and seems particularly fond of the D.D. monsters. Also, I'd like a request."_

" _What request?"_

" _I was thinking, maybe I should be the one to duel her."_

" _Hmm? How come?"_

" _Because from the sound of it, she knows what cards you use. After all, you are the lord of Go, so your deck should be well-known. But she has no idea about my deck or my play style. And if we can catch her off guard, then we might have a better chance of beating her."_

" _If you insist," said Sonsaku, putting on her signature smile. "But I'm next."_

' _If we have the chance,' thought Kannei as the trio saw the fort in the distance, and Kannei turned to the two of them._

" _Follow my lead," she said as the three approached the gate, and as soon as the two bandits who guarded the entrance saw the two royal sisters behind Kannei, they pointed their spears at the three. Sonken froze, but Sonsaku just smirked, as Kannei stared unflinchingly at the two, not afraid of the rusty spear tips pointed at her neck._

" _What do you think you're doing, bringing sworn enemies of Lady Koso into her domain?" asked one of the bandits, a girl with pink hair, a bandana obscuring her face._

" _Don't be alarmed," said Kannei, lifting Sonsaku's Duel Disk. "They're my prisoners. I'm here to deliver the Blue-Eyes cards, like Lady Koso requested. Of course, there was a bit of a snag, one that I turned into a golden opportunity to impress her. Lord Sonsaku and her sister in person, as well as her entire deck, Blue-Eyes White Dragons included."_

 _The two bandits shared a look, and the other guard, a man with blue hair and the same bandana, moved his spear away from Kannei, pointing it at Sonken. "Very well. Go on in, we'll take these two to the brig."_

" _No!" snapped Kannei without thinking, causing the guards to eye her with suspicion, as she thought fast. "I mean, I figured that since they're both helpless, I could bring them to Lady Koso, so that she may flaunt her superiority. Let them know just how worthless they are compared to her might."_

" _She would like that," said the female bandit, a hint of a smirk behind her bandana as she set aside her spear, her partner following suit. "They can stay with you, but if they don't behave, we WILL lock them up."_

" _That sounds reasonable," said Sonsaku, her sister giving her an incredulous look as Kannei moved behind the two and began to push them in, as the three made their way inside._

" _Okay, we're in," said Kannei. "Just stay by me and follow my lead, Renfa, Lord Sheren."_

" _Don't worry, we trust you," said Sonken, looking around in fright at the jeering bandits, as Sonsaku's smile slowly faded the further they walked, before eventually, they reached the main hub, Koso's tent just a few meters away._

" _Lady Koso, I've brought what you've asked of me, and more," said Kannei, and slowly, the tent flap opened, and Koso stepped out, her gaze stopping on the Son sisters. Sonsaku's glare hardened as Sonken flinched, and the visible eye of Koso narrowed._

" _What are THEY doing here?" she asked, her even tone hiding a murderous intent._

" _Do not fear, Lady Koso," said Kannei. "These two attempted to hinder my attempt to join your family. So I made them my prisoners."_

 _Koso just stared at Kannei…before she began to laugh. "Mwahahahahahahaha! Oh, this is rich! I requested you to bring me the signature cards of Lord Sonsaku, and you've far exceeded my expectations! You've managed to capture the lord of Go and her sister!"_

 _She then paused, and tilted her head. "Hold on. If I recall, that damnable Sonken Bundai had three daughters. Where is the youngest daughter?"_

" _I…don't know," said Kannei. "I didn't run into her during my mission."_

" _No matter," said Koso with a smirk. "If I'm not mistaken, she's only a child. She won't trouble us in the slightest."_

 _She then began to walk up to the sisters, as Kannei lightly pushed on their shoulders, both of them kneeling. "Lord Sonsaku Hakufu, eldest daughter of Sonken Bundai, and Sonken Chubo, middle daughter of Sonken Bundai. You know, the family resemblance is truly uncanny. You both look just like that bitch who robbed me of my former glory. The same tanned skin, the same long pink locks of hair, and those eyes…"_

 _Koso grimaced. "They're the same goddamn eyes!"_

 _She turned on her heel and walked away from the sisters. "The only regret I have in my life…is that the arrow that snuffed out her life wasn't fired by me!" At this, both sisters had to hold back their anger, not wanting to ruin Shuyu's plan._

 _As Koso reached her tent, she smirked as she turned around. "But enough of that. I see that you have a Duel Disk in your hand, Kannei. I presume that it belongs to Sonsaku?"_

" _Yes, Lady Koso," said Kannei as she pulled out the deck and fished through it, before she showed the former warlord the three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. "I obtained the three cards you requested, and more."_

" _Excellent," said Koso. "The famous cards of Sonsaku Hakufu, including her signature monsters, and her unique Duel Disk, as well as the lord herself and her sister, bound by rope and defenseless. You've certainly earned your spot, Kannei. Just hand me those cards, and you'll be an official member of the tribe."_

 _Kannei nodded, and slipped the cards back into the deck, which she put into the Duel Disk. She then began to walk over to Koso, who had her hand outstretched. She was about halfway there when…_

" _Now!"_

 _She then spun around and threw the Duel Disk, which spun like a boomerang as Sonsaku stood up and took off her bindings, catching the Duel Disk and slipping it onto her wrist, as Sonken followed suit, with Kannei joining up with them and spinning towards Koso, who simply looked onward with an amused smile, the other bandits too stunned to move._

" _Excellent acting, Shishun," said Sonsaku._

" _Oh, I see. So, this is a betrayal!" said Koso, her amused grin becoming venomous as she pulled out her own Duel Disk. "Care to explain your actions, Kannei?"_

" _I've been given a second chance, one to change my life for the better, and I'm not going to cast it away!"_

" _Take her down, Shishun!" said Sonken._

" _Hmm, I see. So, you intend to duel me? And what are the stakes?"_

" _If Shushun wins, then you surrender to Go," said Sonsaku. "If she loses, then I suppose we're at your mercy, unless you intend to duel me as well."_

" _That depends whether or not she can entertain me enough," said Koso as she and Kannei shuffled their cards. "I'll enjoy making you suffer for what your mother did to me, but for now, this traitor needs to know her place!"_

 _(Kannei: 4000 LP)(Koso: 4000 LP)_

" _I'll make the first move," said Kannei as she drew. "I summon Vengeful Shinobi."_

 _The ninja in white appeared before Kannei, twirling his dagger before clenching it in a reverse grip (LV 2: ATK 400)._

" _And now, I end my turn by setting a single card."_

" _Ha! That's it!?" said a random bandit in the crowd. "Man, she's gonna get eaten alive out there if that's the best she can do!"_

" _My move. I draw, and I summon D.D. Warrior!"_

 _The redhead warrior appeared, resting his sword on his shoulder (LV 4: ATK 1200)._

" _And now, I'll have him slice apart that weak monster!"_

 _D.D. Warrior ran towards Vengeful Shinobi, only for Kannei to draw a card, and activate her face-down card, as spiky armor covered the DARK monster, the blade of the sword shattering, the EARTH monster shattering as well._

" _Thanks to the effect of Vengeful Shinobi, I drew a card as he was attacked, and then, I used Sakuretsu Armor to destroy your monster."_

" _Not bad, child. I set two cards and end my turn!"_

 _Kannei drew another card, and quickly placed it onto her field._

" _I summon Lady Ninja Yae."_

 _Kannei's new monster took the form of a woman with long green hair that was tied at the bottom, going down to her knees. She had a headband around her forehead, and she wore a skintight purple ninja outfit with a red scarf, gold shoulder pads and bracers, a red belt, and white tabi socks. In her right hand, she held a knife (LV 3: ATK 1100)._

" _And with her effect, I discard one WIND monster, such as Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja, so that she may send all Spell and Trap Cards you control back to your hand."_

 _Kannei slid a card into her Graveyard, as her Ninja Lady put her hands together and began to perform a series of hand motions, before she pushed outward, summoning a tornado that swept up Koso's face-down cards, as she pulled them out of her Duel Disk._

" _Now you're wide open. I attack directly with both of my monsters."_

 _Both ninjas slashed at the bandit leader with their knives (Koso: 4000-2500 LP), and she smirked as they returned to the opposite side of the field. "Well, it seems I underestimated you."_

" _As was the plan," said Kannei. One of the reasons why she had lost against Sonsaku was because she hadn't taken her opponent seriously, and as such, was completely unprepared when she broke out the Blue-Eyes monsters. By using minimal cards at the beginning, she had made the proud Koso do the same, and as such, she was unprepared for Kannei's signature style: direct damage, and clearing the opponent's hand and field._

' _Of course, now that she knows what I'm capable of, this will be an uphill battle,' thought Kannei. "I set two cards and end my turn."_

" _I may have underestimated you once, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's learning from my mistakes," said Koso as she drew. "I summon D.D. Warrior Lady!"_

 _The blonde knight appeared, swinging her laser sword (LV 4: ATK 1500). However, the second she appeared, a Trap Hole opened up beneath her and swallowed her whole._

" _By Normal Summoning a monster with at least one thousand attack points," explained Kannei, "you let me destroy her with Trap Hole."_

" _This is good," said Sonsaku to Sonken. "Shishun said that Koso relies on banishing cards, and so far, no cards have been banished."_

" _No matter! I set three cards and end my turn!"_

" _Then it's my turn. I draw."_

" _And I activate a Trap Card of my own! My Karma Cut!"_

 _The card flipped up, showing Warrior Lady of the Wasteland being dragged into a purple portal, as Koso sent a card from her hand to the Graveyard, the same portal appearing behind Lady Ninja Yae and dragging her in._

" _Now by discarding a card, I can banish one of your face-up monsters and any copies of it that are in your Graveyard! So now I don't have to worry about that Lady Ninja Yae or her effect anymore!"_

" _Looks like you spoke too soon, Sheren," said Sonken. "Come on, Shishun, you've got this!"_

" _Many thanks, Renfa. I summon my Strike Ninja."_

 _The ninja in black appeared beside Vengeful Shinobi, ready to strike (LV 4: ATK 1700)._

" _Now, I'll have Vengeful Shinobi attack directly."_

 _The weaker ninja lunged at Koso, slashing her with his dagger (Koso: 2500-2100 LP)._

" _Now my Strike Ninja will attack with Stealth Slash Attack."_

 _Strike Ninja faded away, and Koso around, only for the Warrior-type to reappear right in front of her, about to slash at her with his kunai, only to be sent into a purple portal in the shape of a four-pointed star._

" _What happened to Strike Ninja?" asked Kannei aloud, as she saw that Koso had a card with Gagagigo trying to punch Freed the Brave Wanderer and getting sucked into the same portal._

" _I banished him, thanks to my Trap Card, Dimensional Prison."_

 _Kannei swore under her breath. "I end my turn."_

" _Then I draw! And I summon D.D. Assailant to the field!"_

 _The pink-haired swordswoman appeared before Koso, ready to strike (LV 4: ATK 1700)._

" _And I think I'll have her attack!"_

 _D.D. Assailant sprinted towards Vengeful Shinobi, prompting Kannei to draw a card, as her monster was sliced in two (Kannei: 4000-2700 LP)._

" _Now I end my turn!"_

 _Kannei slowly drew her next card, and played it right away._

" _I activate Double Cyclone, destroying one Spell or Trap Card that I control, as well as one you control."_

 _The two tornadoes spun across the field, destroying Kannei's Dark Coffin, and Koso's Return from the Different Dimension, as the dark spirit of Kannei's Trap Card went over to Koso._

" _And now, upon the destruction of Dark Coffin, you have to make a choice. Either you discard a random card from your hand, or you destroy a monster you control."_

" _That's easy!" said Koso, sliding D.D.M. - Different Dimension Master into her Graveyard. "I discard the last card in my hand!"_

" _I summon my Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke to the field."_

 _The white-clad ninja joined the fray, ready to attack (LV 4: ATK 1800)._

" _Now I'll have him take care of that D.D. Assailant of yours."_

 _Sasuke ran towards the Assailant, and slashed at her (Koso: 2100-2000 LP), only for D.D. Assailant to slash with her own sword, tearing open a purple portal that both monsters were sucked into before it closed._

" _Fool! If D.D. Assailant is destroyed by battle with one of your monsters, her effect banishes both of them!"_

" _Not good!" said Sonken. "Now she's wide open again!"_

" _Damn," said Kannei. "I end my turn with a face-down."_

" _Then it's my move! I draw, and I summon Bazoo the Soul-Eater!"_

 _A new monster appeared, this one taking the shape of a large mandrill with blue fur, six golden rings in its torso and neck, and a pair of horns (LV 4: ATK 1600)._

" _And with his special ability, I can banish up to three monsters in my Graveyard once per turn, and each one earns him an additional three hundred attack points! And I have three monsters in my Graveyard, so I'll just banish all three of them!"_

 _Koso fishes three cards out of her Graveyard, as three multicolored souls flew out of the ground and over to her monster, which one by one devoured the souls, gaining more powerful with each soul consumed (ATK 1600-2500)._

" _Now attack directly, my mighty beast!"_

 _Bazoo sprinted towards Kannei on all fours, rather quickly for its size, before it slammed both its hands down on her (Kannei: 2700-200 LP)._

" _Shishun!" shouted Sonken as Kannei got onto one knee, glaring at Koso._

" _Is that…all you've got?"_

 _Koso snarled. "Why do you keep siding with those two? I'm the one who gave you the chance to be someone bigger! I could have easily made you pay for having the audacity to try and steal from us, from ME, and yet I was willing to give you a chance because I saw something inside of you! What gives you the right to defy me!?"_

 _Kannei got back onto her feet as she gave her reply. "I already told you, one of the women behind me, Renfa, gave me another chance. I had failed the mission, having been found out by sheer luck, and having lost a duel against Lord Sheren. And yet she felt bad for me. She insisted that I not be arrested. And she did all of this not because of what I can do, but rather, the kindness of her heart. And I intend to repay her tenfold for these actions!"_

 _Sonsaku and Sonken smiled, tears beginning to form in the younger sister's eyes as Kannei continued. "Those two, as well as those back in Go, are my true family! And I won't let any harm come to them as long as I live, especially not from someone like you, Koso!"_

 _Koso continued to snarl. "Fine. Now that I know where your loyalties lie, I won't feel guilty when you share their fate."_

" _It's not like you would have anyway," said Sonsaku, Koso grinding her teeth at this point._

" _I end my turn!"_

" _I draw, and I set one monster and one card before ending my turn." (ATK 2500-1600)_

" _This is it," said Sonsaku. "It all comes down to this last turn."_

" _It's time that I showed you my most powerful monster! I tribute Bazoo the Soul-Eater to summon my Golden Homunculus!"_

 _The Beast-type faded away, and in its place rose a massive golem made out of golden ore, looming over Kannei as its lifeless eyes stared down at her (LV 6: ATK 1500)._

" _And for each one of my banished cards, Golden Homunculus gains three hundred attack and defense points!"_

 _The golden Warrior-type began to shine brightly, its power increasing (ATK 1500-2700). Koso began to cackle, until Kannei cut her off._

" _Thank you, Koso, for presenting me with the means of defeating you."_

 _Koso stopped laughing. "What are you talking about?"_

" _This! By Tribute Summoning a monster with one tribute, you've let me activate my Intercept, taking control of Golden Homunculus!"_

" _What!?"_

 _As Kannei's card flipped up, the net shot out of it and captured the massive homunculus, with the net being pulled over to Kannei's side of the field. Once Golden Homunculus was on Kannei's field, the net dissipated, and it turned towards its old master (ATK 2700-2400). Koso snarled, before she ended her turn, the bandits looking on in fear._

" _She…she did it!" cheered Sonken. "She beat Koso!"_

" _Was there ever any doubt?" asked Sonsaku as Kannei drew._

" _I Flip Summon my Armed Ninja, before I summon my Crimson Ninja!"_

 _The blue ninja flipped up and pointed his weapon at Koso (LV 1: ATK 300), as the red ninja joined it while brandishing his swords (LV 1: ATK 300), the ninjas standing on either side of Golden Homunculus._

" _Armed Ninja, attack!"_

 _Armed Ninja rushed towards Koso, swinging his polearm through her (Koso: 2000-1700 LP)._

" _Now Crimson Ninja, attack!"_

 _Crimson Ninja was next, attacking the bandit leader with a series of sword slashes (Koso: 1700-1400 LP)._

" _And now, let's finish this! Golden Homunculus, attack! Stone Shard Storm!"_

 _The LIGHT monster lifted its huge hands and fired sharp shards of gold, which struck Koso and brought her to her knees (Koso: 1400-0 LP)(Winner: Kannei)._

" _Holy crap," muttered a bandit in disbelief._

" _She…beat the boss?" said another weakly._

" _So," said Sonsaku with a smirk as she and her sister walked up to Kannei, "it looks like it's curtains for you, Koso."_

" _Grr…as if! Seize them!"_

 _Sonken gasped, as Kannei got close to her, leering at the bandits around them. "Any of you who dare to try and capture us will do so at your own risk."_

" _Any of you care to stop us?" asked Sonsaku. Nobody dared to make a move, until one bandit, who was holding a spear, suddenly dropped it, with others following suit._

" _What do you think you're doing, you cowards!?"_

" _Against the lord of Go…and the one who beat Lady Koso…what chance do we have?" asked the bandit who first dropped his weapon, as the three women of Go walked over to Koso, the woman unable to do anything but glare at them. She was, once again, completely defeated._

" _Koso, you and your associates are hereby under arrest," said Sonsaku, before she turned over to Kannei. "Excellent work, Shishun. We couldn't have done it without you."_

" _It was nothing, Lord Sonsaku. I was just doing my job. I'm sure that if we didn't stop her, then Go would surely suffer."_

" _It looks like I made the right choice," said Sonken. "I'm glad to have somebody like you as my bodyguard."_

~KD~

"After all of the bandits were rounded up, they were put in prison," said Kannei. "Ever since, I've remained completely loyal to Go, and ever grateful to Renfa." Choryo wiped away a stray tear as she smiled at her fellow general.

"Y'know, Shishun, we're a lot more alike than you think."

"What do you mean, Shia?"

Choryo held out her hand and began to tick off her fingers. "Well, we both used to be criminals until our lives got turned around, we both have somebody who we look up to, we both have a strong sense of justice…" At this point, Choryo began grasping at straws. "Uh, we both have purple hair-"

"I get it," said Kannei, unable to hold back a small smile, when suddenly, a woman's scream rang out, and both of them whipped their heads in the direction of the noise, as they saw a woman on the ground, a figure running from her.

"Somebody stop that thief!" shouted the woman, as Kannei could faintly make out a coin purse clenched in his hand, as Choryo chuckled.

"Finally, some action!" she said as she sprinted towards the crook. "Let's go, Shishun!"

"Don't worry, Shishun, I'm right behind you."


	78. To Err is Human

"That was a good throw, Riri!"

"Thanks, Rinrin!"

It was a bright spring day, with the sun peeking through the bright white clouds, as Chohi and Riri were playing catch with a ball that Chohi had brought with her, Kochu and Anthony watching from a nearby pavilion. Anthony had run into them as he was heading back to the palace after a meeting, while Kochu and her daughter had been on a walk when they saw Chohi playing by herself, and Riri asked if she could play with her, much to the teen's delight, as everyone else was busy.

"Man, this is just adorable," said Anthony.

"I wholeheartedly agree," said Kochu, watching as Riri waved her hands in the air, as Chohi got ready to throw the ball. But while the redhead did hold back a little as to not throw it too hard, her throw was much higher than she meant. Riri jumped to try and grab the ball, but her fingers barely grazed the ball as it bounced behind her and rolled away, much to the disappointment of both girls.

"Oopsie," said Chohi. "Don't worry, Riri, Rinrin will get that for you."

Riri just closed her eyes and smiled. "It's okay! I got it!" And she ran after the ball, which had slowed down as it slowly began to roll to a stop. But right before she reached the ball, somebody stepped in front of her, and she bumped into their leg, falling onto her butt. Riri looked up, and saw it was Ensho, Bunshu by her side, the two going into town to take a lunch break, as the two of them looked down at the little girl, who got up and took a step back, a look of fear on her face as the woman who was responsible for her kidnapping stood right in front of her. Ensho turned to face Riri, and Riri suddenly began to whimper, about to cry.

From the distance, Kochu, Anthony, and Chohi saw this, and although none of them could see her face, Kochu instinctively knew that something was wrong, as she began to stand up. But before she could leave the table, Ensho suddenly reached down, Riri's whimpers now loud enough for all three of them to head, when to Kochu's relief, Ensho simply turned around, picked up the ball and handed it to Riri, who just stared at it in confusion.

"Is this what you're after? Go on, take it."

Riri stared at it a little longer, before taking it with a smile. "Thank you!" she said before she ran back to the others, with Ensho smiling before she turned to Bunshu.

"Come on, let's go."

"Right, Reiha!"

As the two left, and Riri and Chohi resumed their game of catch, Kochu smiled and sat back down, turning to Anthony.

"It still manages to surprise me how much Reiha has changed since her defeat," she said to her boyfriend. "If the Reiha who I was forced to serve under was the one who Riri had bumped into, she wouldn't have taken it as lightly. And it looks like Riri won't be holding anything against her, if that smile is anything to go by."

"And from the sound of it, neither will you," said Anthony with a grin, although it faltered. "Wish I could say the same thing about Pairen."

"Kosonsan? How is she doing?"

"Good, all things considered," he replied. "I haven't given her a position yet, since I want to make sure she's recovered."

"Didn't you free her from the Shadow Realm about a month ago?" asked Kochu, tilting her head.

"Yeah, but she was trapped for at least twice as long. It won't be easy to forget that, or forgive someone for that, especially considering that Reiha joined with the White Clothes of her own free will."

"Well, if I remember correctly, Kosonsan is a pretty friendly person, and Reiha's much better now, so maybe there's a chance that she'll be able to forgive her, don't you think?"

This brought a smile back to the Messenger from Heaven's face. "Yeah, you're right, Shion. Pairen might be a little tense around Reiha for a while, but she's too nice to hold a grudge for too long, regardless of the circumstances. I'm sure she'll warm up to Reiha eventually."

Kochu smiled and gave Anthony a kiss on the cheek, causing the lord to blush, as Chohi and Riri kept playing, having a great time.

~KD~

"Pairen? Are you in there? It's me, Sei!"

"I'll be there in a sec, Sei."

Choun stopped knocking on her friend's door, which swung open to reveal the cheerful face of Kosonsan. "Hey Sei, what brings you here?"

"Just thought that I'd check in on you," said Choun, walking into Kosonsan's room. "See how you were doing."

"Well, all the changes that happened when I was…gone…were a lot to take in," said Kosonsan, and Choun smirked as she remembered the former lord's jaw hitting the floor when she heard Anthony had beaten both Ensho and Soso, as well as the bug-eyed look Ryofu got when she offhandedly mentioned him having a harem. "But I think I'm getting used to it…mostly."

"'Mostly?'" asked Choun. "Something bothering you?"

Kosonsan sighed, crossing her arms as her friendly smile vanished. "It's just, I don't feel comfortable, having to live in the same building as the woman who was responsible for me being trapped in that hellish place for so long."

'Oh dear, I should have known this would happen,' thought Choun. "Well, I won't pretend that Reiha was a bad person in the past. But ever since her defeat at the hands of Anthony, she seems to have gotten better."

"I want to believe you, Sei, I really do," said Kosonsan, "but I can't. When I lost my duel against Dokuro, and I was being dragged down into the Shadow Realm, I begged Reiha for mercy, and what did she do? She just laughed, saying that I was weak to the end. She didn't have a single ounce of regret. Tell me, Sei, how can I forgive her for something like that?" And without having an answer, Choun just stood there in silence.

~KD~

"Holy shit, she said that!?"

In Anthony's office, the King of Games was stunned as Choun repeated what Kosonsan had told her about Ensho, as Choun could only sigh.

"Yep."

"Well, I guess Shion and I were wrong," said Anthony as he folded his fingers. "Looks like Pairen won't be forgiving Reiha so easily."

"What was that about me?"

Ensho, having returned from her break, had passed by Anthony's office and walked in, having overheard a bit of the conversation.

"We were talking about Pairen being unable to forgive you for teaming up with the White Clothes and being responsible for sending her to the Shadow Realm," said Choun, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, as Anthony sweat dropped, but to his surprise, Ensho merely laughed it off.

"Ohohohohoho! Come on, Sei, this is Pairen you're talking about! She can't hold a grudge for more than a day."

"I beg to differ," said Choun. "She said that you were completely remorseless and constantly belittled her."

"I…guess I was a little nasty towards her," said Ensho, smile becoming strained.

"Man, this sucks," said Anthony. "I want all of my peerage members to get along with one another."

"What if I just went and apologized?" asked Ensho.

"I…don't know if that will entirely make up for it, and considering the animosity she has towards you, I don't think going to her directly is a good idea. Maybe Sei or I should talk to her, or even Ishe or Toshi."

"Relax!" said Ensho, ignoring Anthony as she made her way out the door. "I have a plan!" As the door closed behind her, Anthony groaned.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said, as Choun walked up behind him and began patting him on the back.

"Don't worry, we both do."

~KD~

As Kosonsan sat at her desk, reading a book, she heard a loud knock at her door. Assuming that it was Choun again, she marked her page and got up, the knocking increasing in volume as she made her way there.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she said, unlocking her door and opening it, only for her amused smile to vanish in the blink of an eye, as she was greeted by the woman who had invaded her territory and was partially responsible for trapping her in the nightmarish Shadow Realm, Ensho Honsho, who was smirking towards the redhead.

"Hello, Pairen!" she said.

"R-R-Reiha?" stuttered Kosonsan. "What are you doing here?"

"Ohohohoho! My job, of course! I was told to clean some of the rooms, and I thought I would start with this one. Is that a problem?"

"N-No," said Kosonsan, her tone suggesting otherwise, but either Ensho didn't notice, or she pretended not to.

"Great! Um, could you let me in, please?"

Kosonsan wordlessly backed up, and Ensho walked in, before she turned her attention to Kosonsan's bed, as she began to make it while Kosonsan plopped into her desk chair, trying to process exactly what the FUCK was happening.

"So, how have you been doing the past month? Make any new friends, do anything-"

"Why are you here?" asked Kosonsan.

"Well, like I said, I'm-"

"I know what you said," said Kosonsan. "Why are you REALLY here?"

Ensho dropped the covers of Kosonsan's bed onto her mattress, and sighed as she turned to face Kosonsan. "Look, Pairen, I know I wasn't the nicest person back then, but I've changed! I'm willing to become a better person, and I just want to say, I'm sorry for how I've treated you. Could we start over, as friends?"

Ensho held out her hand, but Kosonsan made no movement to grab it. "Is that it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is that it?" repeated Kosonsan, a few tears beginning to fall. "After all you've done, all the people that you've hurt, you expect me to just forgive and forget?"

"Pairen-"

"No, this time, you're going to listen to me, Reiha!"

Ensho's eyes widened, as Kosonsan frantically wiped away the tears which were becoming more frequent. "You've belittled me and others for most of your life, obsessed with being better than everyone else, and now I'm just supposed to believe that you've turned over a new leaf!? Well, I can't! No matter how much I want to believe you, I can't!"

"Pairen…"

Kosonsan felt her blood boil, as she grabbed her Duel Disk. "And I'm going to make you pay for everyone that you've hurt! I challenge you to a duel!"

Ensho was surprised by this accusation, but she nodded. "Fine, I accept your challenge. Meet me in the arena in ten!" she said as she left the room, with Kosonsan turning her chair around and taking her cards out of her Duel Disk and looking through them.

'If I'm going to beat Reiha, I'll need to give her everything that I've got.'

~KD~

"I can't believe it!" said Anthony, slapping his hand over his eyes as he sat in the arena bleachers with Bunshu, Ganryo, and Choun, Ensho and Kosonsan shuffling their cards on the field below.

"Neither can I," muttered Ganryo. "In her attempt to make things between her and Pairen better, I think she actually made things WORSE. Why couldn't she just let us handle this?"

"Hey, look on the bright side, Toshi!" said Bunshu, arm on her friend's shoulders. "At least we get to watch an awesome duel play out!"

"Yeah, it will be awesome…" said Anthony, only to snap back to reality. "Wait, what am I saying!? This is bad!"

"It's okay, Anthony," said Choun, hugging her lover from the side. "Sei is here to make things better."

"Thanks, Sei," said Anthony. 'At least I can finally see what cards Pairen uses.' At this time, Ensho and Kosonsan had just finished shuffling their cards.

"I'm ready, Pairen!" said Ensho, drawing five cards, Kosonsan doing the same as the duel was about to begin, with Bunshu and Ganryo cheering on Ensho, Choun rooting for Kosonsan, and Anthony rooting for both.

"So am I! And I'm going to take you down! Let's duel!"

(Ensho: 4000 LP)(Kosonsan: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first," said Ensho as she drew. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon!"

Ensho's monster took to the field, taking the form of a large dragon that stood on two legs, body covered in black alexandrite that shimmered in multiple colors (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And then I place one card face-down, and end my turn! Your move!"

"Alright, I draw!" said Kosonsan, looking through her hand and picking one of her cards. "And since I'm pretty sure that monster of yours doesn't have a lot of defense points, I play Shield & Sword, switching the original attack and defense points of all monsters on the field!"

"I don't think so," said Ensho, as her card flipped up, showing a king inside his castle, a knight behind him. "I play Imperial Order! Now all Spell Cards have their effects negated!"

"Alright, Reiha!" cheered Bunshu. "Way to shut her down!"

"Not if I chain this card!" said Kosonsan, slipping a card into her Spell & Trap Zone. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Imperial Order!"

The cyclone tore across the field and ripped apart the Continuous Trap, and Choun smirked. "Excellent. With that card destroyed before it could resolve, Shield & Sword will resolve without trouble." And true to her word, the attack points and defense points of Alexandrite Dragon switched (ATK 100).

"Now I summon Kagemusha of the Blue Flame!"

The swordsman entered the fray, pointing his blade at the much larger dragon (LV 2: ATK 800).

"Now, Kagemusha! Destroy that dragon!"

Kagemusha of the Blue Flame ran up to Alexandrite Dragon and cut the weakened beast to pixels with one swipe of his sword (Ensho: 4000-3300 LP).

"And now, I set one card and end my turn!"

"My move, then," said Ensho, drawing a card. "I summon Divine Dragon Apocralyph!"

The dragon of flame appeared before Ensho, letting out a mighty roar (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"Now I'll have him attack and destroy that monster of yours! Divine Burn!"

The fire dragon shot its fire breath and destroyed the Warrior-type (Kosonsan: 4000-3800 LP), as Kosonsan played her face-down card, showing a female ghost flying out of a dimensional hole, as Kagemusha returned in a defensive stance (LV 2: DEF 400).

"I activate Soul Resurrection," said Kosonsan, "a Trap Card which lets me Special Summon a Normal Monster in defense mode!"

"Not bad, but you're not the only one who can bring back monsters!" said Ensho, as her monster spat a blast of fire that took the shape of Alexandrite Dragon, as she sent a card from her hand to the Graveyard and brought back her monster. "I activate the effect of Divine Dragon Apocralyph, discarding a card to add a Dragon-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand! Then I end my turn!"

"My move!" shouted Kosonsan, looking through her cards. "And I tribute my Kagemusha to summon Swordstalker!"

Her monster disappeared as the demonic swordsman took his place, leering at Ensho and her monster (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"Now destroy her monster with Vengeance Strike!"

The Normal Monster ran over to the Effect Monster and sliced it in half with its golden sword (Ensho: 3300-2300 LP).

"Man, Pairen is crushing it," said Anthony.

"Hey, don't cut Reiha short!" said Ganryo. "I'm sure she'll be able to catch up with Pairen."

"My turn is over. Your go, Reiha!"

"You want it, you've got it! I draw! And I activate Dark Hole, which will destroy all monsters on the field!"

The black hole materialized in the middle of the field, pulling in Swordstalker and crushing it with its immense power before disappearing.

"Now I summon a monster that you should find familiar! Alexandrite Dragon!"

The gem-covered dragon returned to the field, with nothing keeping it from attacking directly (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Now attack directly! Alexandrite Assault!"

Alexandrite Dragon took a deep breath, and shot a black wave of fire at Kosonsan, propelling Ensho into the lead (Kosonsan: 3800-1800 LP).

"I told you," said Ganryo with a smirk, as Ensho ended her turn, Kosonsan drawing.

"You have got in a good shot, but this duel isn't over! And I will beat you! I summon Celtic Guardian to the field!"

The elven warrior appeared before Kosonsan, drawing his sword (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now he'll attack with Silver Sword Slash!"

"What?" asked Ensho as Celtic Guardian began to charge at the dragon. "But my monster is way stronger than yours!"

"Not if I play this!" said Kosonsan. "I activate Rush Recklessly, which should give my monster just enough attack points to destroy yours!"

The strength of Celtic Guardian suddenly spiked (ATK 1400-2100), as he slashed through the Dragon-type, destroying it (Ensho: 2300-2200 LP).

"That should be enough for now," said Kosonsan, her monster's attack points returning to normal (ATK 2100-1400).

"Okay, my turn!" said Ensho, drawing her next card. "I summon Luster Dragon!"

The sapphire dragon appeared on the field, letting out a loud roar (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Luster Dragon, strike down that Celtic Guardian with Sapphire Spark!"

Luster Dragon took a deep breath, and unleashed its blue fire breath, burning the Warrior-type to a crisp before he shattered into fragments of light (Kosonsan: 1800-1300 LP).

"And now, I end my turn."

Kosonsan drew her new card, and smiled as she took Kagemusha of the Blue Flame and Swordstalker out of her Graveyard. "It's time to take back the lead! Since I have three Normal Monsters in my Graveyard, I banish two of them to Special Summon my strongest monster, Knight of the Red Lotus!"

Both monsters she banished appeared, only to be consumed by a red flame in the shape of a lotus flower, which died down to reveal Kosonsan's ultimate monster. It was a man with spiky red hair, yellow eyes, and a purple face mask covering the lower half of his face, wearing sleeveless purple armor, purple pants, and a purple cape, with bandages wrapped around his left bicep. But the most noticeable feature was his sword, a massive sword with many curved purple segments similar to sickle blades along both edges of the sword and a tip of the same color, the end result being a terrifying-looking claymore (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"Whoa, that guy looks cool!" said Bunshu. "Wish I had a sword as cool as that!"

"He doesn't look like he has too much power, though," said Ganryo. "Maybe he has some really good effect?"

"It looks like we're about to find out!" said Anthony.

"Go Pairen!" cheered Choun.

"Now I activate the effect of Knight of the Red Lotus, letting me Special Summon a level four or lower Normal Monster from my Graveyard once per turn, like Celtic Guardian!"

A red portal appeared on the field, and out stepped Celtic Guardian (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now destroy Luster Dragon, my knight!"

The powerful warrior ran up to the bejeweled dragon and slashed through it with his sinister sword (Ensho: 2200-2000 LP).

"Now for a direct attack! Silver Blade Slash!"

Ensho flinched as the elven swordsman swung his sword through her (Ensho: 2000-600 LP).

"Oh my, it looks like Pairen is about to beat Reiha!" said Choun.

"Reiha needs to find a way to turn things around next turn, or it's all over!" said Ganryo, a little less enthusiastic.

"Now I end my turn!"

As Ensho drew, her eyes widened. She had drawn just the card she needed to win! But then again, if she lost, maybe Kosonsan would forgive her.

"It's over, Pairen. I don't have the cards to win. I fo-"

"Don't you dare pity me!"

Ensho stopped, eyes on Kosonsan. "I'm not going to win like this. I know that you just drew something good. And I refuse to be treated like I'm some weakling! I'm going to prove my strength by beating you, and I refuse to let you quit!"

Ensho's hand, which was inches away from hovering over her deck, suddenly moved to grab her newly drawn card. "Then I'm sorry for what's about to happen. I activate Monster Reborn, reviving my own strongest monster, Tri-Horned Dragon!"

Kosonsan went bug-eyed as the huge wingless dragon appeared (LV 8: ATK 2850). "How did that monster get into your Graveyard!?"

"The effect of my Apocralyph, remember? And this monster is strong enough to wipe out your remaining life points! Destroy Celtic Guardian with Crushing Claw!"

Tri-Horned Dragon brought down its claw on Celtic Guardian, ripping him apart as Kosonsan fell to her knees (Kosonsan: 1300-0 LP)(Winner: Ensho). As the holograms faded, Ensho's best friends cheering for her, Ensho slowly began to walk up to Kosonsan, until she was right in front of her. Kosonsan expected her to gloat, only to be surprised when the blonde outstretched her hand.

"That was a lot of fun, Pairen! Good game."

Kosonsan, again, just stared at the outstretched hand before she took it, Ensho pulling her to her feet, as Kosonsan looked down. "I guess…we both owe each other an apology. You really have changed. Offering to give me the win, saying that I was a worthy opponent…you really have changed. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Pairen," said Ensho. "I was a major jerk, but now, after having had some sense knocked into me, courtesy of both Anthony and Yue, I'm willing to improve. And I'm really sorry for what I've done. Will you accept my apology now?"

Kosonsan smiled. "Yes."

"Well now," said Choun, "I suppose they managed to work that out rather well, wouldn't you say, Anthony?"

"I guess so, Sei, I guess so."


	79. Demon Lotus

In the palace kitchen, Sonken Chubo was hard at work. Fulfilling her newfound duties as a servant, her current task was washing dishes, as she took her time meticulously scrubbing each and every dish until they were spotless. When the chef showed her to the basin and gave her a brief rundown, as she hadn't washed dishes before, she was a little surprised at the large pile that had accumulated over a week. But that didn't stop her, eager to impress, as the mountain of dirty dishes began to dwindle, bit by bit, until soon, she was drying the final dish, and as she put it back in its cupboard, she heard a low whistle, and turned to see the chef, arms crossed as he gave her a pleased smile.

"Mighty impressive. I didn't think you'd be that good, being a princess and all, but you sure proved me wrong."

"Thank you, you're too kind," said Sonken, waving a sore and pruny hand.

"Tell you what, why don't I whip you up something?"

Sonken was about to politely decline the offer, but her rumbling stomach betrayed her, as she blushed, the head chef chuckling.

"I take it that's a yes? And don't worry, you won't have to clean these dishes, I've got it covered."

"Thank you," said Sonken, as she walked into the dining room, a pleased smile on her face.

~KD~

'Well, he was certainly nice.'

After finishing her (delicious, she might add) lunch, Sonken, not having any other tasks at the moment, decided to go back to her room and relax until she was given another job to do. As she walked back to her quarters, she began to reflect on her time as a servant. While it certainly wasn't as glamorous as being royalty, she had no problem with it; everyone treated her well, and while it certainly wasn't easy, it wasn't as stressful as having to manage a country.

As she reached the servant's quarters, she opened it to reveal Soso lying on her bed, seemingly too absorbed in the book she was reading to notice the former Lotus Queen's entrance, with no other occupants. After waving to her fellow former lord, she walked over her bed, stopping as she saw her Duel Disk resting on her nightstand. As she sat on her bed, back against her pillow and headrest, she held her Duel Disk, simply staring at it.

"That's a nice Duel Disk you've got there."

Sonken jerker her head towards Soso, who had looked away from her book. "Thank you. It was my sister's."

"What's with the lotus design?"

"When my mother was the ruler of Go, she made the lotus flower her symbol, as it's a symbol of beauty and purity. After her passing, her famous sword was reforged into the petals, per Sheren's request to honor her."

"It looks nice, Renfa," said Soso with a smirk as she put her book on her nightstand and got out of her bed, walking over to a drawer and pulling out her Chaos Duel Disk, sliding it onto her wrist as Sonken stared in disbelief. "But mine's better."

"Isn't that the same type of Duel Disk that the White Clothes uses!? And what happened to the Duel Disk you had back during the Anti-Totaku Alliance!?"

"Yes it is, and as for my old one, it broke during a duel with that slimeball Ukitsu, and he gave me this during my short tenure as their ally," replied Soso, grimacing as she recalled the past events, but smiling as she unfolded her Duel Disk. "But even if it's the mark of the enemy, I'm fond of this Duel Disk. It's much more advanced, able to fold up like that of Anthony's, if not to a greater degree, and it has the same scythe appearance of my old Disk."

"And that's…a good thing?"

"If the lotus flower was your symbol, the scythe is mine. It symbolizes time, death: fitting, don't you think?"

"I guess so," said Sonken, as Soso's smirk widened.

"You know, you've got me in the mood. What do you say about the two of us having a duel? Sound like fun?"

"I don't know," said Sonken. "I haven't dueled with this Duel Disk before."

Soso just raised an eyebrow. "So? Now seems like a good time to break it out! Should be fun, seeing what you're capable of!"

"It does sound like fun…okay, I'll accept!"

"Excellent! Meet me in the arena, half an hour from now."

"Why half an hour, Karin?"

"I'm going to find my former peerage members. Ki, Shia, and of course, my three lovely ladies. Why don't you invite your sister and former peerage members? I'm sure they'd like to see you duel."

"Alright then, I'll fetch Sonshoko, Kannei, and Rikuson. May the best duelist win!"

~KD~

"This is going to be so cool!" said Kyocho as she sat in the bleachers of the arena, the two former lords shuffling their decks, Soso's smirk contrasting the concentrated face of Sonken. "Karin versus Sonken! I can't wait!"

"Me neither!" said Choryo. "Wonder who's gonna come out on top?"

"That's easy," said Jun'iku. "Karin will absolutely trample Sonken over there, no question."

"Excuse you?" said Kannei. "Renfa has just as much of a chance coming out victorious."

"As if!" snapped Kakoton. "Karin's the best duelist that there is! Renfa is completely outclassed!"

"Not true!" said Sonshoko, crawling out of her seat and walking right up to the black-haired general. "Renfa has been practicing! She's gonna wipe the floor with Soso!" Both generals snarled in each other's face, and Rikuson decided to step in before things got violent.

"Stop fighting, you guys! Let's just watch the duel!"

"She's right," said Kakoen. "No need to get worked up over this." Kakoton and Sonshoko calmed down, but not before Sonshoko stuck her tongue out, Kakoton retaliating with a fierce glare.

"Ready to lose, Renfa?" said Soso, drawing her opening hand.

"No," said Sonken, "but I am ready to begin! Let's duel!"

(Soso: 4000 LP)(Sonken: 4000 LP)

"You can make the first move, Karin," said Sonken, looking over her opening hand.

"You'll come to regret your decision! I draw! And I set one monster before ending my turn!"

'I had better be careful,' thought Sonken as she drew, selecting her card. "I summon Spear Dragon to the field!"

The blue and cream dragon flew onto the field, letting out a roar (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"And I'll have Spear Dragon attack! Cyclone Blast!"

"Perfect!" said Sonshoko. "That monster deals piercing damage, so Soso will take damage, even if her monster is in defense mode!"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Kakoen, as Spear Dragon shot a whirlwind from its mouth, the monster that Soso controlled flipped to reveal the head and arms of a blue zombie, buried in the ground (LV 4: DEF 2000). The attack bounced off of it (Sonken: 4000-3900 LP), and due to its effect, Spear Dragon changed into defense mode (DEF 0).

"Nice thinking with Spear Dragon, but my Earthbound Spirit had too many defense points, and now your monster is practically defenseless."

Sonken bit her lip. "I guess I'll end my turn with a face-down."

"Then I draw! And I tribute Earthbound Spirit to Tribute Summon my Mefist the Infernal General!"

Earthbound Spirit faded away, the sinister general taking its place (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"And like your monster, he can inflict piercing damage, with the additional bonus of randomly discarding one of your cards when he inflicts battle damage! Mefist, strike down Spear Dragon!"

The dark steed began to charge, Mefist raising his axe, only for the swirling vortex of Negate Attack to block his path.

"I play Negate Attack, which will keep my Spear Dragon safe!" said Sonken.

"And next turn, it can destroy Mefist," said Kannei.

"You may have been able to keep your monster around, but don't think I'll give you the chance to destroy mine! I activate Mesmeric Control, preventing you from changing the battle positions of your monsters next turn, except by card effect!"

Soso slid a card into her Spell & Trap Zone, her Spell Card depicting a hand swinging a pendulum back and forth. The hand and pendulum came out of the card, with Spear Dragon entranced by the swinging motion, before it fell asleep.

"Now I end my turn!"

Sonken drew, and immediately played her newly drawn card. "I activate my Enemy Controller! And I use the second effect, tributing Spear Dragon to take control of Mefist the Infernal General for the rest of my turn!"

The game controller appeared on the field, with Spear Dragon dissolving, the cord stretching over to the Fiend-type and plugging into him, as he moved over to Sonken's field.

"Now I'll attack you directly with your own monster!"

"This is gonna be good!" said Sonshoko as Mefist charged at his own master, only for Soso to slip a card into her Graveyard, as Kuriboh appeared and absorbed the damage for Soso.

"By discarding my cute little Kuriboh, I didn't take any damage from that battle," explained Soso.

"Sonken is good, but Karin won't let her get the chance to deal any damage!" said Kyocho.

"I tribute Mefist to set a monster in defense mode, and end my turn with that."

As the Fiend-type was replaced by the face-down monster, Soso drew, and with a wicked grin, she slapped her new card onto her Monster Zone.

"Gil Garth will slash that monster into bits!" said Soso, the metal monster appearing with a metallic groan (LV 4: ATK 1800). "Gil Garth, attack!"

The Fiend-type ran towards the monster and slashed at it, only for the card to flip up, revealing Different Dimension Dragon (LV 5: DEF 1500), the sword bouncing off the Dragon-type.

"Your monster isn't strong enough to destroy my Different Dimension Dragon!" said Sonken. "Only monsters with over 1900 attack points can slay it!"

"No big deal," said Soso. "I can easily destroy it later. But for now, I end my turn."

"Come on, Karin, you can do it!" cheered Kakoton, as Sonken drew.

"I can see that you like Fiend-type monsters, Karin, so I think I'll show you one of my own! I summon my Slate Warrior!"

The blue and yellow stone warrior appeared beside the interdimensional dragon (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"And since I can change the battle positions of my monsters again, I switch my Different Dimension Dragon into attack mode!" shouted Sonken, her dragon unfolding its wings and letting out a loud shriek (ATK 1200).

"Not good," said Soso to herself. "I'm wide open."

"Slate Warrior, destroy Gil Garth!"

The WIND monster jumped over to the DARK monster and punched it, Soso's monster shattering into pixels upon impact (Soso: 4000-3900 LP).

"It looks like Karin and Renfa are even now," said Kakoen, "but that's about to change."

"Different Dimension Dragon, attack directly with Rainbow Burst!"

Soso grunted as the iridescent blast hit her directly (Soso: 3900-2700 LP).

"Come on, Karin, clobber her!" said Jun'iku, getting caught up in the excitement herself.

"I end my turn and send things back to you," said Sonken, with Soso drawing.

"Your lead will be short, Renfa! I play Zera Ritual!"

"Oh no!" said Sonshoko.

"Oh yes," said Jun'iku, as The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams and Reaper of the Cards appeared, both being wrapped in purple smoke (4+58), as Zera the Mant appeared before Soso (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Now it's time to battle! Zera, rip apart her dragon with Jagged Claw Attack!"

The mighty Ritual Monster slashed through Different Dimension Dragon, which shattered into pixels (Sonken: 3900-2300 LP).

"How brutal…" said Rikuson.

"Pretty cool, though," said Choryo.

"Now I end my turn! Good luck getting past my most powerful monster!"

"Then I draw, and switch my Slate Warrior into defense mode."

"Excellent! Karin has her on the defensive!" said Kakoton as Slate Warrior took a knee, crossing its arms in front of its chest (DEF 400).

"And then I'll set one monster, and one other card! And that's all from me!"

"Renfa is up to something," said Kannei ominously as Soso drew.

"Let's see what you've got hiding in your back row! I activate Bait Doll, revealing your face-down, and forcing its activation if it's a Trap Card! And if the activation requirements aren't met, it's destroyed!"

The card was revealed to be a Trap Card called Cloning, which promptly shattered.

"And now, instead of going to the Graveyard, Bait Doll is shuffled into my deck!" said Soso, and after doing so, she carefully looked over both possible attack targets.

'Attacking the face-down monster is a risk, but if Zera destroys her Slate Warrior, it will lose five hundred attack and defense points. I'll take the risk over the assured negative effect.'

"I'll have Zera the Mant destroy your face-down monster!"

Zera swung down his claw, only for the monster to flip up and reveal Cyber Jar (LV 3: DEF 900), as Soso began to panic.

"Oh crap, not Cyber Jar!"

"Sounds like you're familiar with it! But for those who aren't, when it's flipped, all monsters on the field are destroyed, then we both reveal the top five cards of our decks, Special Summon any level four or lower monsters in attack or face-down defense mode, and add the other cards to our hands!"

Cyber Jar opened up, both Zera the Mant and Slate Warrior getting sucked in, as it exploded, both duelists drawing five cards and revealing them. Soso had The Portrait's Secret, Headless Knight, Dark Spirit of the Silent, Opticlops, and Coffin Seller, while Sonken had Vorse Raider, Battle Ox, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiser Sea Horse, and Polymerization.

"I'll put Opticlops in attack mode, and my other monsters in defense mode!"

"Then I'll bring out all three of my monsters in attack mode!"

As Soso brought out Opticlops (LV 4: ATK 1800), her other Fiend-types face-down, Sonken brought out Vorse Raider (LV 4: ATK 1900), Battle Ox (LV 4: ATK 1700), and Kaiser Sea Horse (LV 4: ATK 1700)

"Opticlops, destroy Kaiser Sea Horse!"

The cyclops ran up to the Sea Serpent-type and gored it with its horn, before throwing it into the air, where it shattered (Sonken: 2300-2200 LP).

"Then I'll set two cards and end my turn!"

"You've got her now, Karin!" cheered Kyocho.

"Show no mercy!" added Kakoton.

"Don't listen to them, Renfa!" said Sonshoko as her older sister drew. "You've got this!"

"Thanks, Shaoren," she said, examining her cards. 'What should I do this turn? I can summon Blue-Eyes now and deal more damage, but if I attack with both of my monsters and then summon Blue-Eyes, I can destroy more monsters. Which is better, damage or monster destruction?'

"Looks like she's really concentrating," said Choryo, hand on her chin. "Wonder what she's gonna do?"

"Renfa, are you going to make your move today?"

Soso's words snapped Sonken out of her thoughts, as she made her decision. "Battle Ox, attack the rightmost face-down monster! Axe Slam Attack!"

"And I activate my face-down card, Coffin Seller!" said Soso, the Continuous Trap flipping up. "Now whenever one of your monsters goes to the Graveyard, you take three hundred points of damage!"

Battle Ox charged at the monster, and raised its axe over its head, before swinging it down, the monster revealed to be Headless Knight (LV 4: DEF 1700), which blocked the attack with its shield, before both monsters jumped back, Sonken snapping her fingers.

"Damn it. I was hoping that would be The Portrait's Secret. But I can still have Vorse Raider destroy your Opticlops! Go, Marauder Chop!"

Vorse Raider began its charge, when Soso activated her other face-down card. "Don't count on it! I play Dark Spirit of the Silent, negating the attack, and forcing Battle Ox to attack instead!"

With little warning, Battle Ox began to run after Opticlops, the Fiend-type swatting it aside with a powerful forearm, the Beast-Warrior-type shattering into pixels (Sonken: 2200-2100 LP).

"Battle Ox!" cried Sonken.

"And don't forget about my Coffin Seller!" said Soso, as a ghost flew out of the card and through Sonken (Sonken: 2100-1800 LP).

'Crap, I messed up…now I can't even summon my Blue-Eyes,' thought Sonken. "I end my turn by setting one monster."

"Renfa…" said Kannei solemnly.

"I draw! And I Flip Summon The Portrait's Secret!"

The card flipped to reveal the possessed painting, a groan coming out of the head that peeked out (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Then I'll activate The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler, banishing The Portrait's Secret and Headless Knight to Special Summon Zera the Mant from my Graveyard!"

Both monsters were pierced with strings, as they were pulled into a dark portal, Soso's favorite monster stepping out (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"And now, I can take down that Vorse Raider! Jagged Claw Attack!"

With a terrifying screech, Zera rose its claw and tore through Vorse Raider (Sonken: 1800-900 LP), with the effect of Coffin Seller dealing even more damage (Sonken: 900-600 LP).

"This isn't good," said Rikuson. "Poor Renfa's getting destroyed out there."

"As expected," said Jun'iku.

"Opticlops, attack!"

The cyclops headbutted the face-down monster, revealed to be Saggi the Dark Clown (LV 3: DEF 1500), who was shattered, Coffin Seller striking again (Sonken: 600-300 LP).

"Renfa only has three hundred life points remaining," said Kakoen, "so one more blast from Coffin Seller will take her out. She has to proceed with extreme caution from here on out."

"Man, Karin's doing so good! This is awesome!" cheered Kyocho.

"Was there ever a doubt? Nobody is better than Karin!" boasted Kakoton.

"I end my turn," said Soso, with Sonken berating herself.

'Damnit! If I had just summoned my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I wouldn't be in this mess! How am I supposed to win!?'

"Come on, Renfa, you can beat her!"

Sonken turned towards her sister, who had shouted those words, as Kannei spoke up next. "You may seem to be overwhelmed, but you still have a chance if you draw what you need!"

"Come on, you've got this!" said Rikuson, pumping her fist in the air, as Sonken nodded.

"Shaoren, Shishun, Non…thank you. I won't give up! With your support, and the cards and Duel Disk of my sister, I can't lose! Now I draw! And I activate Pot of Greed!"

As Sonken activated her Spell Card, she drew two cards, and smiled as she saw what she had drawn.

"Uh oh," said Kyocho, "she smiled. That can't be good."

"First off, I play Mystical Space Typhoon, which will get rid of that pesky Coffin Seller!"

The cyclone surrounded the Trap Card, destroying it, much to the annoyance of Soso.

"And now, I activate my Polymerization!"

"Oh, shit!" said Choryo, hands on the top of her head. "She's gonna bring out that monster! The one that almost beat Aisha!"

"What monster?" asked Kakoen.

"The most powerful monster that Renfa has, Shuran," explained Kannei, as all three copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared.

"I fuse three Blue-Eyes White Dragons to Fusion Summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

All three dragons swirled together, and the enormous three-headed dragon appeared, as the half of the audience that hadn't seen it already was completely floored, with even Kakoton too shocked to speak (LV 12: ATK 4500).

'No,' thought Soso, starting to panic. 'That monster can completely wipe out the rest of my life points!'

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy Opticlops and end this duel with Neutron Blast!"

The three heads completely obliterated the Fiend-type with a combined blast, with Soso being knocked back (Soso: 2700-0 LP)(Winner: Sonken). All eight girls made their way out of the stands, with the five former Gi girls surrounding Soso, her three lovers helping her to her feet.

"I can't believe that you lost to her…it must be a fluke," said Jun'iku.

"Karin, are you okay?" asked Kakoen.

"Please be okay!" said Kakoton.

"I'm fine," said Soso, looking over to Sonken, who was getting a hug from her sister.

"I knew that you would beat her, Renfa! You sure showed her!" said Sonshoko.

"I guess I did," said Sonken, smiling proudly.

"You totally kicked butt!" cheered Rikuson, as Kannei smiled.

"Awesome as always, Renfa."

"Hey, Renfa!" said Soso, with Sonken and her former peerage members turning over to her, as she walked over to Sonken, wearing her signature smirk as she outstretched her hand.

"Good game."

Sonken gladly returned the handshake. "Same to you, Karin."

* * *

 **This is the last intermediate chapter for this story, as next chapter begins the final arc! So stay tuned! Starpion out!**


	80. Darkness Approaches

Out in the barren deserts, miles away from the nearest town, a lone duelist wandered. He had short black hair and brown eyes. wore a simple sand-colored outfit, and had a Duel Disk on his left wrist. After he took a drink of water from his canteen, he pulled out his map, seeing if he could get a decent grasp of his location.

"Let's see…looks like there's a town south of here…should only take a couple hours."

"You shouldn't be out here."

The man jumped, almost dropping his map, as he turned to see a man in a white hood, hood obscuring his face, Chaos Duel Disk on his left wrist.

"Who the heck are you?" asked the traveler.

"My name is not important," said the hooded man. "What is, however, is what you're doing out here, in my territory."

"Well, I was just going to the next town over," explained the man, pointing in the direction of where he was headed. "I'm sort of a wandering duelist, y'know? Always looking for a challenge. And who are you, a bandit?"

"I'm no petty crook," said the man in white, taking off his hood to reveal the face of Genho Saji. "I'm a duelist, just like yourself. And I don't take kindly to those who wander in my domain without permission."

"So let me guess," said the black-haired man, pulling out his deck and shuffling it with an excited grin. "You wanna duel me? Because I'm totally up for a challenge!"

"I was hoping that you would say that," said Genho, his Duel Disk unfolding as his cards were automatically shuffled for him. "If you win, I'll let you pass without issue. However, if I win, I'll have to punish you."

"What kind of punishment do you have in mind?" asked the traveler, not noticing the black smoke that temporarily covered his cards.

"You'll see. Now, let's duel!"

(Traveler: 4000 LP)(Genho: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" said the traveler, drawing a sixth card. "I summon Zombyra the Dark!"

The traveler's monster looked like a superhero with a blue spandex suit covered in bits of bone as armor, including a somewhat freaky mask, the outfit completed by a red and purple cape with a large collar (LV 4: ATK 2100).

"And now, I end my turn by placing two cards face-down!"

As Genho drew, he added his card to his hand and turned his attention to his opponent. "Let me ask you something. Why do you think that I wear white?"

His opponent, understandably, was confused by the sudden question. "Huh? What does that have to do with our duel?"

"I'll tell you, but first, answer the question."

"Uh, well, to protect you from the heat? I mean, it's a real scorcher out here, and isn't white cooler in heat?"

"A good answer," said Genho. "It's true, light colors, especially white, reflect heat. This is because they reflect all colors of light, making white a combination of all colors of the spectrum."

"Okay…" said the other duelist, confused by the seemingly random tangent, Zombyra seemingly confused as well.

"And on the opposite side of the spectrum, there's black. Black doesn't reflect any color of light, but rather absorbs them all, making black the absence of color, in terms of light."

"What does any of that have to do with our duel?"

"Everything, as I'll soon show you!" said Genho, taking two cards from his hand. "I discard Dark Nephthys so that I may Special Summon Dark Grepher from my hand!"

As Genho slid one card into his Graveyard, his own monster appeared. It was a man with gray skin, short white hair, and glowing red eyes, mouth curved into a sinister grin. He wore black leather armor with two gashes that looked like eyes, a black mask around his face, and black and gold bracers, and he wielded a double-edged sword with a purple blade (LV 4: ATK 1700). As the monster cackled to himself, Genho's opponent stared at it in fear.

"What the hell? That looks like Warrior Dai Grepher, only…evil…"

"That's the idea!" said Genho as he slid another card into his Graveyard. "And now, I activate my monster's effect! By discarding a DARK monster, I can send a DARK monster from my deck to the Graveyard! So I discard Dark Horus, and send Dark Simorgh to the Graveyard!"

Dark Grepher let out a wicked laugh as he sliced a black gash through the air, with a black bird, Dark Simorgh, coming out of it, before it went into a black portal.

"What the heck is going on? Another monster that's a corrupted version of an existing one, and it looks like all you're doing is sending monsters to your Graveyard! Unless…you plan to bring them back?"

"That's one strategy I can use, but I have a different one in mind," said Genho, as he pulled out another card from his hand. "I now have three DARK monsters in my Graveyard, so I can do this! I Special Summon Dark Armed Dragon!"

A dark portal appeared on the field, and slowly, another monster came out of it, one that was much more powerful than the other monsters. It was a huge black dragon, with red eyes and a large underbite with curved blades. Blades ran down its neck, and two wings that were shaped like sickles jutted out of its back. Its shoulders were covered in spikes, drills stuck out of its elbows, and its arms had two axe blades, as well as rings of spikes around the wrists, the beast flexing its metallic claws. It had muscular legs with sharp talons, three lines of curved blades along its stomach, and a long tail, with a spiked club at the end (LV 7: ATK 2800). Like Dark Grepher, this monster was a corrupted version of an existing monster, known as Armed Dragon LV7.

'Don't panic,' thought the traveler as he stared at the massive monster. 'That thing may be stronger than Zombyra, but I've got Negate Attack and Mirror Force waiting for him.' As he thought this, Genho pulled a card out of his Graveyard, before slipping it into his pocket.

"And now, I activate the effect of my Dark Armed Dragon! By banishing a DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field! Go, Dark Mambele!"

The rows of blades along the torso of the Dragon-type monster began to spin like buzz saws, as golden energy began to form on them as they gradually picked up speed, until two curved blades of golden energy shot out, spinning towards Zombyra the Dark, until they sliced through the Warrior-type, destroying it.

"And it gets even better for me, since I can use this effect multiple times per turn! So now, I'll destroy your face-down cards and leave you unprotected!"

Genho pulled out another card and banished it, as Dark Armed Dragon once more charged up its effect, the crescent-shaped blades cutting up the face-down Negate Attack, destroying it. Genho then pulled out the last card in his Graveyard, and Dark Armed Dragon unleashed a third Dark Mambele, destroying Mirror Force and leaving the other man completely unprotected for the upcoming onslaught.

"Now you see the meaning of my words! My DARK monsters will absorb and destroy any opposition, and I shall remain, a flawless light that breaks through the darkness! Dark Grepher, attack!"

Dark Grepher jumped over to the traveler and slashed at him, the traveler dodging the attack and wincing as it grazed his right shoulder (Traveler: 4000-2300 LP). He put his hand to it, and immediately knew something was wrong, as he took his hand off it and looked at. To his horror, there was a small bit of blood on his hand: the attack had cut him!

"I'm…bleeding? That cut me? But it couldn't have!"

"If this were a normal duel, you would be right. But this isn't a normal duel. This is a Shadow Game!"

This only amplified the fear in Genho's opponent as he put his hand back over his cut shoulder. "You…you're gonna kill me?"

"Oh no, far worse than that," said Genho, tattoo glowing. "The loser shall soon find themselves sent to a world of unimaginable, unending agony, where you will be begging for the sweet release of death that will never come! And I shan't keep you waiting! Dark Armed Dragon, Dark Armed Punisher!"

The Dragon-type brought down its claw and slashed at the injured duelist, who cried out in pain as he fell onto his back (Traveler: 2300-0 LP). Five more shallow cuts were displayed on his torso, and as he weakly tried to get up, a black portal appeared beneath him, and he was engulfed in darkness, his cries of terror slowly being muffled, until they, and the portal, disappeared. Genho grinned, and closed his eyes, his tattoo glowing brighter, until he vanished into thin air.

~KD~

"Excellent. I shall inform him once he returns."

In the temple that served as the headquarters for the White Clothes, Ukitsu ended a transmission on his Duel Disk, as suddenly, Genho materialized beside him, wincing as he gripped his head. Although the power to teleport to anyone he could detect in a certain radius had its perks, the intense level of concentration and resulting migraines he could do without. As his headache faded away, he turned to Ukitsu, who had a smile on his face.

"Welcome back, Master Saji. I take it you've dealt with any and all intruders?"

"Of course," replied Genho, discarding his cloak, "without a doubt. What about the recruiters that you've deployed?"

"Our numbers continue to increase," said Ukitsu. "Also, I've received word from a few of them. It seems like four of them have experience with a certain lord."

At the mention of the one who ruined his plans, Genho stiffened briefly. "I see. Do you have their names and backgrounds?"

"Of course, Master Saji. First is a bandit who goes by the name Mukade, who apparently suffered a humiliating loss to Shokatsuryo Komei. Next is a pair of twins, real names unknown, who go by code names, Yin and Yang. They're also bandits, who were undefeated in Tag Team Duels until they had a run-in with Lord Anthony and Choun Shiryu. Finally, there's a woman named Yokubo, who was rejected by the lord and defeated by Kan'u Uncho. All three are willing to join our cause, it seems."

"Excellent," said Genho, as he began to walk to a certain room of the temple, with Ukitsu by his side. "Over the past couple of months, our numbers have grown, and more and more souls have been sent to the Shadow Realm through our efforts. As we grow stronger from the shadows, the time of Lord Calem's reign dwindles. And now, after our period of inaction, it's time to reap our rewards." The two of them soon reached a pair of doors, and Genho pushed them both open, revealing a large altar, as Genho began to walk up a set of stairs, where at the top, waiting for him, was the very same mirror that he had attempted to steal.

The mirror was almost identical to how it looked in the museum. It was made of solid bronze, and stood on a wooden stand. It was circular in design, five feet in diameter with a ring of darker dashed lines around the outside, and a three by three circular grid in the center, the very center holding a rounded, reflective piece of bronze. There was a single difference, however: the Millennium Symbol that was engraved into the top of the mirror. This mirror was the source of Genho's and Ukitsu's powers, known as the Millennium Mirror.

"Magic mirror, on its stand," said Genho with a wicked grin as he approached the bronze mirror, face reflected in its surface, "who's the greatest in the land?" He then placed a hand onto the rounded section, eyes closed as his tattoo began to glow. "I've given you many souls, and now, I intend to take something back in return. Give me your power!"

The mirror suddenly began to glow, as did Genho, who tilted his head backwards, beams of light coming out of his eyes and mouth as he screamed, Ukitsu grimacing, as suddenly, his lord began to laugh.

"Yes…yes! The power, I can feel it!"

The light slowly began to fade away, as he began to laugh once more. "I can feel this new power flowing through my veins, begging to be demonstrated. And I intend to." He then put his hand on the spherical section of the Millenium Mirror once more, with not only his tattoo glowing, but his eyes as well. "Time to reawaken some bad memories!"

* * *

 **This is easily the shortest chapter so far, but no less important, as it not only reveals the source of Genho's powers and expands upon them, it also reveals his deck. He uses a DARK deck, contrasting his light color scheme and fitting the main villain. Of course, with these questions answered, even more are raised. What new powers does Genho have, thanks to the Millennium Mirror? Why does the mirror look differently than when it first appeared in the present? And is Kikai ready to face off against this final threat? The latter two questions will be answered in due time, but the first shall be answered next time, on Koihime Duel! Starpion out!**


	81. Unfriendly Faces, Part 1

(Choryo: 200 LP)(Ryofu: 200 LP)

"That's it for me! Your move, Ren!"

In the arena, Ryofu and Choryo were making good use of their time off by having a duel, as Anthony, also having free time, was watching gleefully. The duel was down to the wire, each of them down to their last trickle of life points. Choryo only had one card on the field, her Gearfried the Swordmaster (LV 7: ATK 2600). Ryofu had two monsters: Sleeping Lion, a tan-furred creature in a red cloak that was lying on the field (LV 4: DEF 1700), and Dig Beak, a snakelike beast with red fur, a purple underbelly, green eyes, and a yellow beak (LV 2: DEF 800). As Choryo ended her turn, Ryofu began her own.

"I Tribute Summon…Mosaic Manticore!"

Both of her monsters disappeared, replaced by the mighty manticore, which roared as its stinger swung from side to side (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Splintered Stinger!"

Mosaic Manticore shot its stinger, which split into quills that tore apart Gearfried, the duel coming to an end as Choryo's life points hit zero (Choryo: 200-0 LP)(Winner: Ryofu).

"Alright, that was awesome!" cheered Anthony, clapping as he made his way down to the field, Ryofu blushing as her manticore faded away.

"You said it," agreed Choryo, turning to Ryofu. "Man, I thought I had you! That was really close!"

"Thanks…" said Ryofu, as her friend and fellow general walked up to her and slapped her hand on her shoulder, Anthony walking beside them.

"Hey, don't be so modest, Ren, you were tough! I mean, you were an Imperial General like me, after all!"

"Yeah, I'm sure that Yue and Ei made a good choice," said Anthony, only to be caught off guard by a kiss from the redhead. Choryo chuckled at his reaction, and when the two broke apart, the lord of Kikai asked himself if he would ever get used to that, the answer likely being no.

"Hey, speakin' of Yue and Ei, where are those two? Haven't seen them." Ryofu just shrugged, and Anthony decided to enlighten his girlfriends.

"They're in the infirmary," he said, as Choryo gasped and Ryofu's eyebrows shot upwards.

"Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're in perfect health, it's just, Yue went to visit her former generals, and Ei went with her to make sure she's okay. Yue came to me herself to ask about this, and I couldn't say no to her."

"Puppy-dog eyes?" asked Choryo.

"Puppy-dog eyes," answered Anthony, as Ryofu had an idea.

"Can we see them?" asked Ryofu. She didn't like the idea of her friends being sad, and even if she didn't know them for very long, she missed Kayu, Denki, and Ketsugo too. Anthony and Choryo gave her wide smiles, both liking the idea.

"I can't see a reason why we can't," said Anthony.

"Yeah," said Choryo, "what are we waitin' for? Let's go!"

~KD~

"Miyabi…Rai…Suru…"

As Totaku looked over her three fallen generals, she tried her best to hold back the tears as Kaku gave her a pat on the back. Once a month, every month since the two had joined Kikai, Totaku made it a priority of hers to pay the soulless shells of her friends a visit, with Kaku usually accompanying her. In fact, it had been her idea to have the three of them (and by association, Daikyo and Shokyo) in the infirmary, rather than the dungeon, where they had been placed prior to her rescue.

"Are you okay, Yue?" asked a concerned Kaku, as Totaku nodded, the duo walking over to Ketsugo's bed.

"Oh, Suru. I couldn't name anybody with stronger loyalty to the Imperial Court, even if she didn't always show it."

The blue-haired maid then walked over to Denki. "And sure, Rai could be a little reckless, but his heart was always in the right place, and he would always help out with an infectious smile."

Finally, she went over to the statue that was once Kayu. "And then there's Miyabi. She was hot-blooded, and a little arrogant, but more importantly, she was kind and selfless. Whether it was joining with us because she thought that I would be a good ruler, or recommending her best friend when we were looking for more generals, she would always care for her friends."

"Yue, you've made this speech before," said Kaku, albeit without her usual harshness, being as polite as possible to her best friend.

"I know that, Ei," said Totaku as she turned around, "but it doesn't matter. We may have not known them for very long, and it's been so long since then, but they're still our friends, and I want to talk about their best qualities."

She turned back around and walked closer to the statue of Kayu, the stone shell of the tall girl dwarving the petite Totaku. "I don't hold anything against them, nor Ren and Shia, for the Shadow Games, since they only did it because they thought that doing so would protect me. And I don't hold anything against Anthony and his friends for sending them to the Shadow Realm, since they didn't have a choice. All I want is for them to come back." She put her left hand, the one with her Duel Disk, on the statue of Kayu. "You came back, Ei, and Kosonsan came back. So I have hope that they can come back too, and I'll never stop believing in that."

Now Kaku was doing her best not to cry, touched by the kindness of her friend, when suddenly, a noise brought her back to reality.

*crack*

"Did you hear that, Yue?"

Totaku was brought out of her thoughts by the question. "Hear what?" she asked, as suddenly, she heard a cracking noise like the first one, and noticed that there was a branching crack in the chest of the statue, one that only kept getting bigger.

"What's happening?" said Totaku as she backed away in fear, as a dark aura began to cover the petrified Kayu.

"I don't know," said Kaku, who stood in front of her friend, holding out her Duel Disk as though it were a shield. The cracks continued to cover the stone general, and suddenly, Kaku had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as she tackled Totaku to the ground.

"Get down!" she shouted, as there was a loud bang, as stone shrapnel fell around Totaku. Kaku flinched as the bits of stone hit her back, as Totaku stared at the fragments in horror, her eyes slowly making their way to where the statue was, until she let out a loud gasp.

"Mi…Mi…Miyabi!?"

Kaku looked behind her, and let out a similar gasp. In the center of a pile of rock stood Kayu, seemingly free from the Shadow Realm. She was hunched over, face obscured, but she was otherwise completely fine.

Kaku got off of Totaku as the two maids scrambled onto their feet, and as Kaku brushed herself off, Totaku once again felt like crying, but for a different reason. "Miyabi! You're back! Oh, I'm so happy! How did you-"

But the words, and her happiness, died in her throat as Kayu jerked her head up and opened her eyes. Her brown eyes were now solid white, with no differentiation between sclera, iris, or pupil. Kayu then slowly grinned, her smile wide, as she tilted her head, which combined with her eyes created a very inhuman appearance.

"Hello, Yue. Did you miss me?"

The only way that Totaku was able to react was a high-pitched scream.

~KD~

As Anthony, Ryofu, and Choryo were on their way to join Totaku and Kaku, a faint scream rang through the air, making them stop in their tracks.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"What was that?" asked Anthony. "Sounded like someone screaming their head off." Ryofu, however, recognized the scream as her eyes shrank.

"Yue…" she whispered, before breaking into a full sprint. "She's in trouble!"

"WHAT!?" screamed Choryo as she ran as fast as she could, with Anthony trying his best to keep up, panic in his eyes.

~KD~

As Kayu, if the white-eyed woman standing before them even was Kayu, stood up straight, she slowly began to walk up to Totaku, who fearfully backed away, with Kaku jumping in front of her.

"Get away from Yue!"

"Come now, Ei, don't you recognize me? It's Miyabi."

"Like hell you are!" screamed Kaku, as suddenly, a dark aura covered both Denki and Ketsugo, as they slowly sat up, Denki opening his eyes, revealing them to be solid white as well, as he jumped out of his bed while cackling.

"Come on, Ei, Yue, don't you recognize your generals? Your old friends? After spending so long in the Shadow Realm, it's great to see you again!"

"The feeling isn't mutual," growled Kaku, as the doors flung open behind her. Totaku let out a squeak, only to be relieved to see her lord and her two other former generals.

"Yue! Ei!" said Ryofu.

"We heard the scream," said Choryo. "What's going on in-what the fuck?"

"Ren, Shia, how nice of you to join us," said Ketsugo, solid white eyes burning into their souls as she joined the younger generals.

"And the man who sent me to the Shadow Realm," said Kayu, with Denki grimacing.

"So, you're the one who's responsible for sending my best friend to that hellhole?"

"It's not like I had much of a choice, and I never wanted to!" argued Anthony, before he looked at Totaku. "Yue, what's going on? How are they back, and why are they acting so weird?"

"I don't know!" said Totaku. "All of a sudden, Miyabi was free, but her eyes were white and she was moving funny, and now Rai and Suru are the same! Does this have to do with the White Clothes?"

"It has to," he said, "but I don't know how. I've never seen anything like this!"

"Don't think anyone has," said Choryo, Duel Disk in front of her. "Look, we're pals. Maybe you three can tell us what the hell's goin' on? 'Cause I'm lost."

"All of you are of interest to us, especially him," said Ketsugo, pointing at Anthony, who put on a brave face and clenched his fists. "We've been freed from the cursed Shadow Realm, under a single condition."

"We're going to take down Kikai!" cackled Denki, taking a jerky step forward.

"Even if we must send our former companions there," finished Kayu, as Totaku shuddered, with Kaku gritting her teeth.

"If you want to get to Yue, you'll have to go through me first!"

"Yeah!" said Choryo. "We'll take you on!"

"Hold on, let me duel."

Totaku soon found herself as the center of attention. "Are you sure about this?" asked Anthony. "I mean, you're not a bad duelist, but the three of us are certainly better."

"Yeah, we've got this!" said Choryo, but Totaku shook her head.

"No, I want to do this. I'm not going to let my friends be used as puppets for evil. If I lose, then you can step in, but I'm still going to try."

Choryo opened her mouth to object, but she couldn't. "Well, Ren and I will be rooting for you," she said, Ryofu nodding as Anthony stepped forward, opening his satchel.

"Well, at least let me duel, to even things out," said Anthony, pulling out his Duel Disk and slipping it on, with it unfolding as he did so. "I've beaten Kayu once, so I can do it again."

"Don't think so!" said Denki. "You sent Miyabi to the Shadow Realm, so I'm gonna send you there! Then I'll do the same to that redhead girl who beat me!"

"Don't think so," said Anthony, his cards being shuffled.

"Then I'll take on Miyabi, and Ei can duel Suru," said Totaku, as the three got into position, with Choryo and Ryofu standing by, ready to jump in if needed, as suddenly, the Duel Disks of the three soulless duelists were covered in darkness, changing shape until they had become Chaos Duel Disks, and they placed their hands on their decks, a darkness spreading around them like fog.

"You are making a big mistake, Yue!" said Kayu, as the darkness completely enveloped all eight of them.

~KD~

Before long, Anthony found himself surrounded by darkness, similar to the Shadow Games against the admins of the White Clothes, but with one notable exception: he was alone. The only person who inhabited the darkness alongside him was Denki, who stood a distance away, cackling like a madman as he shuffled his cards.

"Where…is everyone?"

"Having their own duels! Don't know where Ren and Shia are, though. Guess they're with Yue or Ei! So now, no distractions, just you and me! And don't forget, this is a Shadow Game!"

'And if I lose, then Kikai is done for,' thought Anthony as he drew his opening hand. "Bring it, sparky! Let's duel!"

(Anthony: 4000 LP)(Denki: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" said Anthony as he drew. "I summon Giga-Tech Wolf!"

The metal wolf appeared and let out a howl as it bared its fangs (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Now I'll end my turn by setting two cards!"

Denki began to laugh as he drew his next card, his laughter only becoming louder as he saw what he had drawn. "Those monsters of yours, they're what you call Machine-type, right? Well, I've got the perfect card for that! I discard Electric Virus to take control of your monster for your turn! Go, Viral Overload!"

"Oh, crap!" screamed Anthony as the electric monster appeared and flew into Giga-Tech Wolf, which let out a howl before it jumped over to Denki, who slapped another card on the field.

"And now, I summon Rai Rider!"

A new monster appeared, one that looked like a man riding a motorcycle, decked out in a black outfit with a black face mask and a helmet that had three lightning bolts on it, long and spiky red hair flowing behind him. He rode a blue motorcycle with three headlights that read "5," "4," and "3," like a countdown (LV 3: ATK 1200).

"And now, to attack! Rai Rider, run him down!"

The Thunder-type revved the engine of his bike before speeding forward, only for Anthony to activate one of his face-down cards, the card taking the appearance of a knight caught in an explosion and a player drawing a card from his deck. A white and gray rippling force field surrounded Anthony as Rai Rider crashed into it, tires still spinning wildly, before it was forced to give up and go back to Denki.

"You activated my Trap Card, Defense Draw! Now the battle damage I would have taken is reduced to zero, and I get to draw a card!"

"So what? I can still attack with your monster! Sic 'im!"

Giga-Tech Wolf aimed its tails at Anthony and shot three blue beams that hit Anthony (Anthony: 4000-2800 LP), as he heard a rumble of thunder, and looked up to see a swirling cloud, just as a flash of purple lightning came down and struck him, as the pain and voltage caused him to convulse, as he choked out a cry of pain before the electricity died down, Denki laughing the whole time.

"And like my duel with that general of yours, whenever a player loses life points, they get struck with lightning! So you had better be careful!"

Anthony could only growl. "Rinrin kicked your ass last time, and I'll do the same! Bring it!"

"Okay, if you insist!" said Denki as he played another card, this one depicting two monsters, a skeletal warrior and some sort of insect, being struck by lightning. "I play Thunder Crash! This card destroys all monsters I control, while dealing three hundred points of damage to you for each one! Sorry if you thought that you'd be getting your wolf back!"

The Machine-type and Thunder-type were turned into yellow bolts of electricity which went into the Spell Card, as it shot a beam of electricity at Anthony, who activated his remaining face-down card. The card showed an adventurer opening a door, which pulled on a rope, said rope connected to the trigger of a golden flintlock pistol with a cobra design. Out of the Trap Card came a stone door.

"I play Barrel Behind the Door!" said Anthony, the beam hitting the door and opening it, revealing the golden gun pointed at the blonde. "I can only activate this card if you activate an effect that deals damage. Now instead of me, you take the damage!" The gun shot a yellow bullet of light at Denki, and purple lighting struck him (Denki: 4000-3400 LP). And just like the duel he had with Chohi, the lightning just seemed to amp him up, for lack of a better term, although his crazed laughter combined with his blank white eyes resulted in a much more disturbing appearance.

"Not bad, but I'm still in the lead," said Denki. "I set one card and end my turn!"

"Then it's my move!" said Anthony. "I draw, and I activate Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand! And I select my Slot Machine!"

The massive golden robot appeared before Anthony, towering over both duelists (LV 7: ATK 2000).

"And next, I'll summon Drillago to the field!"

The drill-covered robot joined the party, drills spinning (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Now to end this thing! Drillago, attack directly with Spiral Thrust!"

Drillago leapt at Denki and struck him with its drills, a purple lightning bolt striking him (Denki: 3400-1800 LP). Denki went into a fit of crazed laughter, even jerking his head back.

"Aw yeah, that's the stuff! That was even better than the first time!"

"See how you like this, Denki! Slot Machine, attack with Plasma Laser Cannon!"

Slot Machine spun its lever, and as the slots all landed on "7" and it began to charge its attack, Denki activated his face-down card, showing the hand of Dark Ruler Ha Des pointing upwards, covered in orange electricity, as a bolt of lightning came down on a goblin. As the card was revealed, Denki slid a card from his hand into his Graveyard.

"I play the Trap Card called Raigeki Break, discarding a card to destroy a card on the field!" shouted Denki, as he pointed upward, a bolt of lightning shooting out of his finger, hitting the cloud, and coming back down on Slot Machine, which was blown into pixels.

"Damnit…I end my turn!"

Denki chuckled as he drew, and when he saw what he picked up, his laughs became louder as he put the card into his hand and picked a different card. "I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan!"

The new monster was a redheaded girl with small horns, pointy ears, small fangs, and a tiger-print outfit, complete with paw-shaped gloves. Circling around her was a ring that had a drum kit, consisting of a cymbal and three rainmaker drums, as she twirled a pair of drumsticks (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Oh crap, she's stronger than Drillago!" said Anthony, as Denki only laughed harder.

"Yeah, but it's about to get worse! I play my Raigeki!"

A massive thunderbolt came down on Drillago, blowing it to bits, as Anthony braced himself, knowing that the next attack would really hurt.

"Thunder Nyan Nyan, attack directly!"

The tiger-dressed girl began to play her drums, the noise loud like thunder, as a bolt of lightning struck Anthony, a purple one following it (Anthony: 2800-900 LP), as he cried out in pain again and once again falling to his knees, with Denki still laughing.

"Wanna give up now and make it easy?" asked Denki. "I can do this all day, but unfortunately, you won't last nearly as long!"

"We'll see about that," said Anthony, as he slowly got back onto his feet. "And I'm not gonna give up. I'm having too much fun to call it quits."

"That makes two of us. I end my turn!" declared Denki, as the King of Games drew.

"I'll set a monster and end my turn," said Anthony, the horizontal face-down materializing before him as Denki drew.

"I play Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards!" After drawing, Denki put one card into his other hand, and slapped the other onto his Duel Disk. "And next up, I summon my Thunder King Rai-Oh!"

Another Thunder-type monster appeared, one with an odd appearance. It had a blue and yellow head with a pair of eyes that had yellow lines that looked like lightning bolts across them, a red gem in the forehead, and a metal spike on top. Its body was relatively humanoid, with a circular blue torso that had yellow lightning shapes, a large red gem, metal wings on the back, and metallic "ribs." Its waist was thin with a red gem, smaller than the one on its torso, and its lower body looked like a skirt or kilt colored blue and yellow, a green gem near the top. Curiously, in place of arms and legs, it had electrodes, holding two golden rings, each with two spikes, with two bolts of electricity (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Let's see how you handle his power! Rai-Oh, attack with Lightning Cannon!"

Inside the rings, two blue balls of electricity formed, and shot two blue beams of voltage at the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (LV 4: DEF 2200). The blasts were deflected by the robot's shields, and a purple thunderbolt struck Denki, who just sneered (Denki: 1800-1500 LP).

"My Gear Golem has too much defense to be overloaded by your living joy buzzer!" said Anthony, tipping up his hat. "Better luck next time!"

"I end my turn," said Denki, who didn't look bothered in the slightest as Anthony drew.

"Perfect! I play Enemy Controller, and I use its second effect! Now by tributing Gear Golem, I'll be taking control of Thunder King Rai-Oh until the End Phase!"

As the Machine-type faded away, Enemy Controller appeared, the cord plugging into Thunder King Rai-Oh and pulling it towards Anthony, as he grabbed the controller.

"So what, you're gonna attack and destroy both of my monsters?" asked Denki.

"No, but I do intend to get rid of both of your monsters," said Anthony. "I tribute Rai-Oh to summon Jinzo!"

The Thunder-type disappeared, the psychic cyborg taking his place (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Let's see how Thunder Nyan Nyan likes getting shocked! Jinzo, Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo charged up its attack, black electricity dancing between its hands, as it launched the orb of electricity at Nyan Nyan, who let out a sharp cry and dropped her drumsticks as she exploded, purple lightning striking Denki (Denki: 1500-1000 LP).

"Oh yeah, I'm feeling super charged up!" screamed Denki.

"Uh, okay…" said Anthony. "I end my turn."

"Then I draw!" said Denki, as he began to laugh once more. "And I should probably thank you!"

"For what?" asked Anthony, on his guard.

"When Thunder King Rai-Oh is out and about, neither of us can add cards to our hands except by drawing them. But now that he's gone, I can do this! I discard my Thunder Dragon, letting me add up to two Thunder Dragons from my deck to my hand!"

As Denki slid Thunder Dragon into his Graveyard, two more copies flew out of his deck and into his hand.

"And now, I activate my Polymerization, fusing both of my Thunder Dragons into my most powerful monster, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

Both of the dragons appeared and spun in a circle, swirling together, as the fused into the mighty red dragon, a roar coming from both heads as the horn was covered with yellow sparks (LV 7: ATK 2800).

"Now I'll have it blow your Jinzo to pieces! Blitz Breaker!"

Yellow electricity was fired from the horn of the Fusion Monster, Jinzo getting blown apart as soon as they made contact, a bolt of lightning coming down on Anthony (Anthony: 900-500 LP). This bolt was weaker than the previous ones, since less damage had been dealt, but it still hurt.

"I'm surprised you're still standing. You don't look nearly as tough as that general of yours, and yet you're still standing."

"Maybe these bolts aren't as strong as the ones used on Rinrin," said Anthony. "Or maybe it's just adrenaline keeping me going. Either way, I can't give up, no matter how much pain you put me through!"

"Then I'll just have to strike you harder," said Denki, his Thunder Dragon growling. "I end my turn!"

"I draw!" shouted Anthony, and as he saw what he had drawn, he immediately put activated it. "I play Nightmare's Steelcage, so now, neither of us can attack until two of your turns have passed!"

"Stall all you want!" said Denki as the Nightmare's Steelcage surrounded Anthony. "The end result will be the same regardless!"

"I guess we'll find out in two turns," said Anthony. "I set a monster and end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" said Denki, as he cackled. "And now, I activate Thunder Short, dealing four hundred points of damage for each monster that you control!"

A Spell Card appeared, with a picture of three monsters in green balls of electricity, bolts raining down on the redheaded duelist who controlled them, as the face-down monster Anthony controlled was covered in the same green sphere, small bolts of electricity hitting Anthony (Anthony: 500-100 LP), as the purple lightning came down. While Anthony was hoping that the Nightmare's Steelcage would protect him, acting as a Faraday cage, he was soon proven that the purple lightning didn't behave like normal electricity, as the bolt completely ignored the laws of physics by passing through the cage and hitting him anyway, as he cried out in pain, before his knees buckled, and he fell onto his stomach.

"Fuck…" cursed Anthony as he tried to push himself up, only to fall again. "I can't…take much more of this…" Denki's laughter just kept coming as he looked at the pathetic sight, and Anthony swore that he heard Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon laugh alongside its master.

"Looks like you're just about down for the count! One more bolt, and it's game over!"

"Not…if I…can help it…" said Anthony, punching the ground as he managed to climb back onto his feet, breath ragged, as he stared down Denki. "You done yet?"

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Good," said Anthony as he slowly managed to draw his next card. "I set another monster and call it a turn."

"Then I draw!" shouted Denki. "And I set a monster of my own, which rounds out my turn and means that your Nightmare's Steelcage is done for!" And sure enough, as the face-down appeared, Anthony's Spell Card shattered, leaving his two monsters vulnerable to attack once more. Slowly, he flipped down his sunglasses, and grabbed the top card of his deck.

'Mechanical Snail and Mighty Guard will protect me for a little bit, but I need a way to win! This is my last shot!' "I draw!"

As Anthony saw what he had drawn, he smiled. "It's time to face the future! I tribute both of my monsters to summon my mighty Barrel Dragon!"

Both face-down monsters vanished, and Barrel Dragon took their place, the mechanical dragon roaring as it waved its laser cannons in the air (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"So what?" said Denki. "That thing's big, but it's still weaker than my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

"Maybe so, but this is the monster that I used to defeat Kayu! And here's how! I activate the effect of Barrel Dragon, spinning all three of its barrels! And if at least two of them are fully charged, then I can blast one of your monsters to pieces! So start up your Proton Blast, Barrel Dragon!"

All three of the bright blue chambers began to spin, building up energy, when the left cannon fizzled out, but the head stabilized, leaving the right cannon as the deciding factor.

"This is it, come on…" said Anthony, the world seemingly moving in slow motion, until the right laser stabilized, and both active cannons shot blue lasers that destroyed Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon.

"No!" screamed Denki, hands on his head as his strongest monster exploded into pixels.

"Now I'll have Barrel Dragon attack your other monster! Open fire!"

The Machine-type fired all three of its guns, and the monster was revealed to be Lightning Conger, a green electric eel with yellow fins and several horns in the shape of lightning bolts (LV 3: DEF 750). The Thunder-type was easily blown apart by the attack, as Denki growled.

"That's it for me. Your move, Denki!"

Denki drew, and activated his card right away. "First, I'll play Pot of Greed," he said, drawing two cards, cackling as he saw what he had drawn. "Now I'll set one monster, and activate a card called Electromagnetic Shield!"

A Continuous Spell appeared, with a picture of Batteryman AA in a defensive pose, surrounded by a white shield with blue electricity. "Now my level three or lower Thunder-type monsters in defense mode can't be destroyed by battle! And with that, I end my turn!" Denki's smirk widened: his face-down monster, Mega Thunderball, was now invincible in battle as long as it was in defense mode, so all he needed to do was draw a card like Raimei, and the match was his. And since the effect of Barrel Dragon was luck-based, he didn't have much to worry about.

"I draw, and I activate my own Continuous Spell, Second Coin Toss!"

A card showing a man dropping coins and Goblin of Greed picking them up appeared, as Anthony pointed at the face-down monster. "Now I activate the effect of my Barrel Dragon, and I select your monster as the target!"

All three of the chambers spun, but only the one on its head managed to stabilize, as Denki laughed. "Perfect! My monster is safe!"

"Not exactly," said Anthony, as his card began to glow. "You see, I should probably explain the effect of my monster a bit better. When I activate the effect of Barrel Dragon, I pick a target, and then flip a coin three times, shown as the monster charging its weapons. If at least two results are heads, then the monster is destroyed."

"So?"

"So, once per turn, Second Coin Toss lets me negate an effect that has a coin toss and redo it! Now, Barrel Dragon's guns are charged up again! Proton Blast!"

The three chambers spun again, and this time, it was the opposite of the previous result: the head fizzled out, but the hands were charged, as Barrel Dragon shot both charged guns, the face-down monster exploding into pixels as Denki began to panic, as he was wide open, and his life points were a thousand less than the attack points of Barrel Dragon. He had lost.

"Sorry, Denki, but I don't have a choice. This duel is over! Barrel Dragon, attack directly!"

Three proton blasts hit Denki, followed by a blast of the dark lightning (Denki: 1000-0 LP)(Winner: Anthony). As the duel ended, Denki's eyes returned to their normal colors, as he managed to choke out a "Help me," before he was dragged into the shadows, with Anthony unable to do anything. As the darkness began to fade away, he only hoped that Kaku and Totaku won their duels.

* * *

 **Yes, once again, due to being busy, I've had to split this chapter in two. I really hope that this won't become a regular thing.  
**

 **But besides that, we get a look at Genho's new powers! I'll go over them in more detail next time. Starpion out!**

 **Edit 10/15/2019: edited the duel due to an error with Damage Polarizer.**


	82. Unfriendly Faces, Part 2

As Kaku found herself in a world of darkness, she involuntarily flinched, bad memories of her short time in the Shadow Realm flooding back, ones she had no intention of reliving. Across from her stood Ketsugo, who was shuffling her cards. Kaku pushed aside her nerves and glared at her former ally, shuffling her own cards.

"Once you're taken care of, the three of us will have little trouble dealing with the remainder of Kikai," said Ketsugo. "Even that Spellcaster user will find herself outmatched."

"The only one who's going to lose is you, Suru!" shouted Kaku, drawing five cards, with Ketsugo pursing her lips as she did the same, and just like that, the duel was on.

(Kaku: 4000 LP)(Ketsugo: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" said Kaku, drawing her card. "I'll set one monster and end my turn!" As the horizontal card appeared, a purple string ran from it to Kaku, who cocked an eyebrow, while Ketsugo smirked, the Shadow Game having begun.

"As expected from you," said Ketsugo as she drew a card. "But my deck has been vastly improved! I activate an old favorite, Fusion Sage, letting me add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand!"

The card in question popped out of Ketsugo's deck, the former To general adding it to her hand, before she activated it right away. "And now I'll use my Polymerization, to fuse Versago the Destroyer and Worm Drake, to Fusion Summon Humanoid Worm Drake, using Versago as a substitute for Humanoid Slime!"

Two monsters appeared on Ketsugo's field. One was Versago the Destroyer, a fiend with a hairy black body wrapped in green bandages, a blue mask with yellow eyes peering behind it, and four purple arms that were thin and wavy like ribbons, ending in sharp claws (LV 3: ATK 1100). The other was Worm Drake, a monster that looked like a green and yellow striped worm with red orbs and spikes running along its body and a small pair of wings, and a sharp-toothed mouth that held an eye on a stalk (LV 4: ATK 1400). Inside the body of Versago appeared a copy of Humanoid Slime, a blue slime in the shape of a human that wore a golden piece of armor (LV 4: ATK 800), as both monsters swirled together, and fused into a new monster. This new Fusion Monster was a blue-green creature made out of slime, with an angular beak-shaped head that held a green eye, a tentacle for a left arm and a normal right arm, a pair of wings, and a long tail in place of legs (LV 7: ATK 2200). As a purple line attached itself to Ketsugo, she slapped another card on her Duel Disk.

"And next, I summon my Warrior Dai Grepher!"

The powerful warrior appeared besides the Fusion Monster, a magical thread connecting him with his controller (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Humanoid Worm Drake, destroy her face-down monster!"

The Aqua-type flew over to the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal Poison Mummy (LV 4: DEF 1800).

"Perfect!" said Kaku. "When Poison Mummy is flipped, you take five hundred points of damage!"

The Zombie-type exhaled its toxic red breath, Ketsugo coughing as the gas reached her (Ketsugo: 4000-3500 LP). This did nothing to impede Humanoid Worm Drake, as it wrapped its tentacles around Poison Mummy and lifted it into the air, before slamming it down, the Flip Monster shattering into pixels, as the thread snapped, Kaku shrieking in pain, before she managed to calm down.

"What…was that!?" she managed to get out.

"The effect of this Shadow Game!" said Ketsugo. "Whenever a monster is destroyed, their controller feels their pain! And now, Dai Grepher will attack directly!"

Kaku flinched as the sword came towards her, but to her relief, he merely punched her, although it still hurt (Kaku: 4000-2300 LP).

"Now I end my turn!"

Kaku pouted as she looked at her hand, which didn't look that great, so she was relieved to see what she had drawn. "I activate Magical Mallet! Now I can shuffle any number of cards from my hand back into my deck and draw new cards! And I'll send back my whole hand!"

As Kaku sent back her hand, she drew five new cards, her hand considerably better. "Now I'll end my turn with one monster and one other card face-down!" And per the rules of the Shadow Game, the magic string linked Kaku and her monster, as Ketsugo drew her next card.

"I discard my King of the Swamps in order to use its effect, adding Polymerization from my deck to my hand!"

Another monster briefly appeared, taking the form of a head and two arms made of green mud (LV 3: ATK 500), as Ketsugo pulled a card out of her deck, although when she revealed it briefly, Kaku noticed something fishy.

"That card you added wasn't Polymerization!"

"No, but it was Fusion Substitute, which counts as Polymerization! So now, I summon my Spirit Ryu!"

The blue Eastern dragon appeared, roaring as it was linked with Ketsugo (LV 4: ATK 1000), as Ketsugo played a Spell Card that depicted the card Polymerization without the monsters inside it, said monsters being pulled into the card by means of a red and blue vortex, the same card that she had added to her hand with King of the Swamp.

"Now I activate Fusion Substitute, letting me Fusion Summon a monster using monsters I control! So I fuse Warrior Dai Grepher and Spirit Ryu to Fusion Summon Ryu Senshi!"

Both monsters fused together, and a new monster was formed. This new monster was a man who wore a purple mask that looked like Spirit Ryu, the tail hanging behind his head, with his eyes visible behind a visor, but his mouth covered by a gold plate. He wore a leather piece of armor that looked like a tank top, with shoulder pads that looked like dragon wings, and black leather bracers, with tattoos on the backs of his hands, and leather pants, with a kilt resembling dragon wings wrapped around his waist. In his right hand, he held a double-bladed sword, a double-edged blade made of glowing blue metal on either side of the hilt (LV 6: ATK 2000). The link between Ryu Senshi and Ketsugo was made as soon as he appeared, as the white-eyed duelist pointed at Kaku's monster.

"And now, Ryu Senshi will destroy your face-down monster with Dragon Double Slash!"

As the Warrior-type began to run towards the face-down monster, blade in hand, Kaku activated her face-down card. "Nice try, Suru, but I activate Mirror Force! Now both of your monsters are about to be destroyed!"

But to the surprise of the maid, Ryu Senshi slowed to a stop and began to spin his blade, his tattoos glowing as a blue dragon made of spiritual energy came out of the spinning blade (Ketsugo: 3500-2500 LP).

"I don't think so, Ei! I use the effect of Ryu Senshi, paying a thousand life points to negate your Normal Trap and destroy it!"

The dragon bit down on Mirror Force, destroying it, as the Fusion Monster continued his attack, with the monster flipping up to reveal Night Assailant, a monster that was wearing a black cloak and mask, with ghostly blue arms wearing golden bracers sticking out, holding a kris, looking like the ghost of Gravekeeper's Assailant (LV 2: DEF 500).

"When Night Assailant is flipped," said Kaku, "I can destroy one of your monsters! And I pick the stronger of the two, Humanoid Worm Drake!"

The Fiend-type swung her sword, a ghostly slash cutting through Humanoid Worm Drake as Ketsugo grunted, and Ryu Senshi finally reached his target, slicing her up with two slashes from his weapon, one with each blade, as Kaku cried out in pain.

"Is…that it?"

"Almost," said Ketsugo as she pulled out the top two cards of her Graveyard, putting one in a side pocket and one in the pocket holding her Fusion Deck, before she drew a card, with Humanoid Worm Drake appearing, being sucked into a red and blue portal. "I banish Fusion Substitute from the Graveyard to return Humanoid Worm Drake to my Fusion Deck and draw one card, and that should do!"

"Then it's my turn," said Kaku, drawing her card. "I set a monster, then activate Book of Taiyou, flipping it into attack mode!"

The monster flipped up to reveal Slate Warrior, who cracked its stone knuckles as its strength increased and the link was formed between it and its master (LV 4: ATK 1900-2400).

"And when Slate Warrior is flipped, then it gains five hundred attack and defense points, so now it's strong enough to destroy your Ryu Senshi!"

Slate Warrior was quick to jump over to the Fusion Monster and punch him in the face, destroying him as Ketsugo winced (Ketsugo: 2500-2100 LP).

"Now I'm in the lead, Suru!" said Kaku. "And I end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" said Ketsugo, who smirked as she saw what she had drawn. "And I activate Dark Hole, which destroys all monsters in play! So say your goodbyes to Slate Warrior!"

As the black hole appeared and Slate Warrior was pulled in, Kaku felt herself being pulled forward, and screamed in pain as her monster was crushed into oblivion.

"Now I summon the mighty Cave Dragon to protect my life points!"

As Cave Dragon appeared, swinging its spiked tail, the purple string connected it with Ketsugo (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"Count yourself lucky, Ei, as Cave Dragon can't attack if I don't control another Dragon-type monster. I end my turn."

"Then I draw, and I set a monster. That's it for me." And as Kaku's monster appeared and the link was formed, Ketsugo drew.

"I play Graceful Charity," she said, drawing three new cards before she smiled wider than Kaku had ever seen her smile, unnerving the younger duelist, as she discarded two cards, then opened the Field Spell Zone and slid in her new card, one that had a picture of a purple portal and a green cyberspace landscape, a swirling purple portal appearing above the two duelists, which, given their location, was hard to see.

"Now I activate the Field Spell known as Fusion Gate! As long as this card is in play, both of us can Fusion Summon monsters without the use of cards like Polymerization, provided that we banish the necessary monsters instead of sending them to the Graveyard. So now, I can fuse the Cave Dragon on my field with the Lesser Fiend in my hand, and create the instrument of your destruction, Fiend Skull Dragon!"

"Oh crap!" said Kaku as a yellow cat-headed monster with four arms (LV 5: ATK 2100) joined Cave Dragon, and the two swirled together to form the mighty Fiend Skull Dragon, who was soon linked with Ketsugo (LV 5: ATK 2000).

"And Fiend Skull Dragon negates the effects of Flip Monsters, which are the backbone of your deck! Fiend Conflagration!"

The Dragon-type shot a purple fireball at the face-down monster, which turned out to be Man-Eater Bug (LV 2: DEF 600), and who was destroyed, Kaku screaming in pain, feeling like she was the one who was set on fire.

"Now I end my turn!"

"Then I draw…and set a monster, before ending my turn," said Kaku, all the while glaring at her opponent, who simply glared back as she drew.

"Fiend Conflagration!"

Fiend Skull Dragon shot another blast of fire, the monster flipping up to reveal Princess of Tsurugi, a princess with blond hair, pink robes, and a green headband with antlers that had knives hanging from them, as she held knives in her hands and sat on a throne of swords (LV 3: DEF 700). She was swiftly destroyed, and Kaku shrieked in pain again.

"That's enough for now. I end my turn!"

Kaku drew, and sighed, her poor luck really dragging her down. "I set a monster before ending my turn."

Ketsugo drew, and immediately played her new card. "I activate Tribute to the Doomed, discarding a card to destroy your face-down monster!"

As Ketsugo slipped the card into her Graveyard, the face-down monster was dragged into the sandpit by bandages.

"Now you're wide open for Fiend Skull Dragon to attack directly!"

Kaku flinched as the flames of the Fusion Monster surrounded her, although they never made contact, thank goodness (Kaku: 2300-300 LP).

"My turn is over, and next turn, you'll find yourself taking my place in the Shadow Realm!"

"I've already been there once," replied Kaku, pushing up her glasses. "And I have no intention of going back there!" She then put her hand on her deck. "And unlike you, I'll be keeping my promise to Yue! I draw! And I activate Pot of Greed!"

As Kaku drew two new cards, she inwardly smirked, her luck beginning to finally turn around when she really needed it to. "Now I set one monster and one other card. Take your best shot!"

"I will!" said Ketsugo, drawing her next card. "Especially considering any Trap Card that targets Fiend Skull Dragon is negated and destroyed!"

"Then it's a good thing that this Trap Card doesn't target," said Kaku, activating the card in question. "I activate A Feint Plan, preventing you from attacking face-down monsters this turn!"

"Not that it matters, seeing as the effects of your Flip Monsters are worthless as long as Fiend Skull Dragon is active! I end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Kaku, her plan set in motion. "And I Flip Summon my Swarm of Scarabs!"

"What good will that do if the effects of all your monsters have been negated?" asked Ketsugo, as Kaku's monster flipped up to reveal a swarm of scarab beetles (LV 3: ATK 500), but to her horror, they began to crawl over her monster.

"True, but Swarm of Scarabs isn't a Flip Monsters, although it does have an effect that's initiated when it flips up," explained Kaku. "Now I can destroy one of your monsters!"

Ketsugo could only look on in horror, as her mighty Fusion Monster was swarmed by the Insect-type, and she flinched.

"If you do want a Flip Monster, here's one! I summon Rigorous Reaver!"

The scythe-swinging scarecrow joined the scarab swarm (LV 3: ATK 1600), as Kaku pointed at Ketsugo.

"Attack!"

The Swarm of Scarabs swarmed Ketsugo, who freaked out, desperately kicking off the beetles (Ketsugo: 2100-1600 LP), only to be knocked to the ground by a punch from Rigorous Reaver, giving Kaku the well-deserved win (Ketsugo: 1600-0 LP)(Winner: Kaku). Eyes returning to normal, Ketsugo screamed as she was dragged back into the shadows, while Kaku hoped that Totaku was doing fine herself.

~KD~

As Totaku found herself surrounded by shadows, she began to look around in a panic. Behind her was Ryofu and Choryo, who looked calmer about the situation, and right in front of her was Kayu, grinning as she stared at the maid with her blank white eyes, her Chaos Duel Disk shuffling her cards. Totaku put on her brace face as she began to shuffle her own cards.

"I don't want to do this, Miyabi, but it's not like there's much of a choice. Let's duel!"

"That's the idea, Yue! My Reptile-types are ready to send you to the shadows!" said Kayu, with Ryofu and Choryo frowning.

"Don't let her get to you, Yue!" called Choryo, Ryofu nodding in agreement. "We're with you all the way!"

"Thank you, Shia, Ren," said Totaku, as both duelists drew five cards, and the duel began.

(Kayu: 4000 LP)(Totaku: 4000 LP)

"I'll go first!" announced Kayu, drawing her sixth card. "For now, I'll just set a monster."

"Then it's my move," said Totaku, drawing a card. "I summon Gigantic Cephalotus!"

Her monster took the form of what looked like a fusion between a Venus flytrap and a carnivorous dinosaur. It was mostly green, with a wide open orange mouth that had pink teeth, an orange tail sticking out of its back, petals around its torso, and clawed feet with leaves sticking out of its knees (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Gigantic Cephalotus, attack!"

The monster roared and charged the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal a monster called Gale Lizard, a monster that looked like an orange wyvern with a yellow head and huge wings (LV 4: DEF 700), which began to flap its wings, even as the Plant-type bit it. A gust of wind blew Cephalotus back as the Reptile-type shattered, as it vanished, the card popping off Totaku's Duel Disk.

"What's going on?" asked Totaku.

"That's the Flip Effect of my monster!" explained Kayu. "When Gale Lizard is flipped face-up, it blows one of your monsters back into your hand! Now you're wide open!"

"Not good," said Ryofu, as Totaku looked through her hand.

"I'll set these two cards and end my turn, then."

Kayu smirked as she drew, slapping a card onto her Monster Zone. "I summon Armored Lizard to the field!"

The blue lizard appeared and hissed at Totaku (LV 4: ATK 1500), as Kayu pointed at the blue-haired maid.

"Armored Lizard, attack directly!"

The Reptile-type obeyed its master, running up to Totaku and biting her right arm, as she cried out in pain (Totaku: 4000-2500 LP). Ryofu gasped in horror, and Choryo snarled, only for her eyes to go wide as she saw Totaku's legs turn to stone.

"What the fuck!?"

Totaku looked down, and almost screamed when she saw what happened, as Kayu smirked. "This is the effect of the Shadow Game! Whenever we lose life points, our bodies will slowly turn to stone! And now, I end my turn by setting a card!"

Totaku uneasily drew her next card and began her turn. "I summon back Gigantic Cephalotus!"

The mighty monster returned to the field, snarling (LV 4: ATK 1850), as Kayu played her face-down card, showing a duelist wearing a Slifer Red jacket shielding himself from an explosion, a huge snake behind him.

"I play my Continuous Trap, Damage = Reptile!" said Kayu. "Now once per turn, if I take battle damage from a battle involving a Reptile-type monster, I can Special Summon a Reptile-type from my deck, as long as it has equal or less attack points than the damage I took!"

'Like Lord Anthony's Damage Condenser,' thought Totaku. "Attack, Gigantic Cephalotus!"

The Plant-type ran up to Armored Lizard and grabbed it in its jaws, crushing it into pixels, as Kayu's feet turned into rock (Kayu: 4000-3650 LP). Despite this, Kayu smirked as her card began to glow.

"Now the effect of Damage = Reptile activates, and I Special Summon my Sinister Serpent!"

As this happened, Totaku activated a face-down card, which had a flower losing its petals, and the petals exploding. "And I activate Blossom Bombardment, dealing damage to you equal to the attack points of your destroyed monster!"

The Trap Card shot out a flurry of red petals that exploded on impact, leaving Kayu as a statue up to her waist (Kayu: 3650-2150 LP). As this happened, a green snake with wings flew out of Damage = Reptile (LV 1: DEF 250).

"I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I tribute Sinister Serpent to Tribute Summon my Spawn Alligator!"

The smaller Reptile-type faded away, and in its place appeared an anthropomorphic alligator with red scales, wearing tan armor (LV 5: ATK 2200).

"Spawn Alligator, destroy her Gigantic Cephalotus!"

The alligator began to run towards the Plant-type on all fours, only for its target to grow (ATK 1850-2350), as Gigantic Cephalotus bit down on its target and destroyed it, as Kayu continued to petrify (Kayu: 2150-2000 LP).

"Sorry, but that was my Plant Food Chain, increasing the attack points of my monster by five hundred!" said Totaku.

"Way to go, Yue!" cheered Choryo.

Kayu snarled. Her monster was gone, and she didn't take enough damage to be able to Special Summon another Reptile-type, and with Spawn Alligator gone, she couldn't use its effect. "I set a card and end my turn."

Totaku drew, and immediately pointed at Kayu. "I'll end this duel right now by attacking directly!"

"You can try," said Kayu, activating her Trap Card, which depicted the women from Waboku creating a blue barrier, the same force field surrounding her. "But it won't do you any good! I discard my Cobraman Sakuzy to activate Hallowed Life Barrier, reducing the damage I take this turn to zero!"

"Okay, I summon my Seed of Flame!"

Totaku summoned a creature that looked like a humanoid flower, but its head was a bright orange flame (LV 3: ATK 1600).

"Now I set a card and end my turn," said Totaku, her former generals, at least those in their right minds, concerned about her, especially considering the evil laugh that Kayu gave as she drew her next card, abstaining from using the effect of Sinister Serpent.

"You may have been my lord, but it's time to show you how outclassed you really are! I summon Drooling Lizard!"

A yellow serpantman appeared, tongue sticking out of its mouth as it leered at Totaku, who whimpered a little, Choryo and Ryofu not backing down (LV 3: ATK 900).

"And now, I banish every Reptile-type monster on my side of the field and in my Graveyard to Special Summon my greatest monster, Evil Dragon Ananta!"

As the Reptile-type disappeared, the huge hydra appeared, six heads ready to rip apart any opposition (LV 8: ATK ?-3600).

"So…big," said Ryofu, in awe of its size.

"No kidding," said Choryo. "Yue better watch herself against a monster like that."

"Now attack! Coiled Chaos!"

Totaku flinched as the Reptile-type tore into her Seed of Flame, her body becoming more and more stone (Totaku: 2500-500 LP), as she managed to activate her face-down, which showed a flower shooting a barrage of seeds, as a similar flower sprouted on her field.

"I activate Sinister Seeds, Special Summoning a Sinister Seed Token for each five hundred points of damage I took! And since a Plant-type was sent to the Graveyard, Gigantic Cephalotus gains two hundred attack points!"

As the mighty plant beast became even stronger, the flower shot four seeds before it disappeared, each seed growing into a flower (LV 1: DEF 100).

"Then I end my turn, and with the effect of Ananta, I'll destroy one of your tokens!" said Kayu, the Reptile-type ripping apart one of Totaku's tokens, as Ryofu looked worried, only for Choryo to wrap her arm around her friend.

"Relax, Ren," said Choryo, "Yue's got this in the bag." 'I hope.'

"I draw, and I switch my Cephalotus into defense mode, then set a monster. That's all for me." (DEF 700)

"Then I draw, and I summon Gagagigo to the field!"

A green lizardman with spikes on his body and golden bracers and greaves appeared, ready for battle (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"Gagagigo, attack! Rip apart her Gigantic Cephalotus!"

The monster snarled and jumped over to the Plant-type, clawing at it as it shattered into pixels.

"And now, Evil Dragon Ananta will destroy another of your Sinister Seed Tokens!"

As the Reptile-type ripped apart another token, this time in battle, Totaku, or at least her unpetrified arms and head, began to shudder, as Ryofu felt the need to reassure her friend.

"You can do this, Yue! We believe in you!"

"Yeah, don't give up just yet!" added Choryo. "Miyabi may have the lead right now, but that can change! You can't let her get inside your head!"

'They're right,' thought Totaku. 'Miyabi might be my friend, and I'm sure that under normal circumstances, this duel wouldn't be happening, but right now, I need to beat her. I'm sorry, Miyabi.'

"What's wrong, have you finally given up?" asked Kayu, and Totaku shook her head.

"No, I'm still able to duel."

"Good! I end my turn, and use the effect of Evil Dragon Ananta to destroy your face-down monster!" Ananta ripped into the face-down, and Totaku sent her Grass Phantom to the Graveyard before she drew.

'Violet Witch,' thought Totaku. 'This monster will let me search my deck for a Plant-type with 1500 or less defense points, but only if she's destroyed by battle, and with two Sinister Seed Tokens, Miyabi will probably just destroy them in battle, then have her Ananta destroy her with its effect. But maybe…yes! This card!'

"Are you going to hurry up and make your move? I'm getting bored!"

"Here we go! I set a monster, then activate Super Solar Nutrient!"

Totaku activated a Spell Card that had a blue planet with a smiley face orbiting a sun that had two fierce yellow eyes and prominences in the shape of arms, as a ray of sunlight pierced the darkness and came down on one of the Tokens, which began to glow and change shape.

"With this card, I can tribute a level two or lower Plant-type monster, then Special Summon a Plant-type from my hand or deck, who's level is less than or equal to the tribute's level plus three!"

"And since her token was level one, thag means that she can bring out any Plant-type that's level four or lower," said Choryo, Ryofu giving a small smile.

"Go, Yue!"

"I tribute my Sinister Seed Token to Special Summon Dreamsprite from my deck!"

The light faded away, revealing a blue-skinned sprite with long tangerine hair, and wings of the same color (LV 2: DEF 200).

"And that's it for me!"

"A weak monster like that is the best you can do? I'm disappointed!" said Kayu, drawing her next card. "It's a real shame. I thought that you would've been a great leader, but if this is the extent of your dueling skills, then maybe I was wrong!"

"You take that back," said Ryofu evenly, trembling with rage.

"Yeah, nobody disses Yue like that, especially you, Miyabi!" added Choryo.

"It's fine, girls," said Totaku, not letting the insults get to her. "Make your move, Miyabi."

"With pleasure! I play Raimei, dealing three hundred points of damage!"

A lightning bolt struck Totaku, who screamed in pain as her neck turned to stone (Totaku: 500-200 LP).

"And now, Gagagigo! Destroy her last token!"

The Reptile-type obeyed and ran up to the token, biting down on it and shattering it.

"And now, my Evil Dragon Ananta will take down Dreamsprite with Coiled Chaos!"

The six-headed serpent reared back its heads, and all six of them lunged forward, only for red bubbles to appear in the hand of the Plant-type, who blew them into the faces of the Reptile-type, which stopped in its tracks, much to the confusion of its controller.

"What is your monster doing to mine?" asked Kayu, as Evil Dragon Ananta turned towards the face-down monster.

"When Dreamsprite is targeted for an attack, I pick another monster for your monster to attack, and the monster I pick is my face-down monster, the only option!"

The Reptile-type lunged at the face-down monster, fangs bared, as the monster flipped up to reveal a witch with gray skin, pointed ears, and long black hair, wearing a purple robe with leaves on the arms, sleeve openings that looked like flowers, and a wooden staff (LV 4: DEF 1200). She was destroyed by the attack, as Totaku began to look through her deck.

"By destroying my Violet Witch in battle, you've let me add a Plant-type monster with 1500 or less defense points from my deck to my hand! And I have the perfect one in mind…" She briefly flipped it towards Kayu, revealing it to be Lonefire Blossom, before adding it to her hand and shuffling her cards.

"Then I end my turn, and use the effect of Evil Dragon Ananta to destroy your Dreamsprite!"

As Evil Dragon Ananta coiled its heads around Dreamsprite and constricting her until she shattered, Super Solar Nutrient shattering alongside her, Totaku drew, and beamed from ear to ear as she saw what she had drawn. The duel was hers, no question.

"First, I summon Lonefire Blossom!"

The explosive flower blossomed onto the field (LV 3: ATK 500), as the fuse on the bulb began to shrink.

"Now I use the effect of Lonefire Blossom, tributing it to Special Summon Gigaplant from my deck!"

As the FIRE monster exploded, the much larger plant grew in its place, letting out a fierce cry as it reached the same height as Evil Dragon Ananta (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Stronger than her Gagagigo…" said Ryofu.

"But not strong enough to defeat me!" said Kayu.

"Not yet," said Totaku, activating her newly drawn card. Kayu's eyebrow rose as she heard this comment, as a Spell Card depicting many thorny vines ending in vicious sharp-toothed heads appeared, a red glow surrounding the Plant-type as it shrieked, increasing in size, as Kayu's eyes widened and her jaw hung open (ATK 2400-3900).

"Wha-Wha-Wha-WHAT!? How is your monster so much stronger now? What card was that!?"

"Raging Mad Plants," explained Totaku, "increasing the attack points of each of my Plant-type monsters on the field by three hundred for each Plant-type in my Graveyard, only for it them to be destroyed when the turn ends. And since I have five Plant-types in my Graveyard, my Gigaplant gains 1500 attack points!"

"Yeah, take her down, Yue!" cheered Choryo, jumping into the air with her fist raised, as Kayu could only stare in horror, her legs made of rock and unable to move.

"Gigaplant, attack Gagagigo! Floral Feeding!"

The huge mouth of Gigaplant opened, vines constricting Gagagigo and pulling it into the mouth of the Gemini Monster, which snapped its mouth shut, destroying the Normal Monster (Kayu: 2000-0 LP)(Winner: Totaku).

"That was awesome, Yue! You kicked major ass!" cheered Choryo, as she and Ryofu ran up to their friend, who was turning back to normal.

"NO!" screamed Kayu, as suddenly, her eyes returned to normal, as she slowly began to petrify. "Please, help me, Yue! I can't go back there!"

The three members of Anthony's peerage could only watch in horror, unable to stop her from going to the Shadow Realm, and not, they didn't know how. "We can't, at least not right now," said Totaku, regret evident in her voice. "But I promise, we will stop the one who gave you your powers. And we will free you, along with Rai and Suru. We promise."

Kayu smiled genuinely, and tears streamed down her face as she turned to stone. "Thank you," were the last words that escaped her mouth before she turned into a statue, and the three non-statues felt themselves being pulled out of the darkness.

~KD~

With the three Shadow Games over, the five duelists soon found themselves back in the infirmary, in the same places that they were in when they began. The three zombified generals were gone, with even the stone shards that once made up the body of Kayu gone. Immediately, Totaku and Kaku hugged each other, each glad that the other had won their duel.

"You beat Miyabi! Amazing!" said Kaku, a rare smile on her face.

"I couldn't lose when my friends were depending on me," said Totaku, as she looked over at Anthony, his girlfriends practically squeezing the life out of him, overjoyed that he had won. Eventually, the hugging came to an end, a somber atmosphere filling the room.

"So, the White Clothes has some new tricks up their sleeves," said Anthony, his eyes trailing to the side, as the other four turned to see what he was looking at: the comatose twins, Daikyo and Shokyo. "I need to set up a meeting to discuss current events, and to figure out what to do with these two."

~KD~

"Gah!"

Genho gripped the sides of his head as a sharp pain rang through it.

"Master Saji, are you alright?" asked Ukitsu.

"Fine," said Genho. "It seems like my revived minions have failed. No matter, I'll simply try again at a later date. For now, order our recruiters to return with their recruits, and that I would like to speak with the four who have history with our enemy."

"Right away," said Ukitsu, leaving as Genho rubbed his temples, the excruciating pain slowly numbing.

'You may have won the battle, Lord Calem, but I intend to win the war.'

* * *

 **I'm so sorry about the late upload! I'll try to get chapter 83 out within six days to make up for it.**

 **Anyway, the powers of Genho. Alongside his teleportation, he can revive people from the Shadow Realm, so long as they were sent there by him or his minions, and doing so causes great physical strain. That's all from me, Starpion out!**


	83. Double Trouble

"Do you why we were called here, big sis?" asked Chohi, as she, Kan'u, and every other member of Anthony's peerage was in the throne room, while the lord himself, Totaku, Kaku, Ryofu, and Choryo were notably absent.

"I don't know," said Kan'u, who Anthony had come to personally. "He didn't give a reason, just that it was urgent. This is highly unusual for him."

"And I notice that some of us, him included, are missing," said Choun, looking around.

"Everyone from To," said Shokatsuryo, fiddling with the ends of her skirt. "What's happening?"

"Looks like we're gonna find out," said Bacho, as Anthony walked into the room, flanked by Totaku and Kaku, as they joined the crowd.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Kochu with a stern expression, as Anthony stood in front of his throne and cleared his throat.

"You're probably all wondering why I summoned you all here."

"Yeah, what's up with the secrecy?" asked Bacho.

"And where are Ren and Shia?" asked Soso, arms crossed.

"I'll get to the second question, and as for the first, we're going to have to be on high alert for a while."

"What do you mean, 'high alert?'" asked Kakoton.

"Well, just an hour or so ago, we learned that the White Clothes has a new trick…that being reviving souls lost to the Shadow Realm and having them fight for them."

A stunned silence filled the room, with some nervous whispers breaking out, when Kan'u spoke up. "What are you talking about?"

"Ei and I were visiting the infirmary," said Totaku, "when suddenly, Miyabi broke out of the stone she had become and Rai and Suru were walking about. But they had these pure white eyes, and while they acted like themselves, they were moving weird, and said that they had been freed to destroy Kikai."

"We won, obviously," said Kaku.

"But, Ren and Shia-" said Shokatsuryo.

"-are completely safe," said Anthony. "Which brings me to the second part. Right now, Ren and Shia are taking the twins, Daikyo and Shokyo, to the dungeon. They'll be put into cells and guarded, and their Duel Disks have been confiscated."

"Sounds a little extreme," said Sonken.

"Maybe," said Anthony with a sigh, "but we can't take any risks. The White Clothes are extremely dangerous. I want everyone to BE CAREFUL. Also, I'll be making a schedule for guard duty. Dismissed everyone. And please, be safe."

As the room began to clear out, conversation breaking out between the peerage members, Kan'u went up to Anthony. "Don't worry. I'm sure that we can handle anything that the White Clothes sends our way."

"For all our sakes, I hope that you're right, Aisha," said Anthony, when he saw Bunshu drag Ganryo by the arm over to the two of them, the purple-haired girl muttering in pain and annoyance. "Uh, may I help you, Ishe?"

"Um, we were wondering-"

"You were wondering," corrected Ganryo.

"-if the two of us could handle guard duty."

Anthony raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Look, I know that we picked the servant job so that we could be with Reiha, but I'm dying for a little action! Even if we end up just standing around! Pleeeeease?"

Kan'u turned to Anthony. "It's not a horrible idea. With us generals out patrolling the city, it makes sense to have other skilled duelists take over this task."

"You have a point," said Anthony, turning to the servants from En. "Ren and Shia will be taking this task for the rest of the day, and I'll have some soldiers take the night shift, but you can guard the cells tomorrow. Deal?"

"Yes!" cheered Bunshu. "Awesome! Thank you, Lord Anthony!"

"I guess that it will beat manual labor," said Ganryo.

"Then it's decided."

~KD~

"Guard duty?" asked Ensho, with her and her friends alone in their quarters.

"Yeah, and I can't wait!" said Bunshu, flipping through her cards. "It'll be great to bust out my old armor again!"

"But, what if you two run into trouble?" asked Ensho. "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you!"

"We'll be extra careful," said Ganryo, turning to Bunshu. "Right, Ishe?"

"Yeah, totally!" said Bunshu, but neither of her friends looked very confident. "Oh, come on, Reiha! Toshi and I can handle ourselves in a duel just fine! We promise, nothing bad will happen to us."

"Are you sure?" said Ensho.

"Promise!" said Bunshu, putting her hand on her heart, with Ganryo doing the same, as Ensho smiled.

"If you insist."

~KD~

Come early morning the next day, Anthony was fast asleep in his bed with Kakoen, the two of them hugging in their sleep, when a loud and rapid knock on the door rang out, jerking the two awake as Anthony fell out of bed.

"Oof!" he grunted, thankful that his room was carpeted, as Kakoen sat up and looked over him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Anthony, giving the general a thumbs-up, as he scrambled to his feet and went to put on his jacket and shoes, while Kakoen changed out of her nightwear.

*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

"Who's knocking at such an unearthly hour?" asked Kakoen as she slipped her shoes on, and handed Anthony his hat and glasses as he walked past her, her boyfriend thanking her as he put them on.

"I think I know," he said, unlocking the door and opening it to reveal Bunshu and Ganryo, both decked out in their old golden armor and their Duel Disks. "Hey girls."

"Hi, Lord Anthony!" said Bunshu. "Just letting you know that we're ready!"

Ganryo peeked in the room and smiled as she saw Kakoen. "Hi, Shuran!" she said with a wave.

Kakoen yawned before greeting her friend. "Good morning, Toshi. May I ask why the two of you are here, and in your armor?"

"We're gonna guard those twin girls from Go!" said Bunshu, evidently much more enthusiastic about her task than Ganryo. "It'll be like we're generals again! Well, later!" As the two left, Kakoen found herself staring at where they were, before she turned to Anthony.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Hey, Ishe and Toshi can handle themselves. The two of them didn't make it into the semifinals of the En Tournament by being incompetent, did they? And besides, they aren't the ones that I'm concerned about."

~KD~

"We're here!" announced Bunshu loudly, startling the guards who stood by the cells. The twins were in seperate cells, laying on their beds, with two guards by the doors. One of them walked up to the two.

"Alright," he said, fishing keys out of his pocket. "Watch them periodically, and make sure they don't get out."

"Doubt they'll even wake up," snarked the other guard, with the first guard leering at him before turning back to the girls, holding out two keys.

"This key will unlock the cell for Daikyo, and this one, Shokyo," explained the guard, pointing to each key as he explained which cell it belonged to, with Bunshu taking the key for Shokyo, and Ganryo, Daikyo. The guards left the two of them, presumably to get some rest, as Bunshu stood in front of Shokyo's cell, intently staring at the comatose performer.

"Alright, Shokyo, don't start any trouble, and there won't be any trouble."

"You're talking to somebody who doesn't have a soul," said Ganryo. "I don't think she's even capable of causing trouble."

"Hey, you heard Lord Anthony, Toshi, these girls could get back up at any time. Besides, even if I just stand here for a couple hours, at least I'll really feel like a general again."

~KD~

"Good morning, Master Saji," greeted a few of Genho's minions, who he walked past without even acknowledging. He opened the door to the room that held the Millenium Mirror, where Ukitsu bowed.

"Greetings, Master Saji."

"Ukitsu, how long until our new recruits will arrive?"

"It's hard to say," said Ukitsu, as Genho walked up to the mirror.

"Well then, I suppose that now is as good a time as any to use my new powers again. The more that I use them, the more that I'll grow accustomed to them, and perhaps some fruitful results will come of it." He placed his hand on the spherical section of the mirror, his tattoo and eyes glowing, and he began to laugh as he once more used his powers.

~KD~

About an hour had passed, with Bunshu still looking at Shokyo, who unsurprisingly hadn't moved an inch. Ganryo was tapping her foot, before letting out a sigh. "I'm sure that if we didn't take this job, and just stuck with our regular duties, things would be much less boring."

"Hey, I'm not gonna back out!" said Bunshu, although she did wish for a little more excitement. Suddenly, she got what she wanted, as Shokyo was covered in black smoke.

"Holy crap!" said Bunshu, taking a step back, as Ganryo suddenly turned around to see the older sister coated in the same smoke, only for it to disappear, and for Daikyo to sit up straight, eyes opening to reveal pure white orbs that made Ganryo shrink back a bit, as Daikyo looked around.

"Shokyo?" she asked, with the younger sister getting out of her bed and walking to the bars of her cell, looking in at Daikyo.

"Right here, Daikyo. It looks like Lord Anthony had us imprisoned after he beat us."

"Actually, you were in the infirmary, and were moved here yesterday," said Bunshu, with both sisters turning to the green-haired duelist.

"And who are you? Another of Lord Anthony's generals?"

"Servants, but that doesn't mean you should take us lightly!" said Ganryo, with both twins smirking.

"Who you are doesn't matter! We're going to take you down, and then Lord Anthony will follow, as well as anyone who tries to stop us!" shouted Shokyo. "He and his generals will pay for sending us to the Shadow Realm!"

"Fat chance!" said Bunshu, pulling out her key, a good two feet out of Shokyo's reach. "You're locked in those cells, and besides, your cards are under lock and key just like you!"

"Oh, really now?" said Daikyo, as suddenly, their wrists were covered in black smoke, which dissipated to reveal Chaos Duel Disks. Bunshu and Ganryo were stunned by their sudden appearance, which the twins took as the perfect opportunity, each pulling out a hairpin and sticking it into the keyhole of their respective cell, fiddling with them in order to pick the locks, with a pair of soft clicks snapping the girls in gold back into reality.

"Oh no you don't!" screamed Bunshu, grabbing the unlocked cell door of Shokyo as she opened it, and although she was stronger than the younger duelist, there was still a wide enough gap for her to slip out, and Daikyo had no trouble getting out of her cell. However, the twins had another problem now: rather than try and block the door like Bunshu, Ganryo had moved a bit further down the hall, blocking their exit route. And when the twins turned around, they saw Bunshu block the other side. The two of them were boxed in, with the only way they could go being back into the cells.

"Nice thinking, Toshi!" said Bunshu with a grin and a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, Ishe," said Ganryo, before she turned her gaze to the identical twins, who glared back at her. "You have two options, either return to your cells and stay there or deal with us."

"Easy," said Daikyo, unfolding her Duel Disk. "These new cards of mine will crush you!"

"We'll see about that!" said Ganryo.

"Do you think that you're strong enough to stop my Gemini Monsters?" said Shokyo, with Bunshu chuckling.

"Think so? I know so!" said Bunshu, as the decks of all four duelists were covered in purple smoke, and two Shadow Games began.

~KD~

As Ganryo found herself in a world of darkness, she shook off her initial fear and confusion and began to shuffle her cards, the pure white eyes of Daikyo boring into her as her Chaos Duel Disk automatically shuffled her cards.

'My first Shadow Game,' thought Ganryo. 'Let's just hope that I can pull through.'

"I'm ready when you are!" shouted Daikyo, as Ganryo put her deck into its slot and drew her five cards

"Well, I'm ready right now! Let's duel!"

(Ganryo: 4000 LP)(Daikyo: 4000 LP)

"I think that I'll make the first move," said Ganryo, drawing a sixth card. "I set a monster, and another card, then end my turn!"

"So it's my move! I draw, and I summon V-Tiger Jet!"

Daikyo's monster was a jet that had a mostly green body and wings, with two tiger legs made of yellow metal beside the thrusters, and two on the front next to the wings, with a tiger head at the very front (LV 4: ATK 1600). Noticing its metallic appearance, Ganryo suddenly realized something.

"Is that…a Machine-type monster!? I thought that only Lord Anthony had those cards!"

"Well, you thought wrong!" said Daikyo. "I've been gifted with a plethora of powerful Machine-types that are going to blast you to bits!"

'Shadow Games, brainwashing people, making people sent to the Shadow Realm into their minions, access to incredibly rare cards…what else is the White Clothes capable of?' thought Ganryo, as Daikyo played her next card.

"Now I activate my Frontline Base! Now once per turn, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Union Monster from my hand! So I Special Summon W-Wing Catapult!"

A new monster appeared, being a blue jet that had two fuselages connected by a blue strip of metal, each having a fin on top, a wing on the side, and a rack of missiles, with multiple thrusters on the back (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"Let me guess, you're going to equip Wing Catapult to Tiger Jet?"

"Better! I banish both of them to Special Summon VW-Tiger Catapult from my Fusion Deck!"

The Union Monster clicked together, the connecter disappearing, as it retracted the top fins. The Normal Monster lay itself on top of it, the two monsters connected (LV 6: ATK 2000).

"And now, I use the effect of Tiger Catapult, discarding a card to change the battle position of your monster!"

"Wait, what?" said Ganryo, as her monster suddenly flipped up, revealed to be Stone Statue of the Aztecs (LV 4: ATK 300).

"Oh, this should be fun! VW-Tiger Catapult, attack with Heat-Seeker Blitz!"

The tiger head roared, as the Fusion Monster unleashed a fusillade of missiles which closed in on the Rock-type, blowing it to kingdom come, Ganryo shielding her eyes (Ganryo: 4000-2300 LP).

"And I think that I'll end my turn with a face-down card!"

"And I activate my own face-down before you end your turn!" said Ganryo. "I play Rock Bombardment, sending a Rock-type monster from my deck to my Graveyard to deal five hundred points of damage!"

Stone Dragon appeared above Daikyo and broke into pieces, as Daikyo shielded herself, to the best of her abilities, from the gravel raining down on her.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-OW!" said Daikyo, as Ganryo drew.

"Now it's my turn! And I revive the Stone Dragon I just sent to the Graveyard with Silent Doom!"

The large rock dragon appeared, curling its serpentine body (LV 7: DEF 2300).

"Then I'll set a monster, and another card! And that should end my turn!"

"Then it's my move! I draw! And I activate Pot of Greed!"

As Daikyo drew two cards, she began to snicker, worrying Ganryo. "And now, I summon my X-Head Cannon!"

The blue robot appeared, laser cannons aimed at Ganryo (LV 4: ATK 1800), as Daikyo played her face-down card.

"Next I play my Trap Card, Roll Out! Now I equip a Union Monster in my Graveyard to a monster I control! So I equip Y-Dragon Head to X-Head Cannon!"

The red dragon robot appeared before Daikyo (LV 4: ATK 1500), before it fused with X-Head Cannon (ATK 1800-2200).

"And now, I use the effect of Frontline Base to Special Summon Z-Metal Tank!"

The yellow crablike robot rolled onto the field, unveiling its hidden laser cannons (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And next, I'll banish my X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank to Special Summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

The combination of Head Cannon and Dragon Head connected with Metal Tank, the Fusion Monster being formed (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"And now, I'll discard a card to use the effect of Dragon Cannon, destroying your face-down card! Hyper Destruction!"

Five laser blasts were shot at the face-down card, blasting it apart as Ganryo sent her Mirror Force to the Graveyard with a heavy heart.

"At least now you can't use the effects of either of your monsters now!" said Ganryo, her opponent's hand being empty.

"Maybe, but I have one last trick up my sleeve! I banish both of my monsters!"

Suddenly, both Fusion Monsters split into their separate components, before they began to combine into something new, something that towered over even Stone Dragon. W-Wing Catapult split in two, and unfolded into legs, as the back legs of V-Tiger Jet became feet. Y-Dragon Head disconnected its wings and folded down its head and tail, stacking its body on the legs to become the lower body, as X-Head Cannon attached itself, with the wings of Dragon Head attaching to its back. Z-Metal Tank's treads detached and were grabbed by the hands of Head Cannon, becoming clawed arms, and its body, and the body of Tiger Jet, became armor for Head Cannon. The monster was then completed, a giant robot constructed of five different robots, in order to become a weapon of mass destruction (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"What the heck is that thing?" asked Ganryo.

"My best monster, of course! Meet VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon! And now, I activate its effect, banishing one of your cards! Wipe out that Stone Dragon with Ultimate Destruction!"

The two laser cannons on the chest of the mech aimed themselves at the Rock-type and blasted it, with Ganryo putting her card into a pocket.

"And now, I'll attack! And when Dragon Catapult Cannon attacks, I can change the battle position of the target!"

Ganryo bit her lip nervously as her monster, Mine Golem, was revealed (LV 3: ATK 1000). As Mine Golem was blasted to pieces (Ganryo: 2300-300 LP), the cannons and the effect of Mine Golem created a great explosion, with Ganryo thanking her lucky stars that her armor was so heavy.

"Lucky for me, you take five hundred points of damage thanks to the effect of Mine Golem!" said Ganryo, with Daikyo growling as she lost life points (Daikyo: 3500-3000 LP).

"It doesn't matter! My Dragon Catapult Cannon can't be stopped! I end my turn!"

'Can't be stopped? We'll see about that,' thought Ganryo as she drew. "I activate my own Pot of Greed!"

As Ganryo drew, she smiled. This duel was hers, not an ounce of doubt about it. "You aren't the only one who can combine their monsters into something stronger! I tribute the Magnet Warriors Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, so that I can Special Summon the strongest monster in my deck! Behold, Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior!"

The three Normal Monsters appeared, then split apart, forming the magnetic monster (LV 8: ATK 3500).

"Wait, what!? 3500 attack points!? That makes your monster stronger than mine!"

"That it does! Valkyrion, attack with Magnet Saber!"

The master of magnetism slashed the Fusion Monster in half, shattering it as Daikyo watched in horror as her best monster was destroyed (Daikyo: 3000-2500 LP).

"Now I end my turn!"

Daikyo scowled as she drew. "All I can do now is set a monster and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I activate the effect of Valkyrion, tributing him to Special Summon the three Magnet Warriors from my Graveyard!"

Daikyo flinched as Valkyrion split apart, forming Alpha (LV 4: ATK 1400), Beta (LV 4: ATK 1700), and Gamma (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"And now, I'll attack! Beta, destroy her face-down monster!"

The yellow Magnet Warrior jumped over to the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal a second copy of X-Head Cannon (LV 4: DEF 1500), which was blasted into pieces by a magnetic pulse.

"And now, let's finish this! Alpha, Gamma, attack directly!"

Daikyo put her arms up as she was struck with a shield bash from Alpha and a punch from Gamma, with the victory going to Ganryo (Daikyo: 2500-0 LP)(Winner: Ganryo). The pink-haired girl's eyes suddenly turned to normal, just as the darkness began to envelop her, and she let out a high-pitched scream. Ganryo looked away in fear, and hoped that Bunshu was doing okay in her duel.

~KD~

As the Shadow Game between Bunshu and Shokyo was prepared, the dino duelist was thrown for a loop as she looked around, seeing nothing but darkness. "Where are we?"

"This is where our Shadow Game will take place!" said Shokyo, her cards being shuffled, as Bunshu began to do the same. "Prepare for a duel unlike any you've had before!"

'Got that right,' thought Bunshu as she drew her opening hand. 'This won't be easy, but I'm gonna have some fun!'

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Shokyo: 4000 LP)(Bunshu: 4000 LP)

"I think that I'll go first!" said Shokyo, drawing a sixth card. "I draw! And I think that I'll set a monster and call it a turn!"

"Okay, I draw! And I summon a favorite of mine, Two-Headed King Rex!"

The large purple dinosaur appeared, both of its heads roaring, eager to fight (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Let's see what you've got, shall we? King Rex, attack with Dinosaur Flame!"

Her monster shot a fireball from each mouth, the two infernos striking the face-down card and unveiling an odd-looking monster. It was a magician who had light blue skin and crazy blue hair under a pointed green hat, one that had a yellow stripe and a red gem at the base. His outfit was the really weird part: he wore a green and yellow robe that was designed like a poncho from the neck to the waist, with the area covering the legs being much thinner. He had two bracelets that looked like they were made of thorns, and there were long strips of ivory fabric attached to his collar (LV 2: DEF 1100). The monster shattered into pixels, and a card stuck out of Shokyo's deck, which she grabbed, briefly showed Bunshu to reveal a black dragon, and sent it to her Graveyard before she drew a card.

"By destroying my Featherizer in battle, you let me send a Gemini Monster from the deck to the Graveyard and draw a card."

"No big deal for me. I set a card and end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Shokyo, "and I summon Evocator Chevalier!"

The knight in red appeared on the field, swinging his sword (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"And now, I equip him with Supervise!"

A card appeared that had a picture of Phoenix Gearfried surrounded by a whirlwind of flame appeared, as a fiery aura covered Shokyo's monster, who clenched his fists tightly as the flames grew.

"This card can only be equipped to a Gemini Monster, and makes it an Effect Monster, giving it its effect! So now, I use the effect of Evocator Chevalier, sending an Equip Spell I control, like Supervise, to the Graveyard, and destroy your King Rex!"

The flaming aura soon went away, as the Warrior-type aimed his left hand at the Dinosaur-type, before he blasted it with an explosion of fire, the mighty beast destroyed. After this, a small group of embers began to fall next to the Gemini Monster, before they spun around, creating a vortex of fire that towered over both duelists, Bunshu feeling the intense heat even on the other side of the field.

"And when Supervise is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard! And since my Gemini Monsters count as Normal Monsters in the Graveyard, I call upon the monster I sent there with the effect of Featherizer! Come, Darkstorm Dragon!"

The vortex of fire burst apart, and in its place was a vortex of wind. At the top of the tornado was a black dragon that had tattered gray wings, a gray fin on its back, and green eyes, as it opened its mouth to release a shrill cry (LV 8: ATK 2700).

"Holy crap!" shouted Bunshu, taking a step back.

"Now, it's time to battle! And my monsters are more than strong enough to send you to the shadows!"

"I won't let them have the chance, at least not this turn!" said Bunshu, her card flipping up. "I activate Threatening Roar, a card that'll keep your monsters from attacking this turn!"

As the loud roar erupted from the Trap Card, both Gemini Monsters stayed put, neither of them willing to attack.

"One extra turn won't save you! I set a card and end my turn!"

Bunshu drew her next card, and smiled. "Oh yeah? I'd say it can and will! I activate Lightning Vortex, and with it, I can discard a card and destroy all of your face-up monsters! So it's bye-bye for Evocator Chevalier and Darkstorm Dragon!"

As Bunshu slid a card into her Graveyard, lightning flashed above the field as the spiraling thunderbolts rained down on the field, only for Shokyo to activate her face-down card, which depicted Ancient Gear Knight charging towards an orange light, as Darkstorm Dragon whipped up a barrier of wind that repelled the lightning.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Bunshu as Darkstorm Dragon suddenly brought its wings closer and vanished, the card going into face-down defense mode.

"I played a Trap Card called Gemini Counter," explained Shokyo. "By switching one of my Gemini Monsters into face-down defense mode, I was able to negate and destroy one of your Spell Cards!"

"Damn it," muttered Bunshu. "I'll end my turn by summoning Black Stego."

As the green Stegosaurus appeared (LV 4: ATK 1200), Shokyo smirked as she drew. "In attack mode? It's almost like you want to lose! I Flip Summon Darkstorm Dragon, and summon Blazewing Butterfly!"

The mighty dragon reappeared on the field in all of its glory (LV 8: ATK 2700), and a new monster appeared, a red butterfly that had wings made out of fire (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Blazewing Butterfly, destroy Black Stego!"

The Insect-type began to furiously beat its wings, sending a barrage of embers at Black Stego. However, the dinosaur curled up, changing into defense mode (DEF 2000), as Shokyo lost life points (Shokyo: 4000-3500 LP).

"What just happened? How did your monster switch battle positions?"

"That's the effect of Black Stego!" said Bunshu. "When it's attacked, it switches to defense mode!"

"Even so, Darkstorm Dragon will easily take care of that monster! Attack!"

The Dragon-type monster opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of wind which swept up Black Stego, destroying it.

"And now, you're wide open for a direct attack from Evocator Chevalier!"

The Warrior-type leapt over to Bunshu and brought his sword down on her, Bunshu bringing up her right arm to block the slash. Luckily, her armor was too tough for the attack to break through, but now Bunshu was way behind (Bunshu: 4000-2100 LP).

"And I think that's enough for now."

"I draw! And I activate a little card called Graceful Charity!"

Bunshu drew three cards, and after studying her hand for a bit, she chose two cards to discard and sent them to her Graveyard. She then smirked as she slipped a card into her Spell & Trap Zone.

"Now I'll play a card called Fissure, which will automatically destroy the weakest monster on your side of the field! So I hope that you didn't need your Blazewing Butterfly!"

Blazewing Butterfly fell into the fissure, irritating Shokyo, and Bunshu continued with her turn. "Now I'll set one monster and one other card before ending my turn!"

"Then it's my move! I draw! And I activate the Continuous Spell Herculean Power!"

As the Spell Card appeared, Shokyo went over its effects. "Now once per turn, if you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Gemini Monster from my hand!"

"Which you can't, since you've got two monsters out," said Bunshu, only for Shokyo to snicker.

"I never intended to use its effect! I Gemini Summon Darkstorm Dragon!"

The black dragon let out a roar as the winds it was on began to spin faster, letting out a shrieking noise.

"And now, I use the effect of my monster, sending a face-up Spell or Trap Card I control to the Graveyard in order to destroy every Spell and Trap Card on the field! So I hope that you didn't need your face-down card!" echoed Shokyo. "Go, Wicked Hurricane!"

The Continuous Spell shattered, and Bunshu braced herself as the winds that the Dragon-type had grew in size, with her face-down card, Negate Attack, shattering.

"Now to take out your monster! Darkstorm Dragon, attack!"

The Dragon-type blew a gust of wind at the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal a white dinosaur egg called Miracle Jurassic Egg (LV 4: DEF 2000), the Dinosaur-type shattering into pixels.

"And now, another direct attack from Evocator Chevalier!"

Again, Bunshu blocked the attack from the Warrior-type, a loud clang ringing out as the sword met her gauntlet (Bunshu: 2100-200 LP).

"That's my turn! Still think that you can win?"

"Yeah, because I promised my friend that nothing bad would happen to me!" said Bunshu as she grabbed the top card of her deck, drawing it dramatically. "And I keep my promises!" As she looked at her card, she played it without a second's hesitation. "And now, I play Pot of Greed!"

As Bunshu looked at her two cards, she smiled. "Let's do this! I activate Monster Reborn, letting me Special Summon a monster from either of our Graveyards! And the monster I pick is the one that I discarded with Lightning Vortex! Come on out, Black Tyranno!"

As the crest appeared, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex that was Bunshu's headliner appeared, letting out a roar that made Shokyo's pure white eyes widen (LV 7: ATK 2600).

"I'll give you this," admitted Shokyo, "it's impressive, but not enough to beat Darkstorm Dragon."

"Let's fix that, then! I equip my Black Tyranno with Raise Body Heat, increasing its attack and defense points by three hundred each!"

Black Tyranno gained a red glow as it roared again (ATK 2600-2900), with Shokyo suddenly worried.

"Black Tyranno, chew up that dragon!"

The dino ran up to Darkstorm Dragon and locked it in its jaws, the Gemini Monster shattering (Shokyo: 3500-3300 LP).

"And that's it for me!"

Shokyo slowly drew her next card, face falling in disappointment, as she switched her Chevalier into defense mode, the knight getting onto his knee (DEF 900). "All that I can do is switch Evocator Chevalier into defense mode and set a monster. That will be all."

"Then I draw! And I summon Mad Sword Beast!"

The sword-horned dino appeared on the field, letting out a bellow (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Now I'll have Mad Sword Beast attack your face-down monster! And to make things better for me, my monster deals piercing damage!"

Mad Sword Beast charged the monster, which flipped up to reveal Shadow Delver, a man in a black cloak whose shadow took the form of a powerful demon (LV 4: DEF 500), the Gemini Monster being destroyed with ease (Shokyo: 3300-2400 LP).

"And since all of your cards are monsters in face-up defense mode, Black Tyranno can attack directly! Go, win this duel with Rex Bomber!"

Black Tyranno ran past Evocator Chevalier, rose a powerful leg, and slammed it into the ground as Shokyo lost her footing (Shokyo: 2400-0 LP)(Winner: Bunshu). Shokyo screamed as she was enveloped by the darkness, with Bunshu looking away, and as the shadows began to fade, she felt proud that she had won her first Shadow Game.

~KD~

As the darkness faded away, the two former generals found themselves back in the dungeon, with both Daikyo and Shokyo nowhere to be seen. At first, they just stood there, until Bunshu began to laugh, with Ganryo joining in.

"Man, that was sick!" said Bunshu, holding her hand out for a high five, which Ganryo gladly gave.

"I know! It's been so long since I've dueled! I bet you were awesome!"

"I bet YOU were awesome!"

"Is everything okay down here?"

The two girls stopped cheering as they heard footsteps, with both Kan'u and Ensho coming down the stairs, the blonde running over to her best friends.

"We heard shouting, is everything okay?" she asked frantically.

"And where are Daikyo and Shokyo?" asked Kan'u.

"Well, the thing that Anthony, Yue, and Ei said about the To generals, about them coming back from the Shadow Realm as White Clothes minions?" said Ganryo. "Yeah, that happened, and they may have made Duel Disks appear out of thin air, and pick their cell locks."

"But we cut them off before they could escape and dueled them, and won!" said Bunshu. "We totally kicked ass! And we kept our promise, Reiha!"

Ensho felt tears fall as she hugged her friends. "Ohohohohohoho!" she laughed with utter joy. "I'm so happy!"

"Nice work," said Kan'u with a smile. "If you want, maybe I could give you two a promotion."

"I think I prefer being a servant, although I definitely want to duel some more," said Ganryo. Bunshu took a little longer to reply, but shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, I can't leave my best friends! But hey, if you need another duelist, I'm at your beck and call!"

"Glad to hear it," said Kan'u before turning around. "Now come on, Anthony's going to want to hear about this."

"Yes, Aisha!" said Bunshu and Ganryo, with Ensho tagging along, as Kan'u thought to herself.

"It's been a while since the White Clothes has shown their face, and now there's been two attacks in two days. I'll need to be prepared for anything.'

~KD~

"Are you okay, Master Saji?" asked Ukitsu as his master gripped his head, a shot of pain running through it, which began to fade slowly.

"It's fine. The more I use my powers, the more that I'll be used to them."

"Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow to use your powers again, just like last time?" suggested Ukitsu. Genho growled, but complied.

"Very well. And next time, the duelists I send won't be so incompetent."


	84. Lights Out

The day after the attack from Daikyo and Shokyo, Anthony was busy looking over the reports from his officials in his conquered territories: En, Gi, and Go. The three regions had different officials looking after them in his stead while he remained in the Kikai capital, with the former lords having relinquished their territories, willingly or not, and taking residence in the capital. After all, if Ensho, Soso, and Sonken lived in the Kikai palace, somebody had to look over their homes when Anthony couldn't.

Anthony checked over the reports, having sent out warnings about the White Clothes attacks, and was relieved to see that none of the cities had any trouble with them. As he put the updates to the side to start some more paperwork, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come on in."

The door opened, revealing both Soso and Sonken, as Soso noticed the update papers. "Whose reports are those?"

"I got them from your old territories," said Anthony, as both girls immediately became worried. Neither of them knew why Anthony had gotten reports from Gi and Go, and with the recent activity of the White Clothes, they both immediately came to the worst conclusion.

"Did…something happen to them?" asked Sonken, mentally pleading that she was wrong, and to their relief, Anthony realized what they were thinking and began to wave his hands in front of them.

"No, no no no! Nothing like that!" he reassured them. "I sent out reports asking if they saw any White Clothes activity, and they said nothing was wrong. Your old people are fine. It seems like the White Clothes is only targeting us directly."

Sonken let out a deep sigh and put a hand on her chest, heart hammering a mile a minute. "Thank god. If anything happened to my people and I wasn't there to help them, I don't know what I'd do."

Anthony suddenly felt guilty for inadvertently worrying the two former lords, and he had an idea. "You know, ruling a country by myself can be stressful, and you two made fine lords. Maybe I should give you back your old positions, have you rule over your old territories while still answering to me."

Soso mused over this. While she didn't outright hate her current role, she would prefer being a lord again rather than a servant. And while her former citizens were safe from the wrath of the White Clothes now, that could easily change. However, her mind was made up. "No thanks."

Anthony tilted his head. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'd rather not risk bringing attention to my former citizens at the moment, and I'm not sure if the other girls would be willing to part with this place. They've certainly made new friends here that I don't wish to separate them from, particularly a certain blue-haired lover of mine. If the White Clothes comes to me, I'll be ready."

"Yeah, I agree with her," said Sonken. "Besides, I think that I prefer my current position."

"Speaking of which, that reminds me why we're here," said Soso, crossing her arms. "What are today's assignments?"

"Oh crap, right!" said Anthony, as he fished through his papers, finding their schedule. "Ah, here we go. Karin, I need you to organize the library, make sure all of the books are in their proper places and in good condition."

"You can count on me," said Soso, unable to stop a cocky smirk from spreading across her face.

"Renfa, I need you to tend to the gardens. The head gardener will give you a list of more thorough instructions."

"I'll do my best," said Sonken, pumping her fist with a confident smile. The two them turned around and began to walk out.

"Bye, girls. Be safe," said Anthony, as the two left the room, Sonken turning to Soso.

"Do you think that our former subjects will be fine?" asked Sonken. "It's not that I don't trust Lord Anthony - I owe him a lot for helping me find my self-confidence - but I'm still worried."

"We can only hope right now," said Soso as the two of them split up. "I trust him too, but even he can't predict how the White Clothes will strike. We'll just have to be on our guard."

~KD~

"The last five duelists that I've sent have proven to be ineffective," said Genho, as he looked at his reflection in the Millennium Mirror, Ukitsu standing behind him in silence. "So perhaps it's time that we brought back someone who's competent."

"If I may, I have two suggestions," said Ukitsu, whispering two names into the ear of his master, who's scowl shifted into a twisted grin as he put his hand on the bronze mirror.

"I knew that there was a reason why I kept you around," said Genho, his eyes and tattoo glowing, the same happening to the mirror as suddenly, two trails of black smoke came out of the Millennium Item, and flew away to parts seemingly unknown, as Ukitsu backed up, his master falling onto one knee and panting as he felt the fatigue resulting from his powers, although it was fortunately short.

"It won't be long now…"

~KD~

In the palace's library, Soso was busy organizing the books. She was meticulously organizing each book by title, and the books that weren't in their proper sections were placed on a table to be restocked later. She was making decent time, hoping to meet up with the Kako sisters, when she turned around and bent over to pick up the stool she had been using to reach the higher shelves. As she did, she suddenly had a chill run down her spine. Having a bad feeling about whatever was going on, she stood up straight and walked to the center of the library.

"Is anybody here?" she asked, Duel Disk unfolding as she looked around, only to see nobody else was inside. But suddenly, a black fog began to seep into the room, catching the former lord off guard. The black mist formed into a cloud, which suddenly began to shift into a human shape and transform, with Soso holding her Duel Disk in front of her the whole time. By the time it was finished, standing before the former lord of Gi was Shuyu Kokin, who opened her eyes to reveal the pure white eyes that signified her being a revived minion of the White Clothes.

"Ah, if it isn't Soso Motoku," she said. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

"Shuyu?" asked Soso.

"It seems that you recognize me. Good."

"So, you're one of the many minions of the White Clothes now, huh?" asked Soso. "I bet Renfa won't like that."

"What she thinks doesn't matter to me," said Shuyu, as she held out her left hand, a Chaos Duel Disk forming on it. "She's no lord of mine. The only lord I serve is the man who will reunite me with the woman I love. The sooner that Lord Anthony is disposed of, the sooner Sheren and I will be able to spend the rest of our lives together! And if you're going to stand in my path, then I'll have to remove you forcefully!"

"You know, I would say 'There's no reasoning with her,' to myself, but we both know that was never an option," said Soso as her cards, as well as those of her opponents, were automatically shuffled by their Duel Disks. "Let's duel!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Shuyu as she put her hand over her deck, black smoke covering both of their cards as they became surrounded in a dark void, the Shadow Game having begun.

(Shuyu: 4000 LP)(Soso: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move!" shouted Shuyu as she drew a card. "I summon Sacred Crane!"

A crane appeared on Shuyu's side of the field, sporting brilliant white feathers, black feathers around the head, and a long red plume, the entire bird having a bright blue glow (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And to end my turn, I think that I'll set two cards on the field and end my turn," she said, Soso drawing.

"A decent opening move, I suppose, but I can easily surpass it. I activate a card of mine known as Bait Doll, forcing the activation of one of your face-down cards, as long as it's a Trap Card! And if the timing of its activation is incorrect, your card is destroyed! So let's see what you have set on your right!"

As the Spell Card appeared, one of Shuyu's cards flipped up, revealing itself to be a Trap Card called Ray of Hope, which shattered into pixels, since the timing was incorrect because the card only worked if Shuyu had at least two LIGHT monsters in her Graveyard.

"And now, I think that I'll summon my Dark Jeroid!"

The multi-limbed abomination appeared, letting out a roar from its bottom mouth as its top mouth opened, a purple haze coming out of Sacred Crane and going into the Fiend-type's maw (LV 4: ATK 1200)(ATK 1600-800).

"And when my monster here is summoned, one monster on the field loses eight hundred attack points! Destroy that crane, Jeroid!"

The bottom mouth of Jeroid shot a blast of energy that destroyed the Winged Beast-type (Shuyu: 4000-3600 LP), only for Shuyu to play her face-down card, a ray of light appearing before her.

"I play Miracle's Wake, reviving my Sacred Crane! And whenever Sacred Crane is Special Summoned, I get to draw a card!"

The sacred bird returned (LV 4: ATK 1600), and Soso growled before grabbing a card from her hand. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And let's see how you like my Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

The magical swordsman entered the fray, blade pointed at Soso (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I'll have my Sacred Crane attach your Dark Jeroid!"

The crane took to the air and flew towards the mangled fiend, which let out a roar from each of its mouths. The Winged Beast-type flew back a bit, startled by the roar (Soso: 4000-3500 LP)(ATK 1600-1100).

"With my Bark of Dark Ruler, I can pay life points to decrease the attack points of a monster that's battling one of my Fiend-types! And I think I'll make your monster just weak enough for Dark Jeroid to destroy!"

Dark Jeroid fired a blast from its bottom mouth, destroying Sacred Crane a second time (Shuyu: 3600-3500 LP). Shuyu growled, before she pointed at the Fiend-type.

"Neo, cut down her monster down to size!"

The Spellcaster-type ran his glowing finger along the hollow center of his sword, as the blade began to glow. He ran up to the DARK monster and cut it in half, destroying it (Soso: 3500-3000 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Soso. "And I summon Doomcaliber Knight to the field!"

The skeletal horseman appeared before Soso, reining in its horse as it held its sword over its head (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Doomcaliber Knight, attack Neo!"

The black war horse galloped over to the LIGHT monster as its rider swung its sword, slashing through Neo (Shuyu: 3500-3300 LP).

"That's everything that I can do right now, so I'll end my turn," said Soso, with Shuyu drawing her next card.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!"

The many-handed creature appeared on the field, groaning (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And when this monster is Normal or Flip Summoned, I can add either a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand!"

"Not exactly!" said Soso, as her Doomcaliber Knight began to glow a dark purple, along with Manju, as they both shattered into pixels, catching Shuyu off her guard. "When an opponent's monster activates its effect, then I can tribute Doomcaliber Knight to negate the effect and destroy your monster!"

"Whatever. I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play Fiend's Sanctuary, letting me Special Summon a Metal Fiend Token!" she announced as metal token appeared (LV 1: ATK 0).

"And what is that going to do?"

"Nothing. I intend to tribute it! I tribute my Metal Fiend Token and summon Mefist the Infernal General!"

The metallic creature disappeared, making way for the evil general on horseback (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"And now, I'll have Mefist attack directly!"

Mefist lifted his axe, and brought it down, sending a black energy slash towards Shuyu, who cried out in pain as it went through her (Shuyu: 3300-1500 LP).

"And when Mefist the Infernal General deals battle damage, you have to discard a random card from your hand! I think I'll pick the one most on your right!"

The card began to glow black, only for the monster depicted on it to appear, taking the form of a green cobra with a purple crystal ball that had lime green circuitry near the end of its tail (LV 3: ATK 800). As the monster disappeared, sparks surrounded Shuyu's deck as she drew two cards.

"What the hell was that?"

"That was the effect of my monster, Electric Snake. When it's discarded by the effect of an opponent's card, I get to draw two new cards. Congratulations, you picked the absolute worst card for me to discard."

"Don't patronize me!" snapped Soso. "I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I summon The Creator Incarnate!"

Her new monster took the form of a man in orange armor, with a long red cape attached to a metal ring on the back and a red plume like that of a Greek warrior, a blue gem below it. Clenched in his left hand was a curved sword, still in its sheath (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" asked Soso.

"You will be when I use the effect of my Creator Incarnate, tributing it to Special Summon a much stronger monster from my hand! Behold, The Creator!"

A pillar of light formed around The Creator Incarnate, who began to levitate. The light became even brighter, as Soso was forced to look away, as the light pillar broke apart, a new monster appeared. It was a tall figure in vermilion armor, with a blue gem in its forehead, and a metal ring on its back, with a pair of wings attached to the ring (LV 8: ATK 2300).

"And The Creator has a very useful special ability! Once per turn, I can select a monster in my Graveyard, then resurrect it by sending a card in my hand to my Graveyard! And I select Sacred Crane! Go, Shining Horizon!"

The ring on the back of the Thunder-type began to glow a bright yellow as Shuyu sent her Magic Reflecter from her hand to the Graveyard, as Sacred Crane returned in a flash of light (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And don't forget, whenever Sacred Crane is Special Summoned, I can draw a card!" declared Shuyu as she drew, then burst into a laughing fit as she saw what she had drawn.

"What's so funny over there?" asked Soso, prompting Shuyu to stop laughing and push up her glasses.

"What's funny is that I just drew exactly what I've been looking for! I activate Shinato's Ark, and I use my Sacred Crane on the field, as well as Lady of Faith and Fairy Archer in my hand to complete the ritual!"

The huge wooden ship appeared above Shuyu, doors opening to reveal the spiral galaxy portal, as Sacred Crane, Lady of Faith, and Fairy Archer went inside of it (4+3+38).

"Behold my ultimate monster, who shall transcend this plane of existence and shine beyond the limits of humanity! Let your light shine for all eternity! I Ritual Summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

Out of the portal floated the celestial Ritual Monster, who spread his wings as rays of light shone through the darkness (LV 8: ATK 3300).

"And now, to battle! The Creator, destroy her Mefist with Divine Thunder!"

Electricity crackled in the hands of The Creator, as it blasted the Fiend-type into nothing but pixels (Soso: 3000-2500 LP).

"And now, let's finish you off! Shinato, attack directly with Endless Transmigration!"

But as Shinato charged a purple blast and fired it, Soso slapped a card on her Duel Disk, and a monster appeared. It had a metal disk as a base, with a face like a skeletal bat with an orange crest and red eyes. Behind it were four dark blue metal blades that made an X-shape, and on either side of it was a flat black metal arm, with a bell in its right hand. Underneath it was a golden pendulum (LV 1: DEF 0). As the blast began to reach the new monster, it began to swing its pendulum back and forth, releasing waves of energy that seemed to stop the attack, as Shinato folded his arms.

"What just happened?" asked Shuyu.

"When you attacked directly, you let me activate the effect of Battle Fader in my hand," explained Soso. "I Special Summoned Battle Fader, and then ended the Battle Phase. I'm safe for another turn."

"Big deal! I'll beat you eventually, no matter how much time you buy yourself! I end my turn!"

"That's where you're wrong," said Soso as she drew. "I may have lost my royal title, but I'm still Soso Motoku, the best duelist in Gi! I draw! And I set a monster, and another card before ending my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I activate the effect of The Creator, selecting Sacred Crane again!"

"I don't think so," said Soso, her card flipping up to show a blue dragon turning to dust. "I activate Disappear, a Trap Card that lets me banish any card in your Graveyard! And I pick your Sacred Crane!"

Shuyu grimaced as she pulled the monster out of her Graveyard and set it aside, before she slid her newly drawn card into her Spell & Trap Zone. "Well, since discarding a card for the effect of The Creator isn't a cost, I don't lose the card that I was going to discard to revive my monster, and instead use it! I play Soul of the Pure to gain eight hundred life points!"

As Shuyu's life points jumped (Shuyu: 1500-2300 LP), she pointed at Battle Fader. "Now then, let's have The Creator vanquish your Battle Fader with Divine Thunder!"

The Thunder-type built up more lightning in its hands, before blasting Battle Fader into pixels, with Soso putting the Fiend-type into a pocket. "When Battle Fader leaves the field after I Special Summoned it through its effect," explained Soso, "then it's banished."

"Shinato, destroy her face-down monster with Divine Ring! And in case you didn't know, if Shinato destroys a monster in defense mode, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's original attack points!"

Six balls of purple magic appeared before Shinato, black kanji displayed on all of them, as they began to spin around and form a ring that flew over to the face-down monster, revealed to be Newdoria (LV 4: DEF 800), who was swiftly destroyed by the attack, although Soso didn't look particularly bothered.

"I'll take damage, sure, but by destroying Newdoria in battle, you've let me destroy one of your monsters! No more bringing back your monsters with that Creator of yours!"

The leather clasp Newdoria wore over its head appeared on the head of The Creator, which exploded into pixels as Soso took damage from the effect of the Ritual Monster (Soso: 2500-1300 LP).

"I end my turn with that," declared Shuyu, as Soso drew her next card, smirking as she got a look at it.

"Things are looking bleak for me at the moment," said Soso, "but let's see if we can turn the tide of the duel with this card! I play my Card of Demise!"

Soso's card displayed a picture of a deck of Duel Monsters cards being sliced in half by a guillotine, a man in a green cloak being shocked as he dropped three cards that he was holding, with Soso drawing three new cards. "When this card is played, I draw until I have three cards in my hand, although I can't Special Summon the turn that I use this, and you don't take any damage this turn, plus I have to discard my entire hand during the End Phase. And now, I play Mirage of Nightmare!"

As the card appeared on the field, Soso wasted no time going over its effect. "Now during your Standby Phase, I draw until I have four cards in my hand, although I have to discard the same number of cars that I drew during my own Standby Phase. Now I set a monster and one other card before ending my turn!"

"My move, then," said Shuyu, as Soso drew four cards while she drew one. "I think that I'll equip my Shinato with Shine Palace, making him even stronger!"

The shining castle appeared behind the Ritual Monster, its power increasing (ATK 3300-4000).

"And now, I'll have Shinato attack with Divine Ring!"

As Shinato began to charge up his powerful attack, Soso activated her face-down card, as both Shine Palace and Mirage of Nightmare were destroyed (ATK 4000-3300).

"I play Malevolent Catastrophe, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards!"

"Well, my monster may lose his power boost, but I'm sure that he's still strong enough to destroy your monster!" And sure enough, the attack was launched at the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal Earthbound Spirit (LV 4: DEF 2000), which was destroyed by Divine Ring as Soso took damage (Soso: 1300-800 LP).

"Now I end my turn!"

"I draw! And as you can clearly see, since Malevolent Catastrophe destroyed my Mirage of Nightmare, I don't have to discard! And now, I think that I'll play my Pot of Greed!" And as Soso drew her two cards, she smiled as she saw the six cards in her hand.

"Now I think I'll cut the attack points of your Shinato in half with Shrink!"

Shuyu growled as she saw her best monster shrink down to half his size, becoming weaker in the process (ATK 3300-1650).

"And now, I activate my own Ritual Spell, Zera Ritual, and use Feral Imp and Headless Knight to complete the ritual! Arise, Zera the Mant!"

Both monsters appeared on the field, only to be enveloped by purple smoke (4+4=8), as the smoke cleared to reveal the mighty Ritual Monster that lurked in Soso's deck (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Zera, destroy that King of a Higher Plane with Jagged Claw Attack!"

The Fiend-type ran up to the Fairy-type and slashed through it, Shinato being reduced to pixels (Shuyu: 2300-1150 LP).

"And now I'll set a card and end my turn!"

Shuyu growled, her best monster having been destroyed, as she drew her next card, smiling as she saw what she had drawn.

"I play my own copy of Pot of Greed!" she said, drawing two cards, as she gave a wicked grin.

"Looks like you drew something good," said Soso.

"You have no idea! I'm about to be one step closer to being with Sheren for the rest of my life! I activate Monster Reborn, in order to revive my Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

But as the Spell Card appeared on the field, Soso activated her face-down card. "I don't think so! I activate Soul Demolition, and use its effect now! By paying five hundred of my life points, I can have the both of us select a monster in the other's Graveyard and banish it! And I select Shinato!" (Soso: 800-300 LP)

"Grrrrr…" growled Shuyu, angered that her plan to win had been foiled. "Fine then, I'll banish the strongest monster in your Graveyard, Doomcaliber Knight."

"Pleasure doing business with you," said Soso as the two women pulled their respective cards out of their Graveyards, as Monster Reborn vanished, the effect no longer applying.

"All that I can do now is set one monster and end my turn."

Soso drew her next card and smiled as she saw what she had gotten. "I banish Earthbound Spirit, Feral Imp, and Headless Knight from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon a monster that dwells in the most horrific night terrors and feeds on the fear of its victims! Dark Necrofear, SHOW YOURSELF!"

All three Fiend-types appeared before Soso before they went into a dark portal, with Soso's other signature monster stepping out of it, stroking her doll affectionately (LV 8: ATK 2200).

"And now, let's see what you've got guarding the rest of your life points! Zera the Mant, Jagged Claw Attack!"

Zera brought its claws down on Shuyu's monster, which flipped up to reveal a green-haired woman wearing a yellow robe and playing a harp (LV 4: DEF 2000), who let out a gasp as she shattered.

'Spirit of the Harp,' thought Soso. 'Shuyu must have been planning to destroy Zera with her Shinato, then attack directly.' "Dark Necrofear, attack directly and end this duel! Doom Gaze!"

Dark Necrofear stared at Shuyu before firing lasers from her eyes, with Shuyu briefly crying out in pain as they struck her (Shuyu: 1150-0 LP)(Winner: Soso). However, as the shadows began to engulf Shuyu and her eyes returned to normal, she managed to give a strained smile.

"Thank you for preventing me from doing something that I would regret," she managed to say before she was completely enveloped, and the wall of shadows disappeared, leaving Soso alone in the library as her Duel Disk folded up, and she sprinted towards the door.

'Anthony will want to know about this,' she thought as she made a mad dash to his office. 'Hopefully, nobody else had to deal with a Shadow Game.'

~KD~

Sonken was humming a tune to herself as she watered a patch of rhododendrons, wiping the sweat off her brow that had formed from working in the heat. The gardener had left in order to pick up some foreign flowers, and had left Sonken with a list of tasks. So far, she was enjoying herself. It was certainly more relaxing than paperwork, if a bit more physically taxing. But she didn't mind one bit.

As she was checking her list, Sonken caught something moving in the corner of her eye, and was surprised to see a cloud of black smoke billowing behind her. She spun around, list falling to the ground, as she held her Duel Disk in front of her, only to be shocked as the cloud began to shift into a familiar form, one that Sonken hadn't seen in so long, as her arm lowered.

"She…She…Sheren?"

* * *

 **I know, this is so late. And here I was thinking that being on spring break this week would help get the next chapter out at a reasonable time. I'll try to upload chapter 85 by Sunday night, or whatever time I usually upload this for you guys. Starpion out!**


	85. Twisted Sister

The day after the attack from Daikyo and Shokyo, Anthony was busy looking over the reports from his officials in his conquered territories: En, Gi, and Go. The three regions had different officials looking after them in his stead while he remained in the Kikai capital, with the former lords having relinquished their territories, willingly or not, and taking residence in the capital. After all, if Ensho, Soso, and Sonken lived in the Kikai palace, somebody had to look over their homes when Anthony couldn't.

Anthony checked over the reports, having sent out warnings about the White Clothes attacks, and was relieved to see that none of the cities had any trouble with them. As he put the updates to the side to start some more paperwork, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come on in."

The door opened, revealing both Soso and Sonken, as Soso noticed the update papers. "Whose reports are those?"

"I got them from your old territories," said Anthony, as both girls immediately became worried. Neither of them knew why Anthony had gotten reports from Gi and Go, and with the recent activity of the White Clothes, they both immediately came to the worst conclusion.

"Did…something happen to them?" asked Sonken, mentally pleading that she was wrong, and to their relief, Anthony realized what they were thinking and began to wave his hands in front of them.

"No, no no no! Nothing like that!" he reassured them. "I sent out reports asking if they saw any White Clothes activity, and they said nothing was wrong. Your old people are fine. It seems like the White Clothes is only targeting us directly."

Sonken let out a deep sigh and put a hand on her chest, heart hammering a mile a minute. "Thank god. If anything happened to my people and I wasn't there to help them, I don't know what I'd do."

Anthony suddenly felt guilty for inadvertently worrying the two former lords, and he had an idea. "You know, ruling a country by myself can be stressful, and you two made fine lords. Maybe I should give you back your old positions, have you rule over your old territories while still answering to me."

Soso mused over this. While she didn't outright hate her current role, she would prefer being a lord again rather than a servant. And while her former citizens were safe from the wrath of the White Clothes now, that could easily change. However, her mind was made up. "No thanks."

Anthony tilted his head. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'd rather not risk bringing attention to my former citizens at the moment, and I'm not sure if the other girls would be willing to part with this place. They've certainly made new friends here that I don't wish to separate them from, particularly a certain blue-haired lover of mine. If the White Clothes comes to me, I'll be ready."

"Yeah, I agree with her," said Sonken. "Besides, I think that I prefer my current position."

"Speaking of which, that reminds me why we're here," said Soso, crossing her arms. "What are today's assignments?"

"Oh crap, right!" said Anthony, as he fished through his papers, finding their schedule. "Ah, here we go. Karin, I need you to organize the library, make sure all of the books are in their proper places and in good condition."

"You can count on me," said Soso, unable to stop a cocky smirk from spreading across her face.

"Renfa, I need you to tend to the gardens. The head gardener will give you a list of more thorough instructions."

"I'll do my best," said Sonken, pumping her fist with a confident smile. The two them turned around and began to walk out.

"Bye, girls. Be safe," said Anthony, as the two left the room, Sonken turning to Soso.

"Do you think that our former subjects will be fine?" asked Sonken. "It's not that I don't trust Lord Anthony - I owe him a lot for helping me find my self-confidence - but I'm still worried."

"We can only hope right now," said Soso as the two of them split up. "I trust him too, but even he can't predict how the White Clothes will strike. We'll just have to be on our guard."

~KD~

"The last five duelists that I've sent have proven to be ineffective," said Genho, as he looked at his reflection in the Millennium Mirror, Ukitsu standing behind him in silence. "So perhaps it's time that we brought back someone who's competent."

"If I may, I have two suggestions," said Ukitsu, whispering two names into the ear of his master, who's scowl shifted into a twisted grin as he put his hand on the bronze mirror.

"I knew that there was a reason why I kept you around," said Genho, his eyes and tattoo glowing, the same happening to the mirror as suddenly, two trails of black smoke came out of the Millennium Item, and flew away to parts seemingly unknown, as Ukitsu backed up, his master falling onto one knee and panting as he felt the fatigue resulting from his powers, although it was fortunately short.

"It won't be long now…"

~KD~

In the palace's library, Soso was busy organizing the books. She was meticulously organizing each book by title, and the books that weren't in their proper sections were placed on a table to be restocked later. She was making decent time, hoping to meet up with the Kako sisters, when she turned around and bent over to pick up the stool she had been using to reach the higher shelves. As she did, she suddenly had a chill run down her spine. Having a bad feeling about whatever was going on, she stood up straight and walked to the center of the library.

"Is anybody here?" she asked, Duel Disk unfolding as she looked around, only to see nobody else was inside. But suddenly, a black fog began to seep into the room, catching the former lord off guard. The black mist formed into a cloud, which suddenly began to shift into a human shape and transform, with Soso holding her Duel Disk in front of her the whole time. By the time it was finished, standing before the former lord of Gi was Shuyu Kokin, who opened her eyes to reveal the pure white eyes that signified her being a revived minion of the White Clothes.

"Ah, if it isn't Soso Motoku," she said. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

"Shuyu?" asked Soso.

"It seems that you recognize me. Good."

"So, you're one of the many minions of the White Clothes now, huh?" asked Soso. "I bet Renfa won't like that."

"What she thinks doesn't matter to me," said Shuyu, as she held out her left hand, a Chaos Duel Disk forming on it. "She's no lord of mine. The only lord I serve is the man who will reunite me with the woman I love. The sooner that Lord Anthony is disposed of, the sooner Sheren and I will be able to spend the rest of our lives together! And if you're going to stand in my path, then I'll have to remove you forcefully!"

"You know, I would say 'There's no reasoning with her,' to myself, but we both know that was never an option," said Soso as her cards, as well as those of her opponents, were automatically shuffled by their Duel Disks. "Let's duel!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Shuyu as she put her hand over her deck, black smoke covering both of their cards as they became surrounded in a dark void, the Shadow Game having begun.

(Shuyu: 4000 LP)(Soso: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move!" shouted Shuyu as she drew a card. "I summon Sacred Crane!"

A crane appeared on Shuyu's side of the field, sporting brilliant white feathers, black feathers around the head, and a long red plume, the entire bird having a bright blue glow (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And to end my turn, I think that I'll set two cards on the field and end my turn," she said, Soso drawing.

"A decent opening move, I suppose, but I can easily surpass it. I activate a card of mine known as Bait Doll, forcing the activation of one of your face-down cards, as long as it's a Trap Card! And if the timing of its activation is incorrect, your card is destroyed! So let's see what you have set on your right!"

As the Spell Card appeared, one of Shuyu's cards flipped up, revealing itself to be a Trap Card called Ray of Hope, which shattered into pixels, since the timing was incorrect because the card only worked if Shuyu had at least two LIGHT monsters in her Graveyard.

"And now, I think that I'll summon my Dark Jeroid!"

The multi-limbed abomination appeared, letting out a roar from its bottom mouth as its top mouth opened, a purple haze coming out of Sacred Crane and going into the Fiend-type's maw (LV 4: ATK 1200)(ATK 1600-800).

"And when my monster here is summoned, one monster on the field loses eight hundred attack points! Destroy that crane, Jeroid!"

The bottom mouth of Jeroid shot a blast of energy that destroyed the Winged Beast-type (Shuyu: 4000-3600 LP), only for Shuyu to play her face-down card, a ray of light appearing before her.

"I play Miracle's Wake, reviving my Sacred Crane! And whenever Sacred Crane is Special Summoned, I get to draw a card!"

The sacred bird returned (LV 4: ATK 1600), and Soso growled before grabbing a card from her hand. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And let's see how you like my Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

The magical swordsman entered the fray, blade pointed at Soso (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now, I'll have my Sacred Crane attach your Dark Jeroid!"

The crane took to the air and flew towards the mangled fiend, which let out a roar from each of its mouths. The Winged Beast-type flew back a bit, startled by the roar (Soso: 4000-3500 LP)(ATK 1600-1100).

"With my Bark of Dark Ruler, I can pay life points to decrease the attack points of a monster that's battling one of my Fiend-types! And I think I'll make your monster just weak enough for Dark Jeroid to destroy!"

Dark Jeroid fired a blast from its bottom mouth, destroying Sacred Crane a second time (Shuyu: 3600-3500 LP). Shuyu growled, before she pointed at the Fiend-type.

"Neo, cut down her monster down to size!"

The Spellcaster-type ran his glowing finger along the hollow center of his sword, as the blade began to glow. He ran up to the DARK monster and cut it in half, destroying it (Soso: 3500-3000 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Soso. "And I summon Doomcaliber Knight to the field!"

The skeletal horseman appeared before Soso, reining in its horse as it held its sword over its head (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Doomcaliber Knight, attack Neo!"

The black war horse galloped over to the LIGHT monster as its rider swung its sword, slashing through Neo (Shuyu: 3500-3300 LP).

"That's everything that I can do right now, so I'll end my turn," said Soso, with Shuyu drawing her next card.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!"

The many-handed creature appeared on the field, groaning (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And when this monster is Normal or Flip Summoned, I can add either a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand!"

"Not exactly!" said Soso, as her Doomcaliber Knight began to glow a dark purple, along with Manju, as they both shattered into pixels, catching Shuyu off her guard. "When an opponent's monster activates its effect, then I can tribute Doomcaliber Knight to negate the effect and destroy your monster!"

"Whatever. I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play Fiend's Sanctuary, letting me Special Summon a Metal Fiend Token!" she announced as metal token appeared (LV 1: ATK 0).

"And what is that going to do?"

"Nothing. I intend to tribute it! I tribute my Metal Fiend Token and summon Mefist the Infernal General!"

The metallic creature disappeared, making way for the evil general on horseback (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"And now, I'll have Mefist attack directly!"

Mefist lifted his axe, and brought it down, sending a black energy slash towards Shuyu, who cried out in pain as it went through her (Shuyu: 3300-1500 LP).

"And when Mefist the Infernal General deals battle damage, you have to discard a random card from your hand! I think I'll pick the one most on your right!"

The card began to glow black, only for the monster depicted on it to appear, taking the form of a green cobra with a purple crystal ball that had lime green circuitry near the end of its tail (LV 3: ATK 800). As the monster disappeared, sparks surrounded Shuyu's deck as she drew two cards.

"What the hell was that?"

"That was the effect of my monster, Electric Snake. When it's discarded by the effect of an opponent's card, I get to draw two new cards. Congratulations, you picked the absolute worst card for me to discard."

"Don't patronize me!" snapped Soso. "I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I summon The Creator Incarnate!"

Her new monster took the form of a man in orange armor, with a long red cape attached to a metal ring on the back and a red plume like that of a Greek warrior, a blue gem below it. Clenched in his left hand was a curved sword, still in its sheath (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" asked Soso.

"You will be when I use the effect of my Creator Incarnate, tributing it to Special Summon a much stronger monster from my hand! Behold, The Creator!"

A pillar of light formed around The Creator Incarnate, who began to levitate. The light became even brighter, as Soso was forced to look away, as the light pillar broke apart, a new monster appeared. It was a tall figure in vermilion armor, with a blue gem in its forehead, and a metal ring on its back, with a pair of wings attached to the ring (LV 8: ATK 2300).

"And The Creator has a very useful special ability! Once per turn, I can select a monster in my Graveyard, then resurrect it by sending a card in my hand to my Graveyard! And I select Sacred Crane! Go, Shining Horizon!"

The ring on the back of the Thunder-type began to glow a bright yellow as Shuyu sent her Magic Reflecter from her hand to the Graveyard, as Sacred Crane returned in a flash of light (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And don't forget, whenever Sacred Crane is Special Summoned, I can draw a card!" declared Shuyu as she drew, then burst into a laughing fit as she saw what she had drawn.

"What's so funny over there?" asked Soso, prompting Shuyu to stop laughing and push up her glasses.

"What's funny is that I just drew exactly what I've been looking for! I activate Shinato's Ark, and I use my Sacred Crane on the field, as well as Lady of Faith and Fairy Archer in my hand to complete the ritual!"

The huge wooden ship appeared above Shuyu, doors opening to reveal the spiral galaxy portal, as Sacred Crane, Lady of Faith, and Fairy Archer went inside of it (4+3+38).

"Behold my ultimate monster, who shall transcend this plane of existence and shine beyond the limits of humanity! Let your light shine for all eternity! I Ritual Summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

Out of the portal floated the celestial Ritual Monster, who spread his wings as rays of light shone through the darkness (LV 8: ATK 3300).

"And now, to battle! The Creator, destroy her Mefist with Divine Thunder!"

Electricity crackled in the hands of The Creator, as it blasted the Fiend-type into nothing but pixels (Soso: 3000-2500 LP).

"And now, let's finish you off! Shinato, attack directly with Endless Transmigration!"

But as Shinato charged a purple blast and fired it, Soso slapped a card on her Duel Disk, and a monster appeared. It had a metal disk as a base, with a face like a skeletal bat with an orange crest and red eyes. Behind it were four dark blue metal blades that made an X-shape, and on either side of it was a flat black metal arm, with a bell in its right hand. Underneath it was a golden pendulum (LV 1: DEF 0). As the blast began to reach the new monster, it began to swing its pendulum back and forth, releasing waves of energy that seemed to stop the attack, as Shinato folded his arms.

"What just happened?" asked Shuyu.

"When you attacked directly, you let me activate the effect of Battle Fader in my hand," explained Soso. "I Special Summoned Battle Fader, and then ended the Battle Phase. I'm safe for another turn."

"Big deal! I'll beat you eventually, no matter how much time you buy yourself! I end my turn!"

"That's where you're wrong," said Soso as she drew. "I may have lost my royal title, but I'm still Soso Motoku, the best duelist in Gi! I draw! And I set a monster, and another card before ending my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I activate the effect of The Creator, selecting Sacred Crane again!"

"I don't think so," said Soso, her card flipping up to show a blue dragon turning to dust. "I activate Disappear, a Trap Card that lets me banish any card in your Graveyard! And I pick your Sacred Crane!"

Shuyu grimaced as she pulled the monster out of her Graveyard and set it aside, before she slid her newly drawn card into her Spell & Trap Zone. "Well, since discarding a card for the effect of The Creator isn't a cost, I don't lose the card that I was going to discard to revive my monster, and instead use it! I play Soul of the Pure to gain eight hundred life points!"

As Shuyu's life points jumped (Shuyu: 1500-2300 LP), she pointed at Battle Fader. "Now then, let's have The Creator vanquish your Battle Fader with Divine Thunder!"

The Thunder-type built up more lightning in its hands, before blasting Battle Fader into pixels, with Soso putting the Fiend-type into a pocket. "When Battle Fader leaves the field after I Special Summoned it through its effect," explained Soso, "then it's banished."

"Shinato, destroy her face-down monster with Divine Ring! And in case you didn't know, if Shinato destroys a monster in defense mode, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's original attack points!"

Six balls of purple magic appeared before Shinato, black kanji displayed on all of them, as they began to spin around and form a ring that flew over to the face-down monster, revealed to be Newdoria (LV 4: DEF 800), who was swiftly destroyed by the attack, although Soso didn't look particularly bothered.

"I'll take damage, sure, but by destroying Newdoria in battle, you've let me destroy one of your monsters! No more bringing back your monsters with that Creator of yours!"

The leather clasp Newdoria wore over its head appeared on the head of The Creator, which exploded into pixels as Soso took damage from the effect of the Ritual Monster (Soso: 2500-1300 LP).

"I end my turn with that," declared Shuyu, as Soso drew her next card, smirking as she got a look at it.

"Things are looking bleak for me at the moment," said Soso, "but let's see if we can turn the tide of the duel with this card! I play my Card of Demise!"

Soso's card displayed a picture of a deck of Duel Monsters cards being sliced in half by a guillotine, a man in a green cloak being shocked as he dropped three cards that he was holding, with Soso drawing three new cards. "When this card is played, I draw until I have three cards in my hand, although I can't Special Summon the turn that I use this, and you don't take any damage this turn, plus I have to discard my entire hand during the End Phase. And now, I play Mirage of Nightmare!"

As the card appeared on the field, Soso wasted no time going over its effect. "Now during your Standby Phase, I draw until I have four cards in my hand, although I have to discard the same number of cars that I drew during my own Standby Phase. Now I set a monster and one other card before ending my turn!"

"My move, then," said Shuyu, as Soso drew four cards while she drew one. "I think that I'll equip my Shinato with Shine Palace, making him even stronger!"

The shining castle appeared behind the Ritual Monster, its power increasing (ATK 3300-4000).

"And now, I'll have Shinato attack with Divine Ring!"

As Shinato began to charge up his powerful attack, Soso activated her face-down card, as both Shine Palace and Mirage of Nightmare were destroyed (ATK 4000-3300).

"I play Malevolent Catastrophe, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards!"

"Well, my monster may lose his power boost, but I'm sure that he's still strong enough to destroy your monster!" And sure enough, the attack was launched at the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal Earthbound Spirit (LV 4: DEF 2000), which was destroyed by Divine Ring as Soso took damage (Soso: 1300-800 LP).

"Now I end my turn!"

"I draw! And as you can clearly see, since Malevolent Catastrophe destroyed my Mirage of Nightmare, I don't have to discard! And now, I think that I'll play my Pot of Greed!" And as Soso drew her two cards, she smiled as she saw the six cards in her hand.

"Now I think I'll cut the attack points of your Shinato in half with Shrink!"

Shuyu growled as she saw her best monster shrink down to half his size, becoming weaker in the process (ATK 3300-1650).

"And now, I activate my own Ritual Spell, Zera Ritual, and use Feral Imp and Headless Knight to complete the ritual! Arise, Zera the Mant!"

Both monsters appeared on the field, only to be enveloped by purple smoke (4+4=8), as the smoke cleared to reveal the mighty Ritual Monster that lurked in Soso's deck (LV 8: ATK 2800).

"Zera, destroy that King of a Higher Plane with Jagged Claw Attack!"

The Fiend-type ran up to the Fairy-type and slashed through it, Shinato being reduced to pixels (Shuyu: 2300-1150 LP).

"And now I'll set a card and end my turn!"

Shuyu growled, her best monster having been destroyed, as she drew her next card, smiling as she saw what she had drawn.

"I play my own copy of Pot of Greed!" she said, drawing two cards, as she gave a wicked grin.

"Looks like you drew something good," said Soso.

"You have no idea! I'm about to be one step closer to being with Sheren for the rest of my life! I activate Monster Reborn, in order to revive my Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!"

But as the Spell Card appeared on the field, Soso activated her face-down card. "I don't think so! I activate Soul Demolition, and use its effect now! By paying five hundred of my life points, I can have the both of us select a monster in the other's Graveyard and banish it! And I select Shinato!" (Soso: 800-300 LP)

"Grrrrr…" growled Shuyu, angered that her plan to win had been foiled. "Fine then, I'll banish the strongest monster in your Graveyard, Doomcaliber Knight."

"Pleasure doing business with you," said Soso as the two women pulled their respective cards out of their Graveyards, as Monster Reborn vanished, the effect no longer applying.

"All that I can do now is set one monster and end my turn."

Soso drew her next card and smiled as she saw what she had gotten. "I banish Earthbound Spirit, Feral Imp, and Headless Knight from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon a monster that dwells in the most horrific night terrors and feeds on the fear of its victims! Dark Necrofear, SHOW YOURSELF!"

All three Fiend-types appeared before Soso before they went into a dark portal, with Soso's other signature monster stepping out of it, stroking her doll affectionately (LV 8: ATK 2200).

"And now, let's see what you've got guarding the rest of your life points! Zera the Mant, Jagged Claw Attack!"

Zera brought its claws down on Shuyu's monster, which flipped up to reveal a green-haired woman wearing a yellow robe and playing a harp (LV 4: DEF 2000), who let out a gasp as she shattered.

'Spirit of the Harp,' thought Soso. 'Shuyu must have been planning to destroy Zera with her Shinato, then attack directly.' "Dark Necrofear, attack directly and end this duel! Doom Gaze!"

Dark Necrofear stared at Shuyu before firing lasers from her eyes, with Shuyu briefly crying out in pain as they struck her (Shuyu: 1150-0 LP)(Winner: Soso). However, as the shadows began to engulf Shuyu and her eyes returned to normal, she managed to give a strained smile.

"Thank you for preventing me from doing something that I would regret," she managed to say before she was completely enveloped, and the wall of shadows disappeared, leaving Soso alone in the library as her Duel Disk folded up, and she sprinted towards the door.

'Anthony will want to know about this,' she thought as she made a mad dash to his office. 'Hopefully, nobody else had to deal with a Shadow Game.'

~KD~

Sonken was humming a tune to herself as she watered a patch of rhododendrons, wiping the sweat off her brow that had formed from working in the heat. The gardener had left in order to pick up some foreign flowers, and had left Sonken with a list of tasks. So far, she was enjoying herself. It was certainly more relaxing than paperwork, if a bit more physically taxing. But she didn't mind one bit.

As she was checking her list, Sonken caught something moving in the corner of her eye, and was surprised to see a cloud of black smoke billowing behind her. She spun around, list falling to the ground, as she held her Duel Disk in front of her, only to be shocked as the cloud began to shift into a familiar form, one that Sonken hadn't seen in so long, as her arm lowered.

"She…She…Sheren?"

* * *

 **I know, this is so late. And here I was thinking that being on spring break this week would help get the next chapter out at a reasonable time. I'll try to upload chapter 85 by Sunday night, or whatever time I usually upload this for you guys. Starpion out!**


	86. Growing Threat

In the main hall of the White Clothes' base, the four recruits that Genho had wished to speak with personally were waiting in the hall silently, until Mukade, growing impatient, broke it.

"What's taking this guy?" he asked with a grimace. "If he wants to talk to us so bad, then why the hell is he making us stand around like this?"

"If this man is as powerful as the hooded men said," said Yin, "then I would hold my tongue, unless I wanted to lose it."

"Shut it," snapped Mukade, as Yokubo rolled her eyes.

"Great. I'm stuck waiting with a trio of lunatics," she muttered, which Yang overheard.

"Excuse you?" he said, offense in his voice, as Yokubo smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't get me wrong, you don't look half-bad, but it's clear how weak you are, not to mention crazy. Somebody as lovely as me has to have standards."

"Don't even fucking think that you're better than us," snapped Mukade, marching up to her. "You lost to that bastard and his goons too, didn't you? You're the weak one here, and I can't stand people like that."

"Oh, you wouldn't dare hit a lady, would you?" said Mukade, leaning over to display her ample cleavage, although Mukade was having none of it.

"Wouldn't be the first time, you-"

"Enough!"

Mukade, Yokubo, and the twins who were watching the fight with intrigue, turned to face the loud voice, as Genho stood before them, hands folded behind his back, as he scanned the four duelists. Beside him stood Ukitsu, a neutral look on his face.

"I will not tolerate this infighting. Both of you are going to listen to me and speak only when spoken to, understood?!"

Both duelists glared at each other, but obeyed. Mukade folded his arms, left over the right due to his Duel Disk, and Yokubo began to look over Genho, smirking as she liked what she saw.

"Excellent. Now then, let's begin with introductions. My name is Genho Saji, but you shall refer to me as Master Saji, or simply 'Master.' The man beside me is known as Ukitsu, and is my second-in-command."

"Name's Mukade," said the oldest of the group. "Mukade Yari."

"Kenkuro Yugure…" began Yin.

"And Kenshiro Yoake…" added Yang.

"But you may call us Yin and Yang!" finished the twins in unison.

"And my name," said Yokubo, "is Yokubo Don'yoku. It's a pleasure."

"Quite," said Genho, brushing her off. "Now, to business. The reason why I brought you, as well as countless others, to this location was to give you an offer to join my cause."

"Your cause?" asked Yin.

"To take complete control of the country," said Genho.

"Yeah, because that worked out so well for the others," said Mukade.

"It's true, there have been setbacks, particularly due to a stubborn thorn in my side, one you're all familiar with," growled Genho. "That damned Kikai Kingdom, and its sorry excuse for a leader, Lord Calem. The reason why I selected you four to speak to is because you all have…experience when it comes to Lord Calem and his peerage."

Mukade snarled. "Experience? Yeah, I have experience, alright. Everything was going great for me until that sniveling crybaby and her shitty dragons got lucky and beat me!"

"Our operation was going smooth as well," said Yang.

"That is, until Lord Anthony and General Choun became the first to beat us in a Tag Team Duel, ruining everything," said Yin with spite.

"That black-haired hag of a general beat me, and that lord had the nerve to insult me!" said Yokubo.

"See, I'm sure you all want a chance at revenge, just as I do," said Genho. "Join me, and your prayers will be answered."

"And what's so special about you?" asked Mukade. Genho frowned, and in a split second, he was in the tattooed man's face, startling not only Mukade, but the other three as well.

"What was that?!" asked Yin. "He disappeared like a puff of smoke!"

"And reappeared in front of him," said Yang.

"This is an example of what you can be capable of if you join my cause. Powers beyond anything your feeble mind can come up with. The power to crush any opposition. Now tell me, does that sound enticing?"

Mukade gave Genho a sinister grin. "Yeah, it does. Power like that…I'd be an idiot not to take it."

"Why don't you just kill Lord Calem with that trick of yours?" asked Yokubo, who, despite being tempted by the proposition, still had doubts. "It would be easy. Nobody could stop you." As soon as she said this, Genho teleported before her.

"You're right, it would be easy," said Genho. "Too easy. Do you really think that I'm enough of a fool for that to not be the first thing I thought to do when I obtained these powers?"

Yokubo wisely kept her mouth shut as Genho continued. "When I first encountered Lord Calem, I didn't think of him as a threat. And yet, by sheer luck, he beat me. Ruined me. And failure is something that I cannot stand. Killing him like that would not satisfy me. I intend to destroy him. I intend to make a fool of him. I intend to beat him at his own game! Only then will I be satisfied."

He then turned on his heel and walked back over to Ukitsu. "Besides, I intend to keep my identity hidden from him and those he is close to," said Genho. "I've already risked exposing myself once, and that was one time too many." As he said this, he glanced at Ukitsu. Once he was where he had been before, he turned on his heel and faced the quartet.

"So, are you willing to join me? Shall you become brilliant lights by embracing the darkness?"

"You've got me on board," said Mukade, stepping forward.

"I share the brute's sentiments," said Yin, while Yang looked conflicted. "Not only a chance at vengeance against those who ruined us, but superhuman abilities that will surely help us with that. To pass up such an offer is foolish."

"If my brother is convinced, then so am I," said Yang, having made up his mind as the two took a step forward.

"Tempting…very tempting…but I'll pass."

Everyone turned towards Yokubo, the glare that Genho gave her demanding an explanation, which she gave. "Don't get me wrong, that all sounds amazing. All that power sounds lovely. But the thing is, you're clearly out of your mind. And in case you didn't hear me earlier, I'm a girl with standards." Genho's hands tightened into fists, but Ukitsu spoke up.

"Please, allow me, master Saji. I'm positive I can convince her, even without my powers," he said quietly, with Genho nodding in approval, much to Ukitsu's delight. As the advisor walked forward, Yang turned to his older brother.

"Wasn't that man, Ukitsu, on a wanted poster in the town we were in?" whispered the younger twin.

"He was, with a high price on his head," confirmed Yin.

"What do you want?" asked Yokubo.

"I can tell that you're a woman who admires power. As such, I have a proposal for you, one that will demonstrate the power that you can obtain. I challenge you to a duel, miss Yokubo. If you are victorious, you may leave, but if I am victorious, then you shall join us. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure!" said Yokubo with a cocky smile, as she began to shuffle her cards.

"Well then, let's see if that bitch can put her money where her mouth is," said Mukade, as Ukitsu smirked, his Chaos Duel Disk unfolding. Yokubo was surprised, but tried to hide it with mixed results as her opponent's cards were shuffled, and they both drew their opening hands.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Ukitsu: 4000 LP)(Yokubo: 4000 LP)

"Now then, would you like the first move or the second?" asked Ukitsu.

"Second!"

"Very well. I draw! Then I shall set one monster."

"If his plan to win is hiding in defense mode, then I'm not impressed," scoffed Mukade from the sidelines.

"Perhaps his monster has a Flip Effect," suggested Yang, eyeing the face-down card.

"Now, I play my Dark Room of Nightmare!" declared Ukitsu, his card displaying a stone room with two shadows present. "Then I end my turn!"

"That's it?" said Yokubo with a chuckle. "This will be easy! I draw! Then I summon my Dunames Dark Witch to the field!"

The armored fairy appeared before Yokubo, hovering above the ground (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And she's about to take down that monster of yours with her Spellbinding Flux!"

The Fairy-type held out both of her hands, before she shot two black blasts of magic that had white sparkles along them, giving the impression of the night sky. The blasts hit the card, only for Gravekeeper's Guard to be revealed (LV 4: DEF 1900). The Spellcaster-type reflected the blasts with his spear (Yokubo: 4000-3900), as he caught fire, red waves of energy pulsing off of him as they hit Dunames Dark Witch, as she disappeared, the card going back into Yokubo's hand.

"You've just activated the Flip Effect of my Gravekeeper's Guard, forcing your monster back into your hand!" said Ukitsu.

"I was right," said Yang with a smirk, Mukade growling.

"Whatever," said Yokubo. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I believe that it's time for a change in scenery! I activate a Field Spell known as Necrovalley!"

The room then shifted into the desert valley that the Gravekeeper monsters called home, as Gravekeeper's Guard, arms crossed in front of him, had a dark aura briefly cover him (DEF 1900-2400).

"Excellent. With Necrovalley in play, her chances of winning have been cut in half, if she's lucky," said Genho.

"Here in Necrovalley, my Gravekeeper's monsters gain five hundred attack and defense points, and cards in our Graveyards cannot be banished, nor can they be moved to any other location by an effect, excluding their own. And now, I summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder to join my guard!"

A new monster appeared, taking the form of a man with a black cloak with yellow trim, holding a large cannon over his right shoulder (LV 4: ATK 1400-1900).

"And now I'll switch my Gravekeeper's Guard into attack mode!"

Ukitsu's monster unfolded his arms and pointed his spear at Yokubo (ATK 1500).

"And now I'll have my Gravekeeper's Guard attack directly with Blazing Blade Strike!"

The Spellcaster-type ran up to Yokubo, only for her to activate her face-down card, as the attack was blocked by the choir of Waboku.

"I won't let you deal so much damage this early! My Waboku will keep me from taking any battle damage this turn, or any monsters I control from being destroyed in battle!"

"Well, it seems that this duel has been extended," said Ukitsu. "But fortunately for me, that card protects you from battle damage, but not effect damage! I activate the effect of my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, letting me tribute another Gravekeeper's monster I control to deal seven hundred points of damage! Ka Cannon!"

Gravekeeper's Guard turned into a golden wisp that flew into the back of the cannon, as Gravekeeper's Cannonholder aimed his weapon at the woman in red, before blasting her with a golden burst of energy (Yokubo: 3900-3200 LP).

"And the pain doesn't end there, because now the effect of Dark Room of Nightmare activates! If you take damage from a card effect, excluding that of Dark Room of Nightmare, you take three hundred points of damage!"

A ghostly shadow flew out of the Continuous Spell and flew around Yokubo, who didn't look that impressed (Yokubo: 3200-2900 LP).

"Is that all you've got?"

"Hardly," said Ukitsu as he activated a Spell Card, displaying a floating Gravekeeper's Assailant and three men in green cloaks in front of a sphinx, performing a ritual of sorts. "With Necrovalley out, I'm able to play this Spell Card! I activate my Royal Tribute, which will have us both discard every monster in our hands!"

"Whatever," muttered Yokubo as she briefly revealed her hand, three Monster Cards and two Spell Cards, before she sent Dunames Dark Witch, Fire Sorcerer, and Magician of Faith to her Graveyard. "You'll be sending monsters to the Graveyard too."

"Oh, will I?" said Ukitsu, as he turned his hand around just long enough to reveal two Spell Cards, before flipping them back around, much to the annoyance of Yokubo. "And with that, I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I activate Graceful Charity!" As Yokubo drew three cards, she smiled before discarding the Gravedigger Ghoul and Soul Release in her hand. "Now I play a little card called Dian Keto the Cure Master, which will give me a thousand life points!"

Yokubo played a card that had an older woman with green hair wearing a red and blue outfit with a floating white scarf, a bright yellow orb of light in her hands. The woman, presumably Dian Keto, appeared before her and held out her hands, yellow sparks of light surrounding the younger girl (Yokubo: 2900-3900 LP).

"And I see that Cannonholder of yours has a lot of power. And I want it! I activate Change of Heart, taking control of your monster until the End Phase!"

As the card appeared, the eyes of the Spellcaster-type turned white as he walked over to Yokubo, although Ukitsu didn't look particularly bothered by this turn of events.

"And now, let's see how you like a direct attack from your own monster!"

Ukitsu braced himself as Gravekeeper's Cannonholder shot him with a powerful cannon blast (Ukitsu: 4000-2100 LP), as Yin smirked.

"It appears that Yokubo over there has some skill to back up her big mouth," he snarked.

"And if you think you're getting your monster back, better think again, because I tribute him to summon Dark Witch!"

The Gravekeeper disappeared, as Dark Witch flew a foot above the ground, wielding her spear (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"And now I end my turn!"

"Then I draw, and I summon my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier."

The spear-wielding Gravekeeper appeared, twirling his weapon before he pointed it at Dark Witch, who pointed her own spear at him in response (LV 4: ATK 1500-2000).

"Now it's time to take down that Dark Witch! Lunging Spear Assault!"

Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier smirked as he lunged towards Dark Witch and impaled her with his spear, destroying her (Yokubo: 3900-3700 LP).

"I think that should be enough for my turn," said Ukitsu, his Spear Soldier smirking as Yokubo drew.

"Looks like all that I can do is set one monster and end my turn."

"Very well. I draw! And I summon Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Gravekeeper's Curse appeared besides the Spear Soldier, holding his Was in folded hands (LV 3: ATK 800-1300), as he began to glow gold, green magic building up on the hooked end.

"And whenever this monster of mine is Summoned, you take five hundred points of damage! And don't forget that my Dark Room of Nightmare is still in play for another three hundred life points lost! Doomsday Purge!"

Yokubo found herself being hit by a blast of magic (Yokubo: 3700-3200 LP), as another shadow attacked her (Yokubo: 3200-2900 LP).

"And now, to destroy your monster! Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, Lunging Spear Assault!"

The monster was quick to act, rushing over to the set monster, spear at the ready. The monster flipped up to reveal a woman who had long purple hair with brown leaf decorations, closed eyes with a green third eye in the center of her forehead, and a dark blue cloak with a metal collar that had a purple eye in the center (LV 4: DEF 1200). She was destroyed by the attack (Yokubo: 2900-2100 LP) and as Yokubo pulled her deck out of its slot, she noticed her life point counter had fallen.

"What's this? I took damage? But my monster was in defense mode!"

"That won't help against Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier," said Ukitsu, his monster sneering with pride. "He inflicts piercing damage!"

"Sounds like my kind of monster," said Mukade with a grin.

"Well, when Witch of the Black Forest goes from the field to the Graveyard, I can show you a monster with 1500 or less defense points from my deck, then add it to my hand! And I pick The Unfriendly Amazon!" said Yokubo, showing her opponent said card and adding it to her hand before shuffling her deck.

"Ah, a powerful monster to be sure. But for now, your field is empty, and I intend to take advantage of that. Gravekeeper's Curse, attack directly with Doomsday Purge!"

A chartreuse aura covered Gravekeeper's Curse, the same aura spreading to Yokubo (Yokubo: 2100-800 LP).

"And with that, I end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I play Pot of Greed!"

"Ah, a classic card," said Ukitsu. "But will those two cards you draw be enough?"

As Yokubo drew her cards, she smirked. "It looks like it! But first, I summon The Unfriendly Amazon!"

The monster that Yokubo summoned had purple hair in a braided ponytail, a brown headband with long ribbons flowing around her, a purple dress with spiked shoulder guards and a piece of iron armor over her chest, purple gloves that went halfway up her upper arms, and long leather boots. In her right hand was a double-edged sword, and she looked like she knew how to use it (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And I think that it's time to get rid of this eyesore of a Field Spell! I play Harpie's Feather Duster, a card that will destroy all of your Spell and Trap Cards!"

"How unfortunate," said Ukitsu, as Necrovalley disappeared and Dark Room of Nightmare shattered, returning the field back to the White Clothes hideout, and the stats of the two Gravekeeper's monsters returned to normal (ATK 2000-1500)(ATK 1300-800).

"And now that I'm able to use cards that affect the Graveyards again, I play my Monster Reborn, which as I'm sure you're aware lets me Special Summon a monster from either of our Graveyards! And I pick my Dark Witch!"

In a flash of light, the Fairy-type was back on the field, ready to fight (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"Now it's my turn to battle! Unfriendly Amazon, destroy Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier with Soaring Slash Attack!"

The Warrior-type jumped into the air and descended with a loud cry, bringing her sword down on the Spellcaster-type and destroying him (Ukitsu: 2100-1600 LP).

"And now, Dark Witch! Destroy his Gravekeeper's Curse with Shining Blizzard!"

The Fairy-type spun her spear, as small sparkles were formed, before they swarmed the weaker monster, a barrage of tiny projectiles tearing him to pixels (Ukitsu: 1600-600 LP).

"Is that enough? I end my turn!"

"With Necrovalley gone…" began Yin.

"Ukitsu won't stand a chance," finished Yang.

"Hmph. I won't pretend that Ukitsu has never failed me before," said Genho with crossed arms, "but if there's one thing he's consistently succeeded at, it's dueling."

"I draw! And I play Card Destruction, a card that makes us both discard our hands and draw the same amount of cards we discarded. You don't have to do anything on account of your empty hand, but I'll be replacing these two cards."

The bespectacled duelist slipped Dark Designator and Hieroglyph Lithograph into his Graveyard before he drew two more cards, deciding that he could work with them.

"I'll set one monster and one other card, and end my turn."

"Then I draw! And during my Standby Phase, I need to tribute a monster to keep my amazon in play, so I'll ditch Dark Witch," said Yokubo, said monster shattering. "And I summon Crimson Sentry!"

The Unfriendly Amazon was joined by a woman with white hair wearing a bronze tiara, orange stone armor with spikes shoulders and a skull breastplate, bronze bracers, and a long violet cape, with a sinister-looking bow in hand (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Unfriendly Amazon, cut that monster down to size!"

The EARTH monster swung her sword, the face-down monster revealed to be Gravekeeper's Vassal, a man with tanned skin and a long nose, wearing a snakeskin tunic and turban, a green vest, and brown shoes with pointed toes (LV 3: DEF 500).

"And now, it's time to end this! Crimson Sentry!"

But as the FIRE monster notched an arrow and drew it back, Ukitsu's face-down was activated, with the man in question cackling.

"I don't think so! I activate Rite of Spirit, letting me Special Summon any Gravekeeper's monster in my Graveyard! And I select Gravekeeper's Guard!"

Out of the Trap Card came the muscular guard (LV 4: DEF 1900), who knelt down and held his spear close.

"Stop your attack, Sentry!" commanded Yokubo, her monster doing so. "Fine. I'll just have to beat you next turn!"

"Do you believe a nobody like yourself can defeat me in a duel?" said Ukitsu as he drew his next card. "I've managed to beat both Lord Sonsaku and Lord Soso! You never stood a chance! Now then, I tribute my Gravekeeper's Guard to summon Gravekeeper's Chief!"

The guard vanished, and Gravekeeper's Chief appeared, staff in hand (LV 5: ATK 1900).

"And when he's Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon a Gravekeeper's monster from my Graveyard, like Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Gravekeeper's Chief held out his staff as Gravekeeper's Curse returned to the field with a sinister grin (LV 3: DEF 800).

"And don't forget about his effect! When he's summoned, you take five hundred points of damage!"

Yokubo snarled as her life points fell, lime green magic coating her (Yokubo: 800-300 LP).

"And now, it's time to end this duel! Gravekeeper's Chief, destroy that Crimson Sentry! Royal Rage!"

In his free hand, Gravekeeper's Chief built up a red ball of energy in his empty hand, before emitting a powerful blast of magic that blasted the Warrior-type into pieces, as Yokubo fell to her knees (Yokubo: 300-0 LP)(Winner: Ukitsu).

"Ha! She never stood a chance!" cackled Mukade.

"Well then, it appears that you are now a member of the White Clothes, as per our deal."

"Yeah, I guess I am," said Yokubo as she stood up, Genho noticing her eyes weren't dulled. Ukitsu wasn't lying about not using his powers.

'What power…' thought Yokubo. 'I have to have it.'

"Now then, this way. It's time for your initiation into the White Clothes," said Genho, Ukitsu walking beside him with the other four trailing them.

~KD~

It wasn't long before they came into the room that held the Millennium Mirror, as Genho walked up next to it, the others remaining where they were as he gestured to it. "The most common power that members of the White Clothes possess is the ability to create Shadow Games, in which the duels become real, and the soul of the loser is lost to the shadows. Most of our minions are granted their abilities by either me or Ukitsu, but as for the two of us, and our former five elites, this mirror granted us that ability. There are also more severe consequences if either of us lose a Shadow Game, but these high risks come with high rewards, as the more souls I send to the Shadow Realm, the more power I gain. And the same goes for Ukitsu, and it will be the same for you."

"Count me in," said Mukade as he walked up the steps, pausing in front of the mirror. "Now what?"

"Place your hand on the spherical section, and in your mind, let your desire for power be known. You will receive it."

"Good enough for me," said Mukade, following the instructions as he put his hand on the surface, demanding that it give him its power in his mind. Nothing happened at first, but then the eye on the mirror began to glow, and a pitch-black aura covered his hand before creeping up his body, covering him completely. Mukade let out a bloodcurdling scream before a bright light came from his forehead, and the darkness disappeared. Mukade then turned towards Genho with a wicked grin, the Millennium Symbol briefly flashing on his forehead before it vanished.

"I feel…so powerful…"

"I'm glad," said Genho, and soon, the other three obtained the power to create Shadow Games in a similar manner. Yin was quick to go along with it, while Yang was a bit more hesitant. Yokubo, surprisingly, had zero resistance.

"Now then, I would like to examine your decks."

With varying levels of resistance, the four gave Genho their decks to examine, and after he was finished, he scoffed and returned them. "Pathetic."

"Excuse you?!" said Mukade. "My deck is perfect!"

"Please, the four of you intending to use those cards against Lord Calem and his allies is like using a chopstick in a sword fight. But do not fear, for I shall provide you with superior cards, starting with you, Mukade."

The tanned man was confused, when Genho stepped up to the mirror, and to the surprise of the four newest members of the White Clothes, he put his hand into the mirror's surface as though it were a liquid.

"What the fuck?!" shouted Mukade.

"How is he doing that?" asked Yang.

"I have no idea," gasped Yin.

After a while, seemingly a couple of minutes, Genho retracted his hand, holding a deck of Duel Monsters cards and turning to Mukade. "I assume that you'll find these satisfactory?" Suddenly, a purple haze came out of the Millennium Mirror, before taking the form of a Chaos Duel Disk. "And this Duel Disk should prove a vast improvement over yours."

Mukade took off his Duel Disk and put it under his arm, slipping the new one on and looking through the cards, his neutral face slowly spreading into a massive grin. "With these cards, I'll pulverize that brat." One by one, Genho granted new cards and Duel Disks to his new recruits, who were elated with their new cards.

"With these decks in a Tag Team Duel…" began Yin.

"Nobody can stop us!" finished Yang.

"That black-haired skank won't know what hit her," said Yokubo.

"Those Duel Disks of yours will also act as communicators, and I expect you to inform Ukitsu of any important information," said Genho. "You will only contact me if you are ABSOLUTELY certain that you are alone, am I understood?"

"Yes, Master Saji!"

"Good," said the leader of the White Clothes, the Millennium Symbol mark on his forehead briefly flashing. "Now then, who wishes to be the first to test their new powers?"

* * *

 **Hopefully, the wait was worth it for this one, as these four have returned, with their courtesy names revealed! Starpion out!**


	87. Destroyer of Defense

"Hawawa…and just when I thought things were starting to remain peaceful…then all of this happens…"

In her room, Shokatsuryo sat at her desk, her cards spread out in front of her as her Duel Disk rested on her bed. It had been a couple of days since the White Clothes had struck, but that did little to decrease her paranoia, as she was rebuilding her deck. If she found herself dueling against the White Clothes, she would be ready.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, causing Shokatsuryo to flinch, jumping a bit in her seat. "Shuri, are you in there?" came a concerned Kan'u's voice from outside, as the blonde strategist let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Yes, I'm here, Aisha. Give me a second." As she said this, she pushed herself out of her chair and walked to the door, unlocking it and opening it to reveal Kikai's top general, a stern yet compassionate look on her face as she let out her own sigh of relief, before crossing her arms.

"Where have you been? Nobody's seen you all morning! At first I assumed that you were simply reading or had overslept, but as the minutes became hours, I began to assume the worst…"

A knot formed in Shokatsuryo's stomach as she felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I've been building my deck all morning. Now that we could be challenged to a Shadow Game at any time, practically anywhere, I need to be prepared."

"I understand your concern," said Kan'u, with Shokatsuryo going back to her desk. Kan'u followed her before standing behind her, looking over the younger girl's shoulder as Shokatsuryo sifted through her cards, trying to find out which would be best. "Although I don't know if you have much to worry about."

"What do you mean, Aisha?"

"You have one of the most brilliant minds in China, and a deck filled with powerful Dragon-types. I know that you can handle anything that the White Clothes would send your way."

Shokatsuryo began to grow flustered. Even after being Anthony's main (and for a long time only) strategist for months, she still wasn't completely used to all of the praise that she got. "Hawawa, you're just saying that."

"No, I completely mean it!" said Kan'u with a smile. "You're fantastic!"

"Not really," said Shokatsuryo. "I am smart, and I do have good cards, but I'm also a coward."

"Bullshit!"

Shokatsuryo dropped the cards in her hands and spun her chair around so fast, she almost sent herself flying, the strategist's eyes the size of dinner plates. She was dumbstruck; while Kan'u had said mild curses before, she had never been heard to utter the more…colorful curse words normally reserved for the likes of Anthony and Choryo. And from the looks of it, the black-haired general was equally surprised herself, given that her face had become a lovely shade of crimson, and her hands were clasped over her mouth. Quickly, Kan'u composed herself, clearing her throat.

"I apologize for that, it was a bit…unbecoming of me. But my sentiments are the same. You are most certainly no coward, Shuri, and it surprises me that you would even think such garbage, let alone say it. Don't you remember how you you stood up to that no-good crook Mukade?"

"Not at first," argued Shokatsuryo. "Until you and Anthony showed up, I was too scared to move, even though I could have beaten him."

"And yet as soon as Anthony was hurt and the two of us were threatened, you were quick to jump in," said Kan'u with a smile. "You said that it was your duty to help the weak, like your teacher did with you."

"But-"

"And even if your claims were true once," continued Kan'u, "you've proven time and again that you're reliable, pragmatic, and courageous."

Shokatsuryo was quiet as she looked at her feet, before she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to meet Kan'u's gaze. "You're brave, Shuri. I know it, Anthony knows it, your former teacher knows it. Everyone in Kikai knows about your courage, Shuri, so why don't you?"

Shokatsuryo couldn't think of anything to say, before she gave a weak smile. "Thank you, Aisha. That…really means a lot." She then turned around and grabbed her completed deck before hopping out of her chair and walking towards her Duel Disk.

"Anytime. Just remember, Shuri, we're all here for each other. If you ever need something, let us know. Now then, with your deck ready, maybe you should get something to eat." As soon as Kan'u said this, while Shokatsuryo put her cards into her Duel Disk, the younger girl's stomach rumbled, making her blush in embarrassment. Not having left her room since she woke up, she hadn't had anything to eat yet.

"Hawawa…that sounds like a good idea. I'll get something in the town. Do you want to come with me, Aisha?"

"I would love to," said Kan'u, "but I can't. Shion and I are going to be patrolling the palace."

"Oh, okay," said Shokatsuryo. "Maybe Anthony?"

"On a date with Sei," said Kan'u. "Hmm…Rinrin and Sui should be free right now. I'll ask if they can accompany you."

"Have they not eaten yet?" asked Shokatsuryo as she put on her Duel Disk, the two of them walking out of her room.

"I don't know, but even if they have had lunch, it wouldn't stop them."

~KD~

"Thanks for coming with me to lunch," said Shokatsuryo as she walked through the town, accompanied by Chohi and Bacho.

"Sure thing, Shuri!" said Chohi. "We haven't spent that much time together since those jerks in white started coming!"

"Hawawa…tell me about it," said Shokatsuryo, as Bacho began to pat her head, much to her embarrassment.

"Don't sweat it, Shuri! The three of us are totally awesome at Duel Monsters! If any of those creeps came here right now, we could totally kick their asses to whatever hole they crawled out of! Am I right, or am I right?"

"Right, Sui!" cheered Chohi as Shokatsuryo smiled.

"I guess so…" said Shokatsuryo as Bacho tugged on her shoulder, pointing at a vendor selling shao kao, the brunette's mouth watering as she took in the aroma of spiced meat.

"Hey, that place is one of my favorites! I eat from there all the time! What do you think, girls, wanna try some?"

"If you recommend it," said Shokatsuryo.

"Yeah, yeah!" cheered Chohi. "Sounds yummy!"

"Cool, just hang tight," said Bacho, walking over to the vendor. "Lunch is on me!"

As the oldest of the trio got food for the group, Chohi turned towards Shokatsuryo and tilted her head. "What's wrong, Shuri? You look sad."

"I'm not sad, Rinrin, I'm just thinking."

"Okay. Whatcha thinking about?"

"Just something that Aisha said to me."

"What did big sis say?" asked Chohi, and rather than answer her question, Shokatsuryo asked a question of her own.

"Rinrin, do you think I'm brave?"

Chohi regained her large smile. "Of course Rinrin thinks you're brave! Remember when you took on that meanie Keifa? And before that, when we went with Ren to rescue Riri? You were a little scared, sure, but you were still there for us when we needed you!"

Shokatsuryo could only smile at these reassuring words, as Bacho came back to the group holding three skewers of meat. "Hey girls, food's here!"

"Alright!" said Chohi as she got her food and began to wolf it down, as Bacho handed Shokatsuryo her lunch before digging into her own.

"So, what were you two talking about?" asked Bacho between bites, the trio walking back towards the palace.

"Nothing much," said Shokatsuryo with a noticeable smile on her face as she bit into the spiced meat. Bacho just shrugged and kept eating, with the strategist feeling much better than she had earlier that morning. All of the reassurance about her bravery, spending time with her friends; nothing could ruin this.

"Hey there, shorty! Long time, no see!"

These words shattered Shokatsuryo's serenity in an instant as she stared blankly ahead, her friends looking in confusion. Standing in front of them, a good distance away, was somebody who she thought would never see again: Mukade. The stick that once held her lunch dropped to the ground, with the blonde paralyzed, unable to move or even speak.

"Who's this guy, Shuri?" asked Chohi. "Is he your friend?"

"No, Rinrin," whispered Shokatsuryo, finding her voice, "he's not. Not even close. This is the man who tried to rob me the day I joined Kikai."

"Yeah, and I've got a serious bone to pick with you, knee-high!" snapped Mukade, taking a step closer as Bacho and Chohi stepped in front of Shokatsuryo.

"Stay away from Shuri!" said Chohi.

"If you want to get to her, you'll have to go through us!" shouted Bacho.

Mukade sneered at the two generals. "I'm not here to duel either of you dumbasses. My vendetta is with the wuss who's quivering behind you two, so step aside!"

"What did she do that was so bad?" asked Bacho, making no attempt to comply.

"She humiliated me!" snapped Mukade. "Somehow, that little bitch managed to get lucky and beat me! And now, it's payback time! You're gonna regret messing with Mukade Yari, the Destroyer of Defense!" As he said this, he raised his left arm, with all three of the girls getting a good look at the Chaos Duel Disk that he was wearing.

"Hawawa! You joined the White Clothes? Why?" asked Shokatsuryo.

"Because they can give me the power to crush you, you little shit!" said Mukade. "And now my deck is better than ever! Maybe even good enough to take on that pussy that you morons call your lord!"

"That's it!" snapped Bacho. "Insult me all you like, but insult my friends and loved ones? Forget the duel, I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!"

"Yeah! Nobody says mean stuff about Shuri, Sui, or big bro!" shouted Chohi.

"Girls, that's enough," said Shokatsuryo as she stepped past them, holding out her Duel Disk. "This is my fight, not either of yours. I'll take him on." Mukade sneered as he unfolded his Duel Disk, while Chohi and Bacho looked at their friend with mild concern.

"You mean it, Shuri?" asked Chohi, as Shokatsuryo walked past them and began to shuffle her cards.

"I do. White Clothes or not, Shadow Game or not, I won't run away. And I'm not scared of you, Mukade."

"Not scared of me, huh?" asked Mukade as his Duel Disk opened up, cards being shuffled as the decks of the participants were covered in a dark aura, the passersby getting out of the way or behind cover as the Shadow Game began. "Well, you should be."

(Shokatsuryo: 4000 LP)(Mukade: 4000 LP)

"I'll make the first move," said Shokatsuryo, having drawn her opening hand, as she drew a sixth card. "And I set a monster face-down."

"And I thought you were supposed to be smart!" said Mukade. "Don't you remember anything from our last duel? I'm the best when it comes to destroying defense mode monsters!"

'I remember,' thought Shokatsuryo to herself. 'But you're the one who needs to remember about our last duel, since as soon as you destroy my Troop Dragon in battle, I can Special Summon another one from my deck.'

"I set one more card and end my turn," said Shokatsuryo, as Mukade drew his next card.

"Get ready, because here I come! I summon my Search Striker!"

On Mukade's field, a man wearing metal armor under a blue longcoat appeared, face hidden by a metal helmet with yellow wires and red eyes. He had a metal backpack with two large discs attached, and connected to it were two large blasters that ran along the length of the monster's arms (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And whenever my Search Striker here attacks a monster that's in face-down defense mode, he can destroy it without flipping it up or applying damage calculation! So whatever you've got hiding in defense mode is about to go up in smoke!"

"Hawawa!" shouted Shokatsuryo.

"Search Striker, blast that monster with Clever Strike!"

The Warrior-type aimed both blasters at the face-down monster, a high-pitched whirring sound coming from the high-tech weapons as they began to charge, before two blue beams of light streaked through the air, vaporizing the set monster. Afterwards, Search Striker took a knee, blasters at his side (DEF 1200).

"What happened to his monster?" asked Chohi.

"Unfortunately," said Mukade, "my monster is stuck in defense mode the turn I use this effect, and I can't change it until the end of my next turn without a card effect."

'He doesn't sound pleased about his own monster being in defense mode,' thought Shokatsuryo. 'At least he isn't a hypocrite.'

"Now I set a card and end my turn!"

"But before you do," said Shokatsuryo, her card flipping up and a small dust devil kicking up, "I activate my Dust Tornado, destroying your face-down card before you get a chance to use it!" The tornado made its way past Search Striker and sent the face-down card, Strike Slash, flying into the air before it shattered, Mukade scowling.

"Grr…"

"Yeah, Shuri! You got this guy!" cheered Bacho as Shokatsuryo drew her next card. A small smile appeared on the face of the strategist as she saw what she had drawn. Her plan to bring out another Troop Dragon didn't work, but fortunately she had been provided with a backup plan.

"Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon my Vice Dragon from my hand with half of its original attack and defense points!"

A muscular purple dragon with large green wings appeared on the field, flexing its sharp claws as it let out a loud roar (LV 5: ATK 2000-1000).

"But my Vice Dragon won't be staying for long, since I tribute him to summon my Des Volstgalph!"

The purple dragon was soon off the field, and in its place stood a blue dragon with pieces of red armor on its body (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"Now it's time to show you what my monsters can do, Mukade! Des Volstgalph, destroy Search Striker!"

Her monster shot a blue blast of fire from its mouth that struck Search Striker, destroying it and leaving a shallow crater in the road (Mukade: 4000-3500 LP).

"Hey, why did I take damage?" asked Mukade.

"Whenever Des Volstgalph destroys an opponent's monster and sends it to the Graveyard, you take five hundred points of damage. Now I end my turn."

"Way to go, Shuri!" cheered Chohi, as Mukade drew.

"Don't expect me to be impressed! I activate my Guard Penalty!"

A Quick-Play Spell appeared on the field, depicting a boxing match where one of the boxers was hiding behind the referee and using him as a shield. "Now I can pick one monster on the field, and if it's changed to defense mode this turn, I get to draw a card!"

"By doing that, you've activated the other effect of my Des Volstgalph," said Shokatsuryo, the eyes of her monster glowing blue (ATK 2200-2400). "Whenever a Normal Spell or Quick-Play Spell is activated and resolves, it gains two hundred attack points until the turn's end."

"Big deal! Let your monster gain as many attack points as you want, because it won't matter when I switch it into defense mode! I activate my Earthquake!"

Suddenly, Shokatsuryo felt her body shake, and she wasn't the only one. The surrounding buildings and people also began to shake due to the Earthquake, as her mighty dragon was forced to crouch down (DEF 1700)(ATK 2400-2600).

"M-M-Make it stop!" said Bacho, voice trembling as much as her body.

"Hawawa, hawawa!" screamed Shokatsuryo, before the tremors slowed to a stop, the damage to the town thankfully minimal. As Mukade drew a card thanks to Guard Penalty, a sinister smile crossed his face before he exchanged it for a different card in his hand.

"Now that your monster is stuck cowering in defense mode, my Pursuit Chaser will rip it apart!"

As the motorcycle-like monster appeared (LV 3: ATK 1400), Shokatsuryo gasped in surprise. "Hawawa! That's a Machine-type monster, isn't it!"

"Yeah, Rinrin thinks that she's seen big bro use it before!" said Chohi.

"You like it? It's one of the many new cards that my new master gave me to take you losers down! And now, I think I'll play another! I equip my Pursuit Chaser with Big Bang Shot!"

A card depicting a man wearing a rocket-propelled boot dealing an explosive kick appeared, as Pursuit Chaser began to glow red (ATK 1400-1800).

"Thanks to Big Bang Shot, my Pursuit Chaser gains four hundred attack points, and now it can deal piercing damage! Pursuit Chaser, destroy Des Volstgalph with Searchlight Flash!"

Pursuit Chaser put both of its arms forward before shooting two yellow beams of light that struck Des Volstgalph, shattering it, and ending a few yards behind Shokatsuryo, blowing a small hole in the road (Shokatsuryo: 4000-3900 LP).

"And kinda like your monster, Pursuit Chaser deals five hundred points of damage whenever a monster in defense mode is destroyed!"

Pursuit Chaser shot another laser, this time hitting Shokatsuryo square on as she let out a sharp cry of pain (Shokatsuryo: 3900-3400 LP).

"Shuri!" shouted Chohi.

"You okay?" asked Bacho, taking a step forward.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Shokatsuryo.

"You won't be for much longer! I end my turn!"

"Then I draw," said Shokatsuryo, "and I summon my Masked Dragon!"

The red and tan dragon materialized before Shokatsuryo, letting out a roar (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"And since I control a Dragon-type monster, I activate Stamping Destruction, which lets me destroy a Spell or Trap Card that you control and inflict five hundred points of damage! Say goodbye to your Big Bang Shot, and when that card leaves the field, the equipped monster is banished!"

Masked Dragon slowly began to flap its wings before taking to the sky, then descending upon the Equip Spell and crushing it under its front legs, the shards hitting Mukade as his monster disappeared (Mukade: 3500-3000 LP).

"Now he's wide open!" said Bacho as she pumped her fists. "This'll make him think twice about talking smack about our friends!"

"Masked Dragon, attack directly!"

Masked Dragon once again became airborne before it shot a blast of fire in front of Mukade, who had to shield his eyes (Mukade: 3000-1600 LP).

"And that's it for me."

"You've got this, Shuri!" cheered Chohi, as Mukade scowled while he drew his next card.

"I summon my Twin-Sword Marauder!"

Mukade's new monster took the form of a man wearing a black mask, a helmet, a black shirt, a blue jacket, large shoulder plates, blue pants, and black boots. His most noticeable feature, however, were his weapons. Brown gauntlets covered his entire forearms, and attached to each of them was three blades (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And for my next move, I'll be switching that monster of yours into defense mode with Block Attack!"

"Hawawa," muttered Shokatsuryo as her monster was forced to defend itself (DEF 1100).

"And my Twin-Sword Marauder deals piercing damage! Attack, my Marauder!"

The blades of the Warrior-type began to glow light blue, and he jumped over to Masked Dragon, stabbing and shattering it (Shokatsuryo: 3400-2900 LP). However, as soon as Masked Dragon was gone, Shokatsuryo began to look through her cards, and slapped one onto the field, a brand new Masked Dragon appearing through a portal (LV 3: ATK 1400).

"When Masked Dragon is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon a Dragon-type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, like another Masked Dragon."

"Don't get too attached to it!" said Mukade as the blades of Twin-Sword Marauder began to glow again. "Once per Battle Phase, if my Marauder attacks a monster that's in defense mode, it can attack again right after! Go, Double Marauder Mayhem!"

Twin-Sword Marauder jumped over to Masked Dragon and sliced it into shards of light (Shokatsuryo: 2900-2700 LP), as another portal appeared, this time bringing Golem Dragon (LV 4: ATK 200).

"Ha! What a weak monster!"

"Trust me, there's a good reason why I chose this monster," said Shokatsuryo. "After all, I knew that your monster could attack again, which is why I Special Summoned another Masked Dragon first."

"Yay! Shuri used Rinrin's move! Against the lightning guy!" said Chohi, stars in her eyes.

"Yeah, trying to outsmart Shuri is impossible! Nobody in the country is as brilliant as she is!" cheered Bacho, Shokatsuryo blushing in embarrassment.

"Whatever. I'm done for now."

"Then I draw, and switch Golem Dragon into defense mode," said Shokatsuryo, her monster putting its wall-like arms together (DEF 2000), as Mukade burst into laughter.

"Man, for somebody who's apparently so damn smart, that was such a stupid move! Don't you realize what you're up against?!"

"I do, which is why I'm going to do this! I summon another Golem Dragon!"

A second of the stone-scaled dragons appeared (LV 4: ATK 200), and the two monsters formed a wall in front of Shokatsuryo.

"And since the effect of Golem Dragon makes it the only Dragon-type monster that can be attacked, and I have two of them, I've formed an attack lock! Now you can't attack! I end my turn!"

"Way to go, Shuri!" cheered Chohi, as Mukade began to get increasingly annoyed, not just with his opponent, but with the incessant cheerleading squad.

"I draw! And I play Pot of Greed, which will give me two new cards to help crush you with!" After drawing his new cards, he picked one of them and placed it onto his field. "And although I can't attack, I can still bring out more of my powerful monsters! Say hello to Lancer Archfiend!"

The new monster was wearing purple and gold armor with a lot of rhombus-shaped parts and edges, as well as a skull-shaped helmet with a single gold horn. Its face was either hidden in shadow, or it was completely pitch-black, with red eyes peering out. A red cape fluttered from the back of its waist to its pointed high-heeled boots, and over its forearms were two long silver lances which had a rhombus shape (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Is it me, or are his monsters getting creepier as the duel goes on?" asked Bacho to nobody in particular.

"Now I'll set a card and end my turn!"

"I draw, and I switch my other Golem Dragon into defense mode," said Shokatsuryo, as the dragon linked its claws together (DEF 2000). "And next, I'll summon my Spear Dragon to the field!"

The sharp-beaked dragon took to the sky before landing beside the Golem Dragons (LV 4: ATK 1900).

"Spear Dragon, destroy Twin-Sword Marauder with Cyclone Blast!" But as soon as the WIND monster prepared to fire its laser, it folded up its wings (DEF 0), the same being done by Twin-Sword Marauder (DEF 1000) and Lancer Archfiend (DEF 1400).

"You won't be attacking my monsters this turn, thanks to No Entry! Now all of your monsters are switched to defense mode! Unfortunately, my monsters are affected too, but I'll fix that as soon as I can!"

"What does this guy have against monsters in defense mode?" asked Bacho.

"Rinrin doesn't know," said Chohi with a shrug.

"You wanna know why?" said Mukade, the Millennium Symbol briefly appearing on his forehead. "Because unlike your friend there, I'm not some weakling who cowers and hides at the sight of danger!" As he said this, he began to think about how he came to be the man he was today.

~KD~

 _In the streets of a small town, a young boy, no older than twelve, was flipping through his Duel Monsters deck. The boy had tan skin, brown eyes, and short black hair, and was wearing a simple yellow tunic with a tan collar and sleeves, a blue sash tied around it, tan cotton pants, and a pair of sandals, the most noticeable feature about his appearance being the Duel Disk on his left wrist. This young boy was named Mukade Yari._

 _As he looked through his cards, a huge smile was spread across Mukade's face. Since the card game known as Duel Monsters had appeared one day, it had exploded into popularity, with kids, teens, and adults alike captivated by it. And adding to its popularity was the mysterious devices known as Duel Disks which were able to bring the cards to life. And just a week or two ago, his mother, bless her soul, had managed to get him a Duel Disk and cards for his birthday, the extra chores he had done and the relentless begging having paid off big time._

" _Hey, you there!"_

 _Mukade stopped walking and looked down an alley, where he had heard a voice. Standing in the alley was a group of kids his age, each one wearing Duel Disks of their own. One of them, presumably the leader, had short white hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a simple brown outfit, his eyes partially closed as he had a smile that simply oozed smugness._

" _Uh, you're talking to me, right?" asked Mukade, pointing to himself._

" _Nobody else here," said the white-haired boy. "Got a name?"_

" _Yeah, I'm Mukade!" said the boy in question as he put his deck in his Duel Disk and walked down the alley, approaching the group. "What's your name?"_

" _Kaiko," said the leader of the group. "These guys are my friends. And in case you couldn't tell, we're all duelists."_

" _Yeah, I can see," said Mukade. "You've probably got some really cool cards."_

" _The best," said Kaiko. "And I can't help but notice that you've got a Duel Disk of your own. You a duelist yourself?"_

" _Um, I've watched duels before, and I know how to play, but I haven't dueled before," admitted Mukade. "I just got these cards and my Duel Disk not that long ago."_

" _Well, you look like you've got some potential," said Kaiko, smug smile still intact. "And we're always looking to add more duelists to our little posse here."_

" _Wait, you want me to hang out with you guys? Awesome!" said Mukade. "I'm in!"_

" _Now hold on a second," said Kaiko. "We can't let you into our group here yet. First, you need to pass initiation."_

" _Initiation?" asked Mukade._

" _You just need to beat one of us in a duel. Win, and you can hang with us," said Kaiko. "Think you can do that?"_

" _Yeah!" said Mukade. 'This is gonna be sweet! My first duel! And if I win, I'll get a whole bunch of friends too!'_

" _Excellent," said Kaiko before turning to his group. "So, who wants to test out Mukade here?"_

" _I'll do it," said a boy with shoulder-length dark blue hair, his bangs covering his left eye and curling a bit at the end in a shape similar to a wave. His visible eye was blue, the same color as his shirt._

" _Alright then, you're up, Sakeme," said Kaiko as he stepped aside, both duelists shuffling their decks._

" _This is going to be fun!" said Mukade, eager to begin his first duel as he drew five cards, not noticing the evil grin on Sakeme's face._

" _Yeah," muttered the boy in blue under his breath, "it will."_

 _(Mukade: 4000 LP)(Sakeme: 4000 LP)_

" _Since it's my first duel, could I go first?" asked Mukade._

" _Whatever you want," said Sakeme._

" _Alright! I draw! Then I summon my Horn Imp to the field!"_

 _Mukade's monster took the form of a muscular imp with brown skin, pink eyes, and a single horn protruding from his forehead, wearing metal bracers and a loincloth made of metal plates shaped like swords (LV 4: ATK 1300)._

" _And I think that's it for me! Your turn!"_

" _With pleasure," said Sakeme. "I draw! And I activate a little card known as Polymerization, letting me fuse monsters on my field and in my hand to bring out a Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck! And I fuse Fairy Dragon, Amazon of the Seas, and Zone Eater!"_

 _The small green dragon appeared on the field, alongside a blue-haired mermaid with a green tail wearing a sleeveless green top that exposed her midriff (LV 4: ATK 1300) and a giant green and red worm (LV 1: ATK 250), before they swirled together, Sakeme sending the three monsters to his Graveyard before pulling a card out of his pocket._

" _I Fusion Summon Aqua Dragon!"_

 _Out of a swirling portal stepped a large blue dragon with a green underbelly, letting out a loud roar that made Mukade take an involuntary step back, although Horn Imp was unfazed (LV 6: ATK 2250)._

" _And to join my Aqua Dragon here, I summon Sentinel of the Seas!"_

 _A fish-man appeared with green scales on its head and arms, along with fins on the back of its head, ears, and elbows, with a single red eye. It wore a sleeveless black piece of torso armor and had a double-edged dagger in its right hand, and rather than legs, it had a purple fish tail (LV 4: ATK 1300)._

" _Aqua Dragon, drown that Horn Imp!"_

 _The Sea Serpent-type opened its mouth wide and spewed a torrent of water that hit Horn Imp and made it shatter into pixels (Mukade: 4000-3050 LP)._

" _And now, my Sentinel of the Seas will attack directly!"_

 _Mukade threw his arms up to protect himself as the holographic merman slashed at him with its dagger (Mukade: 3050-1750 LP)._

" _And that's enough punishment for now! Your turn!"_

" _O-Okay," stuttered Mukade as he drew his next card, and subsequently activated it. "I play my Fissure, destroying the weakest monster that you control!"_

 _The ground split open underneath the Sentinel of the Seas, and the Aqua-type fell into the crevice, which closed itself up._

" _And then I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn!"_

" _Looks like Sakeme has our challenger on the defensive," said Kaiko to his cronies. "This won't last much longer."_

" _I draw! And I'll have my Aqua Dragon destroy your set monster!"_

 _Aqua Dragon shot another blast of water, as the monster was revealed to be Claw Reacher, a monster with a metal helmet with horns revealing yellow eyes, a purple cloak that was tattered around the end, no legs, and extended metal arms with red hands at the end, both hands sporting sharp claws (LV 3: DEF 800). The Fiend-type looked intimidating, but was no match for the Fusion Monster, and was destroyed._

" _Now I end my turn!"_

" _Then I draw, and I end my turn with a set monster."_

" _My move!" said Sakeme, as he drew, and had Aqua Dragon destroy the set monster, Feral Imp (LV 4: DEF 1400). Another two turns passed, with Mukade setting a monster, and Aqua Dragon destroying it, Ryu-Kishin being blown to bits (LV 3: DEF 500)._

" _Man, this is boring!" said Sakeme. "All that you're doing is hiding out in defense mode! How lame!"_

" _But if I summon a monster in attack mode, I'll lose life points!"_

" _Whatever," said Sakeme. "I end my turn!"_

" _I draw," said Mukade, and saw that the card he drew was Ryu-Kishin Powered, his favorite monster among those he had. But even it was no match for Aqua Dragon. "I set a monster and end my turn!"_

" _This isn't a duel, this is a chore!" complained Sakeme, before he smiled at the card he had drawn. "Luckily, it's about to end! I summon Hyosube!"_

 _A blue-skinned kappa with long dirty blonde hair appeared next to Aqua Dragon, its tongue hanging out of its beak (LV 4: ATK 1500)._

" _Hyosube, crush his face-down monster!" ordered Sakeme, as his monster hopped over and began to flash a bright light from the indent at the top of its head, with Ryu-Kishin Powered being revealed (LV 4: DEF 1200), and subsequently destroyed._

" _Aqua Dragon, finish this pathetic excuse for a duel!"_

 _Mukade once again shielded himself as the Fusion Monster attacked directly, the blast knocking him flat onto his back (Mukade: 1750-0 LP)(Winner: Sakeme)._

" _Pathetic," said Sakeme as the WATER monsters faded away._

" _I couldn't agree more," said Kaiko. "Looks like you failed spectacularly, Mukade."_

" _Wait, let me try again!" said Mukade, getting back onto his feet._

" _We don't do repeats, and we don't need to," said Kaiko. "It's clear you aren't fit to join us. Not only did you fail to deplete a single life point, but for almost the entire duel, you were hiding in defense mode, unable to fight back with your weak cards. We don't want any weaklings or cowards in our group. Come on, boys, let's get out of here."_

" _Fitting, weak cards for a weak duelist," laughed one of Kaiko's lackeys, as they all turned around._

" _Wait, where are you going?" asked Mukade as they turned a corner, Mukade too stunned to move. "Come back! I'm not weak, or a coward!" But his words fell on deaf ears, the insults towards him the boys traded fading away, and Mukade turned back to the main street._

~KD~

'Those punks really managed to piss me off,' thought Mukade. 'I felt like absolute shit when I went home after that.'

~KD~

" _Mom, I'm home."_

" _Hey, hon, how was your day?" came the voice of one Muika Hekima, Mukade's mother, from the living room. Mukade walked into said room to see her setting a pot of tea she had just made onto a table. She had black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin just like her son, although her hair was longer, reaching her shoulders. She was wearing a simple cross-collar shirt that was light green in color, as well as a matching skirt, short socks, and slip-on shoes. Her smiling face suddenly became one of concern as she saw her son, who had left that morning with his head held high, now looking down at the floor in shame, trying his damndest not to cry. She immediately stopped what she was doing and knelt down in front of her son, hands on his shoulders._

" _Sasori, what happened?" asked Muika. "Are you hurt?" Mukade shook his head no._

" _No, I'm fine. I ran into this group of kids, and I had my first duel."_

" _Oh, that sounds great!" said Muika, trying her best to be optimistic. "How did you do?"_

" _Really bad," admitted Mukade. "And after I lost, they started to call me names. They said that I was a coward, and that I was as weak as my cards."_

" _Oh, honey, that's not true," said Muika, bringing her son in for a hug that he gladly returned. "You're very strong and brave, Sasori, I know it. And if those kids think that you aren't, then you'll just have to show them otherwise."_

" _*sniff* Thanks, mom," said Mukade, feeling a little better._

~KD~

'I sure took her advice to heart,' thought Mukade, 'and a couple weeks later, I was ready.'

~KD~

" _Man," said Kaiko to his group, "we've had some really poor luck trying to get any other duelists to join our crew. Everyone who we thought would do great just sucked!"_

" _Not as much as that one kid, Mukade," said Sakeme. "What a loser he was!"_

" _Hey!"_

 _The group stopped in their tracks, turning around to see the boy in question, an angry look on his face._

" _Speak of the devil," said Kaiko. "What are you doing here? Haven't we already mopped the floor with you?"_

" _I want a rematch!" said Mukade, prompting Kaiko to roll his eyes._

" _I told you, you had one chance, and you blew it. Why don't you go bug somebody else?"_

" _No way! I'm going to show you guys that I'm not a weakling or a coward!" shouted Mukade, raising his Duel Disk. "I've got a brand new deck now, and it's way stronger than my old one!"_

" _Just let him duel," said Sakeme. "If it's anything like last time, this will be fast."_

" _Fine then, we'll give you another shot," said Kaiko, his sly grin widening. "But this time, you have to beat all of us! Lose even once, and that's it! Think you can handle it?"_

" _Bring it on," said Mukade, who was already shuffling his cards, as Sakeme stepped forward. 'Trust me, Sakeme, this won't be like last time.' And then, the duel began._

~KD~

 _(Mukade: 1600 LP)(Kaiko: 1600 LP)_

 _On the sidelines, the members of Kaiko's gang stood in disbelief. Somehow, Mukade had managed to not only beat Sakeme, but each of the other members. Some went better than others, but they all had lost. And now, only one more challenge remained, as Mukade faced off against Kaiko himself._

" _There's no way that this is the same guy whose ass you kicked two weeks ago!" said one of the members to Sakeme, who scowled._

" _Shut it," snapped the boy in blue. "Kaiko's got this on lock." But even he was a little unsure. At the moment, Mukade had just drawn his next card, and controlled Mad Sword Beast in attack mode (LV 4: ATK 1400), and no Spell or Trap Cards. Kaiko also controlled one monster, face-down in defense mode, and no Spell or Trap Cards. Mukade had a determined look on his face, and so did Kaiko, the white-haired boy's seemingly permanent smile having vanished._

" _Mad Sword Beast, destroy his set monster!"_

 _The Dinosaur-type let out a bellow before it charged, the set monster revealing itself to be Basic Insect, a large green grasshopper with clawed legs and red eyes (LV 2: DEF 700). The monster was struck by the sharp horn of Mad Sword Beast, and was promptly destroyed as Kaiko took piercing damage (Kaiko: 1600-900 LP)._

" _And you all said that I was the one hiding in defense mode! But with this deck, if you try what I did, then you'll only end up playing into my hands! I set a card and end my turn!"_

 _Kaiko snarled as he drew. 'Crap, this isn't going well. My Cocoon of Evolution and Petit Moth are stuck in the Graveyard, and now my Great Moth is stuck sitting in my hand. I can't lose to this guy!' But once he saw what he had gotten, his signature smile returned. "Time to take back control! I activate a Ritual Spell, Javelin Beetle Pact!"_

 _A blue spear with two serrated blades, like the pincers of a stag beetle, appeared on the field. "With this Spell Card, by tributing monsters on my field or in my hand whose total levels are at least eight, I can bring out a powerful monster! So I tribute the level eight Great Moth in my hand!" And with that, a giant green moth with yellow horns and yellow wings with green and red rings flew into sight (LV 8: ATK 2600), before it turned into electricity, and said electricity went into the jaws of the spear, charging it, as it became encased in a chrysalis (8=8)._

" _I Ritual Summon Javelin Beetle!"_

 _The chrysalis shattered, and a bipedal stag beetle with huge jaws, a blue shell, and hungry red eyes appeared, holding a polearm that had four prongs, serrated edges on the inside like stag beetle jaws (LV 8: ATK 2450)._

" _Now this is more like it," said Sakeme. "Javelin Beetle isn't as strong as Kaiko's signature beast, Great Moth, but it's still a force to be reckoned with!"_

" _Javelin Beetle, destroy that Mad Sword Beast!"_

 _The outer wings of the Ritual Monster opened up, revealing the inner wings, as Javelin Beetle took to the air, then sped towards the Dinosaur-type, weapon pointed right at it._

" _That's not gonna happen. I activate my Book of Moon, forcing your big bad bug into face-down defense mode!"_

 _Javelin Beetle disappeared, its card flipping face-down and sideways, as Kaiko felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple._

" _I…end my turn."_

" _Then I draw! And I summon Disc Fighter!"_

 _The discus-wielding knight appeared on the field, getting into a battle stance (LV 4: ATK 1000)._

" _And if my Disc Fighter attacks a monster in defense mode that has two thousand or more defense points, that monster is destroyed without damage calculation! So let's see how many defense points your Javelin Beetle has! Disc Fighter, attack!"_

 _The Warrior-type threw a discus, and the Ritual Monster flipped back up (LV 8: DEF 2550), before the bladed disc struck it, causing the Insect-type to shatter into pixels._

" _Mad Sword Beast, finish this guy!"_

 _Kaiko let out a cry of pain as the dino rammed into him and sent him flying down the alley, skidding to a stop just before he could hit a wall (Kaiko: 900-0 LP)(Winner: Mukade)._

" _No way," said one of Kaiko's lackeys as he struggled to get up, and stared at Mukade in both disbelief and fear._

" _So, did I get into the club?"_

~KD~

'Once I got my revenge, I was running that group,' thought Mukade as his right hand balled into a fist, Shokatsuryo busy looking over her cards. 'Ever since, I've been working to get stronger. My days of cowardice are nothing but a memory. But seeing a weakling like her, being reminded of my own weakness…it pisses me off to no end! And I'll crush her and any other weaklings I come across!'

"I guess I end my turn right here," said Shokatsuryo, bringing Mukade back to the task at hand.

"It's about damn time," he said, drawing his next card, as he smirked seeing what he had drawn. "I switch my monsters back into attack mode, then activate Shield Crush, which lets me take out any of your monsters that are in defense mode! So I think that I'll blow one of your Golem Dragons to bits!"

As both of Mukade's monsters stood up (ATK 1600)(ATK 1600), a beam of energy destroyed one Golem Dragon, but Shokatsuryo didn't look worried. "I still have one, and both of your monsters are too weak to beat it. And don't forget that my Golem Dragon is the only Dragon-type monster that you can attack."

"Maybe these two aren't strong enough, but I have a monster with more than enough power to destroy it! I tribute my Twin-Sword Marauder and my Lancer Archfiend to summon the most powerful monster that I own, my mighty Darkness Destroyer!"

Both monsters disappeared, and a cloud of darkness spread across Mukade's field, when suddenly, a pair of red eyes flashed from the fog, causing Shokatsuryo to take a step back.

"Hawawa, hawawa…"

"That can't be good," muttered Bacho.

The mist slowly began to fade away, and before long, the monster was completely visible, revealing a dark purple demon. The monster had red eyes, a wide mouth with sharp teeth, a pair of mandibles, and two curved horns, one on each side of its head. It had a torso with broad shoulders, a curved yellow blade sticking out of each one, leathery wings, a thin tail, and natural armor in the shape of a sternum and rib cage. Its upper arms were wimpy, but its forearms were massive, bearing huge yellow claws and bits of armor that looked like spines, the same armoring on its waist and legs. It had spikes sticking out of its knees, and two huge claws stuck out of its feet. The monster widened its already open mouth and let out a horrific groan that made Shokatsuryo tense up (LV 7: ATK 2300).

"Hawawawawawawa!"

"Impressive, isn't it?! Get ready to experience a taste of true power! Darkness Destroyer, take down that Golem Dragon! And of course, whenever Darkness Destroyer destroys a monster in defense mode, you take piercing damage!"

The Fiend-type let out a roar as it raised a huge claw, then brought it down on Golem Dragon, destroying it and cutting into the road, leaving three deep gashes (Shokatsuryo: 2700-2400 LP).

"And it gets even better! My Darkness Destroyer can attack twice per turn, so now I can take out your Spear Dragon as well!"

The massive monster turned its head, glaring at the Dragon-type, before slashing through it with its other claw, more claw marks carved into the street (Shokatsuryo: 2400-100 LP).

"Hawawa, hawawa, hawawa!"

"C'mon, Shuri, you can do it!" cheered Chohi, throwing her hands in the air.

"Don't let this guy psych you out!" added Bacho. "You've already beaten him once, right? You can do it again!"

"Thank you…" said Shokatsuryo, as Mukade rolled his eyes.

"I end my turn. Have fun trying to take down my ultimate monster!"

Shokatsuryo drew her next card, and played it without a second's hesitation. "I can't beat it yet, but I can keep it from attacking! I summon Blizzard Dragon!"

The blue dragon appeared on the field, exhaling a small flurry (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And I use the effect of Blizzard Dragon! Once per turn, I can pick one of your monsters and keep it from attacking or changing its battle position until your next End Phase! So now your Destroyer won't be able to attack next turn!"

Blizzard Dragon released a powerful blizzard from its mouth, with Mukade feeling the intense cold as his monster was frozen solid.

"And with that, I end my turn!" said Shokatsuryo as she looked at her hand, neither of her cards being of any use at the moment. Hopefully, with Blizzard Dragon, she would be able to stall Mukade enough to pull off a miracle.

"I draw! And I summon my Mad Archfiend!"

A rather freaky-looking fiend appeared on the field, with wild red hair, and a face concealed in shadow, only crazed eyes and a sharp-toothed grin visible. The monster also had an orange and silver collar with curved spikes and dragon skulls for shoulder plates, its torso being a huge sharp-toothed mouth with a skull inside. It had large forearms with red guards on them and sharp nails, and it wore a pair of baggy yellow pants with vertical stripes, red boots, and a red and blue armored kilt (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"And this bad boy is just strong enough to take down that Blizzard Dragon in a double KO, so you can't freeze up my Darkness Destroyer next turn! Mad Archfiend, attack with Bone Shard Shower!"

The jaws on Mad Archfiend's torso began to chew up the skull inside them, grinding it into sharp shards of bone, before shooting the shards at Blizzard Dragon. In response to the attack, Blizzard Dragon unleashed a powerful snowstorm from its mouth. The attacks passed each other and destroyed their respective targets, both monsters exploding into pixels.

"And without your Blizzard Dragon, my Darkness Destroyer will send you to the Shadow Realm next turn! Nobody can hide from me!" boasted Mukade as Shokatsuryo looked over her hand in worry, beads of sweat coating her forehead. The cards in her hand, Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon and Ancient Rules, weren't any use at the moment, and Darkness Destroyer was a huge threat. And with Blizzard Dragon gone, her plan to buy herself a bit more time was in tatters. She needed to get rid of that monster if she wanted any chance of victory.

"Now I end my turn!" said Mukade, as Darkness Destroyer's icy prison began to crack, and the Fiend-type broke free. Shokatsuryo closed her eyes and grabbed the top card of her deck, drew it, and opened her eyes, hoping for the best. And as soon as she saw what she had drawn, she smiled for the first time since the Shadow Game began.

"I activate my Summoner's Art, letting me add a level five or higher Normal Monster from my deck to my hand!"

As the Spell Card appeared and Shokatsuryo began to search her deck, Mukade recognized it from their first duel, and clenched his fists. As Shokatsuryo briefly turned the card she added over, revealing a familiar face, she shuffled her deck and put it back into her slot, before activating a second familiar spell.

"And now, I activate Ancient Rules, letting me Special Summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand!"

'No…not this again! I can't lose to that card a second time!'

"I Special Summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Out of the tattered scroll came the black-scaled dragon, which let out a roar as it took form, Mukade snarling as he saw the dragon that did him in previously (LV 7: ATK 2400).

"Yay! Shuri summoned her favorite monster!" cheered Chohi.

"And it's got enough power to send that Darkness Destroyer packing!" said Bacho with a fist pump. "Get him, Shuri!"

"Red-Eyes, attack! Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red-Eyes charged its attack, a bright orange fireball forming in its mouth, before it shot the blast at Darkness Destroyer, which exploded into pixels as the attack landed (Mukade: 1600-1500 LP).

"And that's it for me!" said Shokatsuryo.

"Grr…" growled Mukade as he reached to draw his card, when Shokatsuryo suddenly spoke up.

"Wait! Don't draw yet! You can end the Shadow Game before you draw for your Draw Phase, and this will just be a regular duel!"

"Yeah…my master informed us of that before I left to come here," said Mukade, before glaring at Shokatsuryo. "Why the hell do you care? What, you think that I'm gonna back out just because I'm in a corner! Well that's not gonna happen! I'm gonna keep fighting!"

"No, that's not what I meant at all!" said Shokatsuryo. "I'm just trying to help you!"

"Oh, I see," said Mukade. "You're pitying me. You're trying to get me to end the Shadow Game because you think that you've won. You think that I'm some weakling that needs to be saved! Well, here's the thing! You're wrong!" said Mukade as the Millennium Symbol began to glow on his forehead, and he drew his next card before Shokatsuryo could stop him.

"Mukade, stop!"

"Shut your fucking mouth! I'm not a coward like you! And I'm not weak like you! Not anymore! And I promise that I will never be weak again!" screeched Mukade, as rage-induced tears trickled down his cheeks, which he furiously wiped away, leaving all three girls in shock, feeling a little bad for the man. "I summon Mad Sword Beast!"

The Dinosaur-type stomped onto the field, roaring as it appeared (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And now I end my turn!"

Shokatsuryo drew her next card, and slapped it onto her Monster Zone. "I'm sorry, Mukade, but it's over, even if you did put your monster in defense mode. I summon Element Dragon!"

Shokatsuryo summoned a pink dragon that had a beak, an orange mane, horns, and wings with green membranes, which let out a screech as it appeared (LV 4: ATK 1500).

"Element Dragon, destroy Mad Sword Beast! Red-Eyes, attack directly and finish this!"

Element Dragon flapped its wings and took to the sky, before it dive bombed Mad Sword Beast, stomping it with its front legs and crushing it into pixels (Mukade: 1500-1400 LP). With the White Clothes member wide open, Red-Eyes prepared another Inferno Fire Blast, and shot it right in front of him, blasting a crater in the street and knocking Mukade back (Mukade: 1400-0 LP)(Winner: Shokatsuryo).

"Hooray! Rinrin knew you could do it, Shuri!" cheered Chohi.

"Thanks, Rinrin," said Shokatsuryo with a smile, only for it to vanish as she saw Mukade stand up, only for a dark purple portal to appear behind him. Mukade looked behind him and stared in shock, before two chains shot out of the portal and wrapped themselves around his wrists. Mukade grunted as he tried to pull away, as the chains slowly began to pull him towards the portal, the man feeling fear for the first time in nine years. Shokatsuryo's eyes widened as she remembered Kan'u telling her about her and Choryo saving Anthony from such a fate, and seeing how familiar the situation was, she broke into a sprint.

"Shuri, wait! What are you doing?" asked Bacho as Shokatsuryo hopped over the crater from the Inferno Fire Blast, and grabbed the wrists of Mukade, who was digging his heels into the ground to try and prevent his fate, pulling with all of her might.

"Huh? What are you doing?" asked Mukade as Shokatsuryo tried to rescue him.

"What I set out to do when I left for my journey months ago. Helping people!" shouted Shokatsuryo as she tried her best to break the chains, but unfortunately, she had nowhere near the strength of either Kan'u or Choryo, and it took both of them to free Anthony, and as a result, the two of them were slowly being dragged into the portal, until four more hands grabbed onto the tattooed man.

"Rinrin?"

"Ready, Sui!"

With this, Bacho and Chohi began to help Shokatsuryo, pulling as hard as they could. With their incredible strength helping out, the chains began to groan, until finally, the links broke, and the two snapped chains were sucked into the portal while all four duelists fell onto their backs. The chains around Mukade's wrists disintegrated, and the portal closed.

"Shuri, are you okay?" asked Bacho.

"Hawawa…" said Shokatsuryo, before she turned to her friends and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, Sui. Thank you, both of you."

"Hey, anytime. That's what we're here for," said Bacho, before glaring at the silent Mukade. "Though why'd you risk your soul for that asshole?"

"I'll admit, I don't like him. When I first encountered him, he insulted me and my cards, tried to rob me, insulted Aisha, and had one of his henchmen hurt Anthony. But even if he doesn't deserve it, it's the right thing to do."

"See? You are strong, Shuri!" cheered Chohi. "And that was so cool! Rinrin was a little scared when you had to fight that big demon guy, but then you brought out your favorite dragon! And then it shot that fireball like 'FWOOSH' and made the bad guy blow up like 'BOOM!'" While Chohi excitedly rambled on about the duel, Bacho began to walk towards Mukade, who was sweating.

"Don't think we forgot about you," said Bacho. "Your soul is safe, thanks to us, but we're still gonna arrest you for this." She then pounded her fist into her open palm to make her point, as Mukade frantically began tapping on the golden eye on his Chaos Duel Disk until it began glowing.

"This is Ukitsu," came the voice of Ukitsu from the Duel Disk, which made Chohi stop talking as the thirteen-year-olds turned to Mukade. "Speak."

"Ukitsu, I need help ASAP! The dragon chick beat me, and I've been captured! Get me out of this-"

"You've lost, hmm? How unfortunate." And as soon as Ukitsu said this, the glow of the Millennium Symbol faded, then fizzled out, as Mukade frantically tapped on it, although nothing happened.

"Ukitsu? Ukitsu?!"

"I think that the communication feature has been disabled," said Shokatsuryo.

"Just like Soso," said Chohi.

"Well, looks like you're under arrest," said Bacho as she grabbed Mukade, who didn't resist, but rather sighed. There was no point in running, he had been beaten. Chohi and Bacho began to bring him back to the palace dungeon for questioning, as Shokatsuryo walked beside them, a bit more pep in her step.

~KD~

"Mukade has failed and been captured," said Ukitsu as he approached Genho, with Yin, Yang, and Yokubo standing around, overhearing the conversation. "Either his opponent is too kind for their own good, or his will wasn't as true as we believed."

"The former, most likely," said Genho with a hint of disgust, before he turned to his other members. "Who wishes to make up for the failures of Mukade?"

"Let the two of us go," said Yin. "Perhaps your subjects are no match for Kikai's forces in a traditional duel…"

"But in a Tag Team Duel, they won't stand a chance," said Yang.

"Let's hope that you aren't making a promise you can't keep," said Genho. "Go."

"Yes, master Saji," said both Yin and Yang before their departure.

* * *

 **WOW, was this a long time coming. I deeply apologize for the wait of over two months, but if it's any consolation, it's the longest one yet, not counting omakes. And it's on the one-year anniversary of when I posted this story (which may or may not have been intentional)! This chapter also revealed Mukade's secret name, Sasori, which is Japanese for "scorpion," and his new deck, which is just an updated version of his old deck with better cards.**

 **Also, I'd like to respond to the guest review from Bobby Jenkins on the last chapter. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be doing a crossover with this story and Isekai Quartet, or anything for that matter, as I'd like to keep my story self-contained, not to mention I haven't seen Isekai Quartet or any of the shows that it features, like Overlord and Konosuba. Sorry to disappoint. See you all next time, where another Tag Team Duel will take place! Starpion out!**


	88. Taijitu Tag Team

Anthony sighed as he walked through the halls of his palace. A couple days ago, as he and Choun returned to the palace, he was surprised to hear that Mukade had returned, and was currently in the palace dungeon. Yesterday, attempts were made to interrogate him, but he refused to cooperate, or even speak, which was unusual for the foul-mouthed man. Eventually, it was decided to try again the next day, today, and hope for better luck.

"Hmm, maybe this one? And definitely this one!"

'Is that Sui?' thought Anthony as he came to a stop, and turned to see he was just outside her door. Walking over, he knocked on the door three times.

"Come in, door's unlocked!"

Anthony swung the door open and was about to take a step when he stopped himself, seeing Bacho's cards scattered across her floor, with her in the middle looking through them, her Duel Disk on her bed. As she heard the door open, Bacho looked up and smiled as her boyfriend did his best to avoid stepping on the cards, eventually finding enough space to sit down. "Hey, Anthony! Why are you here?"

"Just passing through, thought I'd see how you were doing," he said with a shrug before staring at the chaos that lay before him. "So, care to explain what you're doing?"

"I heard how Shuri rebuilt her deck the other day, and considering how much ass she kicked during her duel with Mukade, I figured I'd do the same in case I end up dealing with any of those White Clothes creeps!" Bacho said with a smile, as a blush crept onto her face. "Hey, wanna help out?"

Anthony's response was to smile back. "Hey, anything for one of my girls! Let's get to it!"

"Awesome! I've got a pile here for cards that probably won't go in the deck, a pile for 'maybe' cards, and a pile for definite keepers!" She then gestured to the piles, and the two of them got to work.

"Let's see, you'll definitely want to put Skill Drain in your deck," said Anthony as he passed it to her. "A good chunk of your monsters are either Normal Monsters or have negative effects, like Panther Warrior."

"Good idea!" said Bacho, taking the Trap Card and putting it in the "definitely" pile, before adding another card to it. "Better add Forbidden Chalice for the same reasons."

"And don't forget about Beast King Barbaros!"

"That was the first card I put in!"

As the two of them looked through the cards, one card caught Anthony's eye, one he hadn't seen Bacho use before. As he picked it up, his eyes shot open. The card in his hand was a high-level Effect Monster, one that looked like a combination between Bacho's signature monster and one of his own cards, Machine Lord Ur.

"Whoa, Sui! I didn't know that you had Beast Machine King Barbaros Ur!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, forgot I even had that card!"

"What?! How could you forget about a card like this?"

"Never really used it much," admitted Bacho. "It's harder to get out than Barbaros."

"Well, that's because you need a Machine-type to use its effect and Special Summon it, and until last year, you didn't even know those existed! And I could easily lend you one of mine!"

"No, you don't have to do that," said Bacho, blushing. "I don't really have any other use for one of your monsters anyway."

"Well, I still think you should add this guy," said Anthony as he handed her the card. "You never know when you'll need a powerhouse like him." Bacho took the card, looked at it for a bit, before putting it into the "definitely" pile, making Anthony beam, which put a smile on her face as well. The two of them kept building up Bacho's deck for a while before there was another knock on her door.

"Sui, are you in there?" came Choun's voice before the door opened, Choun peeking in before looking down at her lord and fellow general, a smile of her own forming. "Oh, and what might you two be doing together? Nothing too risqué, I hope?"

Bacho's entire face turned a very bright red, as Anthony's cheeks began to match. "N-N-No! We were just rebuilding my deck!" said Bacho frantically, waving her hands in front of her. Choun just chuckled before making a "come here" gesture with her hand.

"Aisha and I are going to try and question Mukade again, and I was wondering if you might be willing to help, Sui. And Anthony, you're always welcome to join. You're in charge, after all."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Anthony as he stood up, adjusting his hat as Bacho placed her now-completed deck in her Duel Disk, putting the Disk on. "Let's go." Choun smiled as she grabbed his hand and began to lead him to the dungeon, making sure to be close to him, as Bacho did the same.

~KD~

"Ah, Sei, you're back," said Kan'u as the trio approached her. She was standing in front of a cell, in which Mukade was leaning against the wall, seemingly staring at the floor. "And you've brought company. Hi Anthony, Sui."

"What's up, Aisha," said Bacho.

"Happy to help," said Anthony, turning his attention to their prisoner. "Any word from our friend there?"

"Nothing," said Kan'u. "He hasn't spoken since he's been brought in, from what I can gather. He's been less talkative than even Ren."

"Then let's get to it," said Bacho as she rattled on the bars of the cell, as Mukade found this to be more interesting than the floor, turning his attention to the noise. "Hey, Mukade! We've got some questions for you!" The tattooed man blinked, then looked away, clearly disinterested.

"Maybe you should let me try," said Kan'u, putting her hand on Bacho's shoulder, as the brunette relented, letting go of the bars and walking back toward Anthony, as Kan'u gave Mukade a stern look. "Listen, Mukade, it's crucial that you cooperate with us and give us the information that we want. Do you think you can help us with that?"

"Piss off," said Mukade, breaking his silence. This made Kan'u's eyebrows jump in surprise, before they were lowered, her glare becoming sharper.

"Listen here, you thug, a couple days ago, my sworn sister and some of my friends, one of whom stands before you, risked their souls to save you from a fate worse than death, one that I've personally experienced and would prefer to never relive. Your allies have abandoned you, and you're now at the mercy of the Kikai Kingdom. All we request is information, and perhaps your sentence will be shortened. Now then, are you willing to cooperate, or do you wish to rot in this cell like the trash you are?"

This made Mukade straighten up in surprise, and after a moment of thought, he conceded. "I…fine. I'll tell you what you want. Not like I've got anything left to lose."

"Alright, way to go Aisha!" cheered Anthony, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. "You've got a real way with words. Maybe you should be lord instead of me!"

"Oh, I could never," said Kan'u, blushing. "You've done a better job than I could." As Anthony released her, the King of Games and his generals huddled together, the black-haired woman regaining her composure. "But back to the matter at hand. Now that Mukade is willing to talk, what should we ask him first?"

"I'd like to know how he got a hold of a Machine-type," said Anthony. "When I first got here, I was the only one who had them, and yet they still show up in the enemy's hands."

"I'm more concerned about this mysterious leader of the White Clothes," said Choun. "We don't know how they duel, what they look like, or even their name. All we know is they have access to supernatural abilities."

"Yeah, how did they get those powers anyway?" wondered Bacho.

"And who else does the White Clothes have among their ranks?" inquired Kan'u, before she nodded and turned to Anthony. "Let's ask that first. If we know who the White Clothes has recruited, we might be able to prepare ourselves for another attack."

"Yeah, good point," said Anthony. "Go ahead, we can ask the less immediate questions afterwards." Kan'u nodded again, and their little huddle broke up as the quartet turned back to their prisoner.

"Let's start with this," said Kan'u, Mukade nodding to let her know she had his attention. "I assume that you're a newer recruit, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Can you tell us anything about the other recruits?"

"Not that much," admitted Mukade. "A bunch of us were taken to the middle of nowhere, and me and three others were brought to meet the boss."

"Three others? Who are they?" asked Anthony.

"I'm not the best with names," admitted Mukade.

"You can still describe them," urged Kan'u.

"Alright, there were these two twins, one was wearing black, one was wearing white."

"Sounds like those Yin and Yang bandits that we faced in Sishui Pass," said Choun, turning to her lord. "And I'm sure that they'll only accept a Tag Team Duel, just like last time."

"What about the third person?" asked Kan'u.

"Some arrogant bitch wearing red, with long brown hair," said Mukade, with Kan'u scowling.

"Yokubo…"

"Yeah, that's her name. I remember she tried to leave, and that Ukitsu guy kicked her ass in a duel."

"We need one more name from you," asked Kan'u. "The name of the leader."

"Ah shit, he told me this, but I didn't care that much," said the prisoner, clutching his head. "Master Saji, that's it."

"Saji?" asked Kan'u, before turning back to the others. "Do any of you recognize that name?"

"Nope," said Anthony.

"No," said Choun.

"Nuh-uh," said Bacho.

"Well, this is unfortunate, although at least now we know who we'll be facing and what cards they'll use."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Mukade, regaining the attention of the four outside the cell. "All four of us got new decks from Master Saji."

"So they could be completely different for all we know," said Anthony, although he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Then again, I don't mind a challenge."

"Speaking of new decks…" began Kan'u, intending to ask about the presence of Machine-types in Mukade's deck, but a new voice and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs derailed her train of thought.

"Big sis, Sui, Sei! Where are you girls?"

"Rinrin?" asked Bacho, as the young redhead popped into view and ran up to them.

"Big sis!"

"Hello, Rinrin. What are you-" said Kan'u, only for Chohi to grab onto her wrist and start pulling.

"Come on, big sis, we've gotta go! Shuran and Shishun are waiting, and Rinrin's been looking everywhere for you guys!"

"Oh, that's right, we have patrol duty now," said Choun, as Kan'u felt a little guilty for forgetting.

"Right, I'm sorry for keeping my little sister waiting. Anthony, can you take over from here?"

"Actually, I was thinking I could take over for you," said Anthony with his arms crossed, which confused Kan'u.

"What? But it's my duty to-"

"You're the one who got the Destroyer of Defense over there to talk, and in case he decides to go silent again, you're our best chance of getting him back on track."

"You really don't have to do this," said Kan'u, as Anthony smiled before giving her a quick kiss.

"Maybe not, but I want to."

Kan'u was silent for a second, before she nodded her head. "Very well. I won't ignore a direct order from my lord. Rest assured, I will get as much information as I can." She then turned to her sworn sister. "I'm sorry, Rinrin, but I can't join you today. But I promise, I will make it up to you."

"Rinrin knows you will, big sis!" said Chohi, giving Kan'u a hug that the older girl graciously returned. Choun smiled at the cute scene, while Mukade rolled his eyes. As the hug broke up, Chohi grabbed Anthony's wrist and began to pull it, dragging her sworn brother. "Come on, big bro, let's go!"

"Hey, hey, easy, Rinrin! I'm coming!" called Anthony, with Choun and Bacho jogging behind them. As the four disappeared up the stairs, Kan'u turned back to the tattooed prisoner and folded her arms.

"Now then, let's continue our conversation without interruption."

~KD~

"There you are, Rinrin," said Kakoen as the four came into view. "And you've brought the others, although it seems that rather than General Aisha, Lord Anthony himself has come to help. What's the occasion?"

"Aisha is busy with Mukade, and it's been a long time since I went on patrol, so I thought I would take her place, if just for one shift. Is there a problem?"

Kakoen just smiled as she flipped her bangs, Kannei blushing as she fiddled with her scarf. "Not at all," said Kannei. "So, will we be splitting up completely or grouping up?"

"Well, we just learned that a couple of enemies that only have Tag Team Duels joined the White Clothes," said Anthony. "So we should probably pair up into three groups of two, just in case. So, who wants to pair up with who-ack!"

"I call dibs!" shouted Bacho, catching her lord off-guard in a bone crushing hug, with Anthony getting a sense of deja vu.

"Hey, no fair!" said Chohi as she puffed up her cheeks. "Rinrin wanted to be with big bro, Sui!"

"Don't forget about us now," said Choun. "Perhaps he would prefer to go on patrol with one of us?"

"After all, it isn't fair for you to keep him to yourself," said Kannei, narrowing her gaze.

"Look, I have plenty of time to hang out with you, Rinrin, and I can easily arrange a date with one of you lovely ladies," said Anthony, "but let's just let Sui have this, before you start hitting each other. Okay?" The other girls seemed to calm down, relieving Anthony as Bacho gave him a kiss, only for him to frown at her once it was broken up. "And Sui, you need to stop abusing the power of dibs. I don't think the other girls appreciate you hogging me."

"Okay, okay, I'll take it easy," relented Bacho.

"Don't worry," said Kakoen as she gave Anthony a kiss on the cheek, having walked up to him without him or Bacho noticing. "I'm sure he can fit room in his schedule for the rest of us. For now, I think I'll go on patrol with Rinrin, if that's okay with you," she said to the redhead, as Chohi raised her fist to the sky.

"Yay, go Team Little Sis!" she cheered, as Kakoen couldn't help but smile, while Choun walked up to Kannei.

"That leaves the two of us, Shishun," said the blue-haired girl, the mask for her Butterfly Mask persona falling out of her right sleeve and into her hand with the flick of a wrist, before she put it on. "Will you be able to keep up with the Buzzing Beauty of Kikai?"

"I'm sure that I can manage," said Kannei.

"Alright, girls," said Anthony, "let's break!"

~KD~

As she walked down the streets of Kikai alongside Kakoen, Chohi hummed a happy tune to herself, swaying her head back and forth. "Rinrin is happy to be patrolling with another little sister!"

"I'm happy to hear that, Rinrin," said Kakoen, a small smile on her face. "You certainly look up to Aisha, don't you?"

"Yep! We're the best of friends! Aisha is the best big sis I could ask for!"

Kakoen's smile widened. "That's good. Even if you aren't related by blood, family should stick together. I may occasionally fight with my sister, due to our very close ages and conflicting personalities, but I wouldn't trade her for the world." Chohi's ever present smile widened as she chuckled, and the two continued to make small talk as they walked through the streets.

~KD~

"In order to keep a watchful eye on her precious city and ensure the safety of its citizens, Butterfly Mask has taken to the rooftops, effortlessly gliding between buildings. Her eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scan every inch of the ground below. There doesn't appear to be trouble at the moment, but should it arise, the Scaled Savior has her wings spread, ready to-"

"Is the commentary of your actions necessary?"

Choun, on one knee peering over a rooftop, paused her self-narrating and looked over her shoulder, as Kannei stood on the same rooftop with her arms crossed. "Of course it is. Any good hero needs narration. Besides, it's fun."

"Look, Sei," said Kannei with a sigh, "I'm your friend. And I don't have any problem with small talk. But please, for all that is precious, stop."

Choun just sighed, and Kannei jumped to the roof in front of them, landing surprisingly softly. As Choun prepared to follow her, her lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Swift as the wind and silent as a shadow," she said, pausing as she made an equally graceful and agile leap across, before resuming, "the hero known as Shinobi leaps effortlessly between buildings, having joined the beautiful Butterfly Mask on a quest to uphold justice in Kikai." Kannei just shook her head at the actions of her fellow harem member, but couldn't help but smile, a small part of her liking the name "Shinobi."

~KD~

"Everything looks calm right now," said Anthony, as he and Bacho walked side by side down the street, with Bacho on his right.

"Yep," said Bacho, before she let out a sigh, making Anthony turn to her.

"What's the matter, Sui? Something wrong?"

"Nah, just kinda bored. I really want to get into some action."

"Hey, you know that I always jump at the opportunity to duel," said Anthony, "but with all the White Clothes stuff that's been going on recently, this bit of peace can be kind of comforting."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Bacho, brushing him off a bit, "but I just rebuilt my deck! And now I'm itching to test it out!"

Anthony could only sigh, before he smiled. "Tell you what, Sui. I'll make you a deal. If none of us run into any trouble during our patrol, I'll duel you myself after we get back."

"Seriously?!" asked Bacho, the idea of a rematch with her lord getting her pumped, as Anthony just nodded. "Sweet! That sounds awesome!"

"I fear that won't come to pass."

Both Bacho and Anthony stopped in their tracks, and looked around for the voice that came from nowhere, but there was nobody in sight, though Anthony thought the voice was familiar. From an alleyway on the left of the street they were on stepped Yin, a nasty smirk on his face as he cackled. Like clockwork, Yang made his way out from an alleyway on the opposite side of the street. The two of them came to a stop side by side, blocking the path of the Messenger from Heaven and his general.

"Your challenge is right here!" said Yang.

"These creeps again," muttered Anthony.

"These guys are Yin and Yang, right?" asked Bacho.

"You'd be correct, Bacho Moki!" said Yang.

"Huh? How'd you know my name? I've never seen you guys before!"

"Maybe not," said Yin, fiddling with his brunette locks. "But we've both heard of your exploits as a general of Kikai. A shame, we were eager to get revenge on that blue-haired friend of yours, Choun Shiryu. Fortunately, we're still able to get vengeance on the other half of the pair that beat us!" He then pointed at Anthony.

"I don't think so!" snarled Bacho, holding out her Duel Disk. "You want to get to my lord, you'll have to go through me!"

"How cute, she's trying to protect her lord," snickered Yin, when suddenly, Choun came somersaulting off of a nearby roof, landing on her feet with grace before posing, Kannei landing next to her, having descended without the flips.

"Have no fear, for Butterfly Mask is now here!" announced Choun, causing Yin and Yang to sweatdrop, neither one of them prepared for this. Yang let out an awkward cough before he regained his composure.

"There you are, General Choun!" he announced. "We've been expecting you, and now it's time that you and your boyfriend over there paid for ruining our operation!"

"If it's another Tag Team Duel you seek, you monochrome miscreants, then the Lord of Kikai and his faithful partner Butterfly Mask shall meet your demands!"

"Hey, I saw these guys first, so I want a crack at them!" argued Bacho.

"Perhaps, Sui, but I don't believe that you've participated in a Tag Team Duel before," said Choun.

"W-Well, maybe not, but I can learn!"

"It looks like your harem members are fighting over who gets to duel by your side, Messenger from Heaven," laughed Yang.

"Don't worry, there's more than enough room in the Shadow Realm for everybody," said Yin.

"This is getting nowhere fast," said Kannei, the brunette and bluenette still arguing.

"Then let's put an end to this," said Anthony, whistling to get the girls' attention. "Sorry, Sei, but I think I'll be dueling with Sui."

"Yes!" said Bacho, as Choun pouted, but bowed her head as she graciously accepted her defeat.

"Very well, at least let me watch and give my support," said Choun. "I'm sure that Rinrin and Shuran are capable of keeping the rest of our fair town protected."

"If you insist," said Anthony as Bacho rejoined him.

"If I may, perhaps you should be the one to sit this out," said Kannei. "You are the lord of Kikai, and you know what will happen should you lose this Shadow Game."

"Then that's a risk I'll just have to take!" said Anthony, as his cards were shuffled, Yin and Yang unfolding their Chaos Duel Disks.

"Since this is your first Tag Team Duel by your own admission," said Yang, "I'll give you a crash course. We'll be two teams sharing eight thousand life points trying to take the other team down. We each have our own hands, fields, Graveyards, and banished cards, although we can use cards from our partner's Graveyard and banished cards as though they were our own. We can look at our partners hands and set cards, and tribute their monsters or otherwise get rid of them for effects, but we can't use our partner's cards unless it applies to everyone, so you can't play your partner's set Spell Card or attack with their monsters, for instance. The player who goes fourth is the first to attack, and you can swap strategies only if the other team can hear and understand you. Is that all you need?"

"Uh, yeah, I think I got it," said Bacho, who finished shuffling her cards and returned her deck to her Duel Disk, a purple smoke briefly covering the decks of all four players before they drew their opening hands.

"I hope that Sui knows what she's doing," said Choun, who was still wearing the Butterfly Mask mask, but had long since broken character.

"I'm more concerned about our lord," said Kannei.

(Yin & Yang: 8000 LP)(Bacho & Anthony: 8000 LP)

"We'll go first," said Yin, grabbing the top card of his deck. "And since I'm on the right, I go first! So I draw, and I summon Shadowpriestess of Ohm!"

On the field, a woman appeared, wearing a purple and black dress that had a gold necklace with an emerald, a black headdress with a feather pattern and a gem inside of a black crystal design, a gold belt with an emerald to match her necklace, and wide blue and black sleeves. Her long blonde hair flowed freely behind her, and in each hand, she held a urumi with two red blades (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"So Mukade was right about their decks being different," said Choun. "This card wouldn't fit the Gate Guardian strategy they had before."

"This also means that Sui and Anthony will have a more difficult time defeating these two," added Kannei.

"To end my turn, I set a card!"

"Then since I'm on Anthony's right, that means I go next!" said Bacho as she drew her card. "Time to bring out one of my heavy hitters!" But as she reached for one of her Monster Cards, Anthony stopped her.

"Hold on, don't summon one of your stringer guys yet!"

"Huh? Why not?" asked Bacho.

"I think I have a plan with our cards," he said as he looked over her hand, "but I need to Tribute Summon to make it happen, and it's better if I use one of your weaker monsters, letting you keep your stronger monsters for when you can battle."

"Mmm, I guess you have a point," conceded Bacho, grabbing a different card and putting it in her Monster Zone. "I summon Beaver Warrior!"

Bacho's monster, despite its name, took the form of a purple rat with red eyes. It stood on two feet, wearing blue armor with spikes on it and blue shoes, a yellow hairless tail held up behind it. In its left hand, it held a heater shield, and it held a very small yet wide sword, almost the size of a dagger, in its right (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Then I'll set a card of my own and end my turn!"

"What is he up to," said Kannei to herself as she gazed at Anthony, with Yang drawing his next card.

"I draw! And I summon Banisher of the Radiance!"

Compared to the other two monsters, Yang's monster had a much stranger appearance. It was mostly white with golden lines on it, but it also had a pair of red wings behind it. Its head was elongated in the back, with three lines connected to its one eye, which was the only facial feature it had. It had a wide collar, and rings between its shoulders and arms, which had floating, boney fingers connected to floating orange balls. It had a conical body that got thinner further from its head, and no legs. But the weirdest part was around its chest, or whatever it had. A ring of yellow crystals pointed towards a shining white light in the center of its body, the crystals connecting its upper and lower body (LV 3: ATK 1600).

"And Banisher of the Radiance has a very useful ability," said Yang. "As long as it's on the field, any card that would be sent to the Graveyard is banished instead!"

"So that's the theme of their decks," said Kannei. "They focus on banished cards. I've dueled somebody who had a similar play style."

"Now I activate my Cards from the Sky!"

A card depicting the tower from Sanctuary in the Sky and two white feathers falling from it appeared, as an image a Monster Card appeared, before turning into two white feathers that landed on Yang's deck.

"With this card," he explained as the feathers disappeared, the white-clad twin placing the banished card in his pocket and drawing two more cards, "I can banish one LIGHT Fairy-type monster from my hand, then draw two cards! The only downside is that I can't Special Summon or conduct the Battle Phase the turn that I activate this. And thanks to my Banisher, my Cards from the Sky is banished rather than going to the Graveyard! I think I'll end my turn with that!"

"Quick, Sui, now's our chance!" said Anthony. "Activate your face-down before he can end his turn!"

"Um, okay," said Bacho, pushing a button on her Duel Disk. "I activate Scapegoat, letting me Special Summon four Sheep Tokens to my field in defense mode!" As the four sleepy sheep appeared on the field (LV 1: DEF 0) and Bacho slipped her Spell Card into a pocket, Yang's turn came to a close, and Anthony drew.

"Okay, Sui, I need you to let me tribute all five of your monsters."

"What?! Are you insane?" cried Bacho.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it," said Anthony as he plucked a card from his hand and held it out to her, letting her read it. Bacho was unsure, but as she read the effect of the Monster Card, a smile spread across her face.

"Okay, go for it. Just make this count."

"As your lord, I won't let you down! I tribute Beaver Warrior to Summon Cannon Soldier MK-2!"

The Beast-Warrior vanished, and a new monster took its place. This monster was a bulky robot colored mostly green and purple, its head being shaped a bit like the front of a car, with many blinking yellow lights and a gray stripe down the middle. Two silver cannons grew from its purple shoulders alongside green spikes, and its hands and arms were silver, orange, and green, with green fins sticking out and orange claws for fingers, cannons hidden in the palms. Its lower torso and upper legs were purple, and it had bulky green and orange legs with stubby gray toes (LV 5: ATK 1900).

"Interesting," said Choun from the sidelines.

"I'm sure you two remember Cannon Soldier from our first duel, right? Well, this is the upgraded version. And not only are its power and level greater, its effect has been tuned up too! Now by tributing two monsters, I can inflict 1500 points of damage! So I'll tribute two Sheep Tokens to do just that! Go, Mega Cannon Blast!"

Two Sheep Tokens turned into energy and flew into the back of Cannon Soldier MK-2, as energy began to flow from two wires into the cannons. The Machine-type let out a series of beeps, before it aimed both cannons at the twins, locking onto its targets. Two brilliant blue lasers shot out of the cannons, striking the twins and causing them to cry out in pain (Yin & Yang: 8000-6500 LP).

"Oh crap!" shouted Anthony. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine," grumbled Yin. "You two should be more worried about yourselves than about us."

"Maybe we should move this duel," said Anthony. "I don't want to destroy my village, or have anybody get caught in the crossfire."

"Don't worry about it," said Bacho. "Mukade and Shuri went all out, and nothing too bad happened."

"Well, if you say so," said Anthony. "Cannon Soldier, let's give them another blast, but aim above them this time!"

His monster obeyed without question, the remaining two Tokens sacrificed as it charged up a second blast. It shot another two beams of light, only these ones went right over the two, trailing through the air until they finally dissipated (Yin & Yang: 6500-5000 LP).

"In one turn, over a quarter of their life points gone, and it's still not over! Amazing!" praised Choun.

"Now then, let's get rid of that Banisher of the Radiance!" said Anthony, pointing at the monster in question. "Cannon Soldier, attack with Mega Cannon Fire!"

"Not so fast there," said Yin, activating a Trap Card with a picture of D.D. Warrior Lady swinging her sword and Dark Lucius LV4 being sent into a portal, that same portal appearing between the twins. "I activate my Different Dimension Ground! Now until the end of the turn, every monster sent to the Graveyard is banished instead!"

As the portal appeared, Cannon Soldier MK-2 held out its hands, with small rotary cannons popping out of the centers. The guns began to spin around, and a flurry of blue energy blasts flew out, hitting Banisher of the Radiance and sending it flying into the portal (Yin & Yang: 5000-4700 LP), as Yang set it aside, Yin having done the same with his Trap Card.

"Why did he do that?" asked Bacho. "That monster could already banish cards."

"It was a Continuous Effect," said Choun, "so when it left the field, its effect no longer applied. They played that card specifically to banish that monster."

"Well, I think I'll set two cards to end my turn," said Anthony.

"Then it's my turn!" said Yin, drawing his next card. "And since Yang has three banished cards and I have one, I play my Chaos Greed!"

The card had a picture of a figure wearing a magenta cloak in some sort of hallway, green waves coming from his hands and attracting a pair of cards, as Yin drew two cards from his deck. "This card can only be played if I have four or more banished cards, and none in my Graveyard, and lets me draw two cards. Since we had four in total, I was able to draw!"

"Ooh, a duel! And it's Sui and big bro!"

"Rinrin?" asked Choun in surprise, turning to see the redhead watching the duel in awe, with Kakoen running up to the group.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop her, but she was just too stubborn."

"Rinrin, get out of here!" urged Anthony. "We need you and Shuran to be on patrol, remember? We can't have all of you watch!"

"Come on, big bro, please?" begged Chohi, as Anthony bit his lip, having lost the ability to argue, all while Yang watched their conversation with intrigue.

"Fine, against my better judgement, you can stay."

"Yay!" cheered Chohi as she stood beside Choun. Kakoen just sighed, and walked over to Kannei.

"Come on, we should still make sure the rest of the city is okay," she said. Kannei nodded, and made her way to the roof of the closest building, Kakoen following her.

"Don't lose," was all that Kannei said before the two went back to patrol, with Anthony smiling. Neither he nor Bacho planned on it.

"We appear to be drawing quite an audience," noted Yang.

"Then let's entertain them! I summon Dark Crusader!"

Joining Shadowpriestess of Ohm was a man with wild red hair and black horns, a skull mask covering most of his face, although his mouth and chin were visible, revealing light blue skin. The rest of his body was completely covered in black leather armor, with his upper chest and shoulders having iron plate armor as well, and having spikes on his knee guards and boots. A tattered red cape fluttered behind him, and he wielded a black broadsword with a hilt made out of bone (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"And now that I've used Chaos Greed, and Banisher of the Radiance is gone, I can use its effect and discard a DARK monster, granting it another four hundred attack points! And I discard D.D. Crow!"

A crow with cybernetic parts appeared, before being turned into a black smoke. The Warrior-type lifted his sword off the ground and held it in the air, a low cackle escaping from his mouth as the smoke was absorbed by the obsidian blade of his sword (ATK 1600-2000).

"Dark Crusader, destroy Cannon Soldier MK-2!"

Dark Crusader ran up to the Machine-type and swung his sword horizontally, Cannon Soldier shattering into pixels (Bacho & Anthony: 8000-7900 LP).

"And now, you're wide open! Slice open that lord, Shadowpriestess!"

"Anthony, look out!" shouted Bacho as the Spellcaster-type swung her blades forward, the whiplike blades aimed at the King of Games, only for the blades to strike a generator, which began to overload (Bacho & Anthony: 7900-6200 LP).

"Not bad, but I activate Damage Condenser! Now by discarding a card, I can Special Summon any monster from my deck with attack points less than or equal to the battle damage I just took!" As he pulled out his deck, he began to look for Reflect Bounder, but then he looked at Bacho, and he had an idea. "Hey Sui, since I used your monsters as tribute fodder last turn, how about I let you do the same?"

"Really? Okay then!"

"Perfect! Then I'll summon a weaker monster for you, like Gradius!" As he said this, the jet fighter in question flew onto the field (LV 4: ATK 1200).

"Interesting," said Yin with a voice lacking any interest. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Then I draw!" said Bacho. "And I summon my buddy Panther Warrior!"

The feline fighter pounced onto the field, letting out a roar as it brandished its blade (LV 4: ATK 2000).

"And now, I'll equip him with Mystical Moon, which boosts the attack points and defense points of any Beast-Warrior I equip with it by three hundred!" And as she said, a full moon appeared over Panther Warrior, his power being increased by three hundred (ATK 2000-2300).

"Since my Panther Warrior needs a tribute to attack, I'll tribute Gradius, if my partner's okay with it."

"You're good to go," said Anthony.

"Then let's take down that Dark Crusader! Swift Panther Slash!"

The jet plane disappeared, and Panther Warrior let out a loud battle cry before it sprinted towards Dark Crusader, slashing it into pixels (Yin & Yang: 4700-4400 LP).

"Then I end my turn!"

"Meaning it's my move," said Yang, drawing a card. "And I activate Reload, shuffling my hand back into my deck and redrawing an equal number of cards!" Yang put his hand on top of his deck, which rapidly shuffled itself, before he drew five new cards, smiling at his new arsenal before showing the cards to Yin, who grinned in approval.

"This can't be good," said Anthony, his hand hovering over his set card, making Choun raise an eyebrow.

"Time to show these two that we mean business! I activate D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation!"

A card with an image of the monster from Premature Burial escaping through a dimension-bending portal appeared on the field, as a similar portal appeared in front of it while Yang sent his Bio-Mage to the Graveyard. "Now by discarding one card, I can Special Summon any of my banished monsters in attack mode and equip it with this card, although destroying the Spell Card will destroy the monster. And the monster I select is the one that I banished with Cards from the Sky, my Wingweaver!"

Out of the portal hovered a six-winged angel. She had long, straight purple hair, a golden circlet, and a yellow dress with ribbons wrapped around her arms (LV 7: ATK 2750).

"Wingweaver, destroy that Panther Warrior!"

The Fairy-type brought her hands together, her body beginning to release a bright light, when suddenly, Anthony's Trap Card flipped up, the familiar bomb seen in Widespread Ruin coming out and floating over to Wingweaver. The mine detonated, blasting Wingweaver apart before her attack could be fully charged.

"Don't think so!" said Anthony with a grin. "My Widespread Ruin lets me destroy the strongest monster you control when you declare an attack!"

"Wait, that's what you had?" asked Bacho. "Why didn't you use it to protect your own monster?"

"I would have lost it to Panther Warrior anyway, and besides, Wingweaver would have been harder to get rid of than Dark Crusader."

"I guess you have a point," said Bacho. "Thanks!"

"That's what he says, but a part of me thinks he only did that to save one of her monsters and impress her," said Choun. "And I don't know about her, but I'm impressed."

"That was so cool! Big bro saved Sui's monster from getting blown up! They're gonna crush these two!" cheered Chohi.

"We'll see who does the crushing," said Yang. "I activate my Soul Absorption, so now any time a monster is banished, each monster banished will net my brother and I five hundred life points!"

"I don't think so," said Bacho, sliding a card of her own into her Spell & Trap Zone. "I activate Typhoon, destroying your Soul Absorption!"

As the storm appeared over the field, Anthony grabbing onto his hat as the winds picked up, the Continuous Spell was ripped apart, while Yin and Yang were dumbfounded. "But that's a Trap Card!" said Yin. "You can't play those from your hand!"

"I can with this one!" said Bacho. "If my opponent has two or more Spell or Trap Cards on the field, and I don't control any, I can play this card from my hand!"

"Well, my turn isn't over yet. I set one card, then end my turn!"

"Meaning I'm up," said Anthony, drawing a card. "And I summon my Mechanicalchaser!"

The multi-limbed robot appeared on the field, scanning its opponents (LV 4: ATK 1850).

"And now, I'll have him take down Shadowpriestess of Ohm with Arsenal Medley!"

The rockets on the Machine-type's back flared to life, as it sped towards the DARK monster, only for a purple tear in space to appear before it, opening into a portal that swallowed Anthony's monster whole.

"I won't let that happen!" said Yang. "I activate Dimensional Prison, banishing your monster!"

"Damnit," said Anthony. "I end my turn. Sorry I couldn't help out any more, Sui."

"Don't worry about it," said Bacho. "We can still take these guys down!"

"We'll just see about that," said Yin as he drew his next card. "It's time to show you two what we can really do! I banish D.D. Crow from my Graveyard, and Bio-Mage from my brother's! That is, if he allows me to!"

"You can use my Graveyard anytime!" said Yang, as D.D. Crow appeared (LV 1: ATK 100) alongside Bio-Mage, an alien-looking monster with white and pink skin, a golden face, and glowing orange wings on the sides of its body (LV 3: ATK 1150). The DARK monster became covered in a black fog, and the LIGHT monster a white glow, as they swirled together, a blue portal forming in the center.

"This can't be good," said Anthony, taking a step back.

"A LIGHT and a DARK monster banished from the Graveyard…like Big Sis's Black Luster Soldier!" said Chohi in realization.

"It's time to stop toying with you two and present the true power of our Chaos decks!" said Yin. "When light and darkness combine…"

"Then only chaos remains!" finished Yang.

"Come out," shouted the twins, "Chaos Sorcerer!"

A new monster stepped out from the portal. It was a blue-skinned magician, his yellow eyes peering from the shadow of his hat. Said hat was black with purple trim, curved forward like that of Dark Magician, with the addition of two downward curving "horns" sticking out. An aegis with the same color scheme was wrapped around his shoulders, a golden connecter keeping it in place, and bracers wrapped around his forearms. Leather belts were wrapped around his torso, and a black cape with purple stripes was wrapped around his waist, his pants and shoes being the same colors (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"Our Chaos Sorcerer might be weaker than either of the Envoy monsters, but it shouldn't be trifled with! And next, I'll play my Card Destruction, sending all the cards in my hand and the hand of the duelist across from me to our Graveyards, and letting us draw new hands!"

As the Spell Card appeared, Yin discarded the only card in his hand, D.D. Designator, while Anthony discarded Barrel Dragon and Ancient Rules, before they both drew the same amount of cards that they discarded.

"And now, I summon my Necro Gardna!"

Joining the two Spellcaster-types was a monster decked out in red and gray armor with huge red shoulder pads shaped like shields, a red mask with green eyes, fins on its gauntlets, and long white hair that was tied at the bottom (LV 3: ATK 600).

"Now I'll use the effect of my Chaos Sorcerer, and banish your Panther Warrior! Chaotic Enchantment!"

Chaos Sorcerer began to laugh, as his right hand became covered in a yellow glow, and his left a purple glow, and he began to spin them around. A purple and yellow portal appeared below Panther Warrior, who struggled to escape, but could do nothing as it sunk into the abyss, Mystical Moon shattering.

"Oh crap, Panther Warrior!" shouted Bacho. "Now we're wide open!"

"You should count yourself lucky," said Yin. "Chaos Sorcerer can't attack the turn it uses its effect. But my other monsters are free to battle! Shadowpriestess of Ohm, attack directly!"

The monster smirked as she whipped her swords around her, before she flung them forward, striking Bacho and putting a gash on her arm (Bacho & Anthony: 6300-4600 LP).

"You okay, Sui?" asked Anthony, with his partner hissing as she touched the wound, but when she took her hand off, there was very little blood.

"I'm good, it just grazed me. My sleeve was cut, but I'm too tough to have that break my skin," she said, relieving Anthony.

"Too tough, you say? Then I'll have Necro Gardna aim straight for your lord!" shouted Yin, as the Warrior-type charged into a tackle, knocking Anthony backwards, though he stood his ground (Bacho & Anthony: 4600-4000 LP).

"They're still standing!" cheered Chohi, jumping for joy, as Yin scowled.

"Not for much longer! I activate the effect of Shadowpriestess of Ohm, and tribute my Necro Gardna to deal eight hundred points of damage! Go, Rippling Shadows!"

Necro Gardna was covered in a thick black smog before it shattered into yellow pixels, and that same smog covered the urumi Shadowpriestess of Ohm held. She held her blades out to the side, and they began to ripple on their own, before she whipped them forward, sending four wavy blasts of dark magic at Anthony and Bacho, two of them hitting each duelist (Bacho & Anthony: 4000-3200 LP).

"We may be behind now…" said Anthony.

"But we'll still find a way to come out on top!" said Bacho.

"Keep telling yourself that. The only way this duel will end is with you two in the Shadow Realm!" said Yin, with his brother looking concerned.

'I've never seen Yin like this,' he thought. 'He's a lot more ruthless now. Maybe this was a bad idea after all…'

"I end my turn. Go ahead and try to take down the ultimate Tag Duel team, Yin and Yang!"

"With pleasure!" said Bacho, getting excited. "I draw! And I summon my good friend Exarion Universe!"

The spear-wielding centaur appeared before Bacho, spinning his spear before pointing it at Yin and Yang (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Exarion Universe, destroy that lousy Shadowpriestess!"

Exarion began to charge, spear pointed at the Spellcaster-type, only for an apparition of Necro Gardna to appear with its arms crossed, blocking the attack.

"Wait, what just happened?" asked Bacho.

"That's the effect of Necro Gardna," said Yin as the ghostly image dissipated. "I can banish it from my Graveyard to negate my opponent's next attack."

"Well, I guess I end my turn with a face-down," said Bacho.

"Then I draw!" announced Yang. "Yin, may I use your Shadowpriestess?"

"Without question!"

"Excellent! I tribute my brother's Shadowpriestess of Ohm to summon my Airknight Parshath!"

The DARK monster faded away, and a brand new monster appeared. This new monster was another centaur, like Exarion Universe, only he also had an angelic look to him. He had long blonde hair, and wore a blue hat with an orange gem in the middle, two small angel wings, and a halo around the top. He wore blue and gold armor around his chest, waist, and forelegs, his horse half being white with white wings laid on top of them, and wings wrapped around his chest plate. He had blue and gold armor around his arms, and he held a double-edged sword with writing on it in one hand, and a shield in the other (LV 5: ATK 1900).

"Whoa, that monster looks cool!" said Bacho. "He's kinda like some of mine, only he has that angel thing going on!"

"Thanks," said Yang, "but while I appreciate the compliment, I'd be more worried about your own monsters! Parshath, destroy Exarion Universe!"

A brilliant blue light surrounded the sword of Airknight Parshath, as he pointed his weapon at Exarion Universe before his sword shot a blue helix-shaped beam of light which destroyed the Beast-Warrior-type (Bacho & Anthony: 3200-3100 LP).

"And whenever my Airknight Parshath deals battle damage, I get to draw a card!" said Yang, only for Bacho to flip up her face-down.

"I don't think so! I chain my Skill Drain! Now I pay a thousand life points, and as long as this card remains on the field, all monsters on the field have their effects negated!" And true to her words, as the life points of Bacho and Anthony fell (Bacho & Anthony: 3100-2100 LP), yellow energy began to seep out of Chaos Sorcerer and Airknight Parshath, their effects being negated.

"Then I'll end my turn here."

"That was a smart move," said Choun. "Now Chaos Sorcerer can't banish any monsters."

"I draw!" said Anthony. "And I summon my Cyber Raider!"

The blue robot jumped onto the field before striking a pose, ready to battle (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"And while he's weaker than both of your monsters at the moment, I have a way to remedy that, by equipping my 7 Completed to Cyber Raider, and using it to boost its attack points by seven hundred!"

The Equip Spell materialized behind Cyber Raider, as power began to surge through it (ATK 1400-2100).

"Now big bro has enough power to destroy that knight! Go for it!"

"As you wish, Rinrin! Cyber Raider, attack with Cyber Knuckle!"

The Machine-type jumped forward, arm reeled back, before it threw a powerful punch that reduced the Fairy-type to shards of light (Yin & Yang: 4400-4200 LP).

"Now I'll end my turn by setting one card, so you're up, Yin."

"Then I draw! And I may not be able to use the effect of my Chaos Sorcerer anymore, but I can still battle with it! Chaos Sorcerer, destroy Cyber Raider with Chaos Explosion!"

Like before, yellow and purple energy formed in the hands of Chaos Sorcerer. Unlike the previous time, however, it threw the energy forward, the two blasts getting closer not only to Cyber Raider, but to each other. Before they could hit the Machine-type, they collided with each other, creating a powerful explosion that made Anthony and Bacho struggle to stay upright, with Cyber Raider blown to bits (Bacho & Anthony: 2100-1900 LP).

"That's how it's done! It won't be long now!" laughed Yin, with the Millennium Symbol flickering on his forehead for a second, with Yang clenching his fist.

'No doubt about it, joining with these guys was a bad idea. Yin's acting a lot worse than he did before…'

~KD~

 _In the streets of a decently sized village, one smaller than the capital but still well off, a woman with long brown hair wearing a simple blue cheongsam was seated on a small wooden stool, with a young brown-haired boy in a white shirt kneeling down, rag in hand as he cleaned her shoes. After a while, both shoes were clean as a whistle._

" _All done, miss!" said the child._

" _Why, thank you," said the woman, pulling out a coin purse and pulling out a copper cash coin. "How many copper did you say this was?"_

" _Um, each shoe cleaning is worth only one, miss," said the boy, and was surprised when the woman gave him two._

" _Well, have a little extra. Though I'm surprised somebody your age…excuse me, how old are you?"_

" _Eight."_

" _Why somebody who's only eight is doing something like this for money."_

" _It's no trouble," said the young boy, as the woman got up to leave._

" _Well, thank you again, young man."_

" _It's Kenshiro. And you're welcome!"_

 _As the woman left, Kenshiro clutched the coins tightly before he put them into a small pile._

" _Hey, Nisshoku!"_

 _Kenshiro smiled as he heard that voice, turning to see his twin brother Kenkuro, wearing a black shirt, running up to him. "Hey, Gesshoku! How did it go?"_

" _I got quite a bit of cash from making deliveries," said Kenkuro. On account of their father running out on their mother before they were born, and their mother dying of sickness when they were six, they only had each other. At first they had to beg for money and food, but once they were a little older, they started doing odd jobs to get by._

" _That's good," said Kenshiro. "I've been doing good with the shoe cleaning. Let's see how much we got so far."_

" _Hold on," said Kenkuro. "Looks like you might have another customer." He then pointed to a man walking down the street, his clothing being much more extravagant than theirs, suggesting wealth._

" _Okay," said Kenshiro, walking up to the man. "Excuse me, sir, would you like me to clean your shoes for you? It only costs one copper."_

 _To the surprise of Kenshiro, the man crinkled up his nose as though he had smelled something foul. "Oh please. As if I want your filthy hands and that disease-ridden rag to touch anything of mine."_

" _Wh-What?" stammered Kenshiro, looking as if he could cry, only for Kenkuro to walk over to the man._

" _Hey, what was that for, you meanie! You could've just said no! Say you're sorry!"_

" _Why don't you run along and play in the mud where you belong, brat," said the rude man, which angered Kenkuro. The young boy ran up to the man and grabbed onto his robes._

" _Take that back!" demanded Kenkuro._

" _Unhand me, you little pest!" shouted the man, and after a brief struggle, he managed to push Kenkuro off of him, the older twin falling down face-first, before the man huffed and walked away. Kenshiro, having overcome the shock, ran up to his brother, flipping him onto his back._

" _Are you okay, Gesshoku?" asked Kenshiro, with Kenkuro sitting up, rubbing his head._

" _I'm fine, Nisshoku," said Kenkuro._

" _That guy didn't have to be so mean," said Kenshiro, pouting as he crossed his arms. "It only would have cost him a copper. And all we got was you being hurt."_

" _Actually…" said Kenkuro with a smile, before he pulled out a coin purse that was practically filled to the brim: one that didn't belong to Kenkuro._

 _Kenshiro's eyes widened. "Gesshoku, is that…is that his?"_

" _I ended up grabbing it when I grabbed onto him."_

" _But you can't take something that doesn't belong to you! That's stealing!"_

" _He was a jerk anyway," said Kenkuro. "Besides, we need it more, Nisshoku."_

" _I dunno…" said Kenshiro, only for his brother to put a hand on his shoulder._

" _Don't worry, we don't have to do this often if you don't like it, or at all. Now come on, bro, let's get something to eat."_

 _This seemed to cheer up Kenshiro. "Okay, bro."_

~KD~

 _A few years came and went, and soon, the Ken twins were eleven. While they still did odd jobs, pickpocketing ended up becoming a large part of their income, with even Kenshiro starting to grow numb to it. The ends seemed to justify the means, and all that the two of them really had was each other. Soon, however, something new came into existence: Duel Monsters, a hit new game that seemingly came from nowhere. The game became a smash hit, and the twins' interest was piqued._

" _Man, this game looks fun!" said Kenshiro, watching a duel between two older kids, Duel Disks included. "And those metal things make it even better!"_

" _Maybe we can save up for some of those," said Kenkuro, looking at the game with interest of his own. "And we'll be the best duelists around!"_

" _Yeah! Nobody will be able to beat us!"_

~KD~

" _GYAAAAHHH!"_

 _Kenshiro, was sent flying from a direct attack, the remaining holograms fading (Kenshiro: ?-0 LP). The two of them had turned thirteen, and had even given themselves courtesy names. Through a mixture of legal and illegal means, they both had obtained Duel Disks, as well as their own decks, both based around the mightiest monster they'd ever seen, Gate Guardian. However, neither of them had particularly good records, and as his opponent laughed and walked away, Kenkuro helped his brother onto his feet._

" _You okay, bro?"_

" _Yeah…" said Kenshiro, hands in his pocket. "I just don't get it. How come we keep losing? Our decks are made to bring out Gate Guardian as soon as possible, but we just can't bring him out. We're lucky to get out two of the components at once."_

" _I guess we just aren't fast enough," said Kenkuro._

" _If only we could both duel at the same time. Then maybe we'd have a chance."_

" _That's it! Nisshoku, you're a genius!"_

" _I am?"_

" _If we both duel together, we can bring out our best monsters faster! We'll be unstoppable, and we'll be able to get whatever we want, whenever we want!"_

" _That sounds good to me!" And with that, the two of them hatched the perfect plan for victory._

~KD~

 _(Challengers: 1600 LP)(Twins: 5000 LP)_

 _A little while after their decision to do Tag Team Duels, a pair of older teens had challenged the twins to a duel, and the twins saw a perfect opportunity. And to up the ante, Kenkuro had suggested that the winners would pay the losers fifty copper, which the cocky punks were all too eager to agree to. However, this was now coming to bite them in the ass._

 _The two older teens only had one card on the field between them: a monster called Ushi Oni, a blue and brown bull demon that came out of a jar, muscular arms crossed in front of it (LV 6: DEF 1950). On the other side of the field, Kenkuro had two monsters: a gigantic brown spider called Jirai Gumo (LV 4: ATK 2200), and Sanga of the Thunder (LV 7: ATK 2600). Kenshiro, on the other hand, had one monster: Whirlwind Prodigy, a monster that took the form of a boy with spiky brown hair wearing a black wizard's hat, a brown shirt, and light tan pants, a small windstorm spinning around him (LV 4: ATK 1500). Neither of the twins had any Spell or Trap Cards, and it was Kenshiro's turn as he drew his next card, smiling and flashing it at his brother._

" _Permission to finish this?"_

" _Do what you must, and have a blast."_

" _What are they talking about?" asked one of the twins' opponents._

" _Why are you asking me?" asked the other, the owner of Ushi Oni._

" _The first thing that I'll do is play Stop Defense, forcing your monster into attack mode!"_

 _The Spell Card appeared beside Kenshiro, and Ushi Oni unfolded its arms, steam coming out of its nostrils as it glared angrily (ATK 2150)._

" _And now, since my Whirlwind Prodigy can count as two tributes when I'm Tribute Summoning a WIND monster, I tribute it to summon my Kazejin!"_

 _A tornado spun around the Fairy-type, concealing it from view, until the storm broke apart, revealing Kazejin (LV 7: ATK 2400)._

" _Before I make my next move, I'll need to ask my brother for permission to tribute Jirai Gumo," said Kenshiro, turning to Kenkuro. "May I?"_

" _Of course you can! That's why it's there!"_

" _Thank you. I play my Tribute Doll!"_

 _A card showing a gray doll shaped like a knight pinned to a stone slab, the doll's eyes glowing red, appeared on the field._

" _With this card, I can tribute a monster and Special Summon a level seven monster that can be Normal Summoned from my hand, with the only catch being that it can't attack this turn. So I tribute Jirai Gumo to summon Suijin from my hand!"_

 _The Insect-type roared as it disappeared, Suijin taking its place (LV 7: ATK 2500)._

" _And now, brother, let's bring this duel to an end!"_

" _Right behind you, brother!"_

" _What are they up to?" asked one duelist._

" _Nothing good," said the other._

" _By tributing Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin, and Suijin," the twins said in tandem as both of them removed their monsters from the field and Kenshiro put a new card on the field, "we summon the ultimate monster, Gate Guardian!"_

 _The three monsters stacked on top of each other, and the ultimate monster of the twins, Gate Guardian, was formed (LV 11: ATK 3750)._

" _Now then, to finish this! Attack with Thunderstroke!"_

 _The monster gathered up an immense amount of energy, the three kanji on its body glowing as a pink ball of crackling energy formed in its hands, before it unleashed a powerful blast of energy that annihilated the Fiend-type and sent their opponents flying (Challengers: 1600-0 LP)(Winners: Twins)._

" _Game over, now pay up," said Kenkuro, who did a good job of hiding how happy he was about winning their first ever Tag Team Duel. As the two punks got up, they stared at the twins in awe._

" _What power…these are the kinda people I wanna follow!"_

" _Same here! Who are you guys anyway?"_

 _Kenshiro was about to speak, when Kenkuro brought him in close. "This is it, a chance to finally start living."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Think about it. With more people following us, we can get what we want, when we want. No more having to do odd jobs for scraps." Kenshiro looked unsure, but nodded his head. After all, while his brother had a bigger mean streak than he did, he still had his back for as long as he could remember. And they had always stuck together._

" _Okay. But maybe we should come up with code names or something."_

" _Sounds like a plan." And after some discussion, the two turned towards the two punks. "You can call me Yin, and this is my brother Yang. But you'll also be calling us your new bosses."_

~KD~

'Ever since that day, our little empire got bigger and bigger, and our crimes followed. And I was okay with it for the most part. But this whole conspiracy, trying to overthrow Kikai, it's clear we're in way over our heads,' thought Yang. 'And Yin seems to have gotten a lot worse since all this started.'

"I end my turn!"

"Looks like I'm up," said Bacho, before flashing a smile. "And it's time to show you guys what the two of us can really do! With his special ability, I can summon my Beast King Barbaros without a tribute, and thanks to Skill Drain, he won't lose any attack points!"

The mighty Beast-Warrior materialized before Bacho, letting out a mighty roar which made both Yin and Yang take a step back (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Go for it, Sui!" cheered Chohi. "Show these jerks what you can really do!"

"Way ahead of you, Rinrin! Barbaros, destroy Chaos Sorcerer with Tornado Shaper!"

With another roar, Barbaros charged the Spellcaster-type, his weapon spinning with a high whirring noise, before piercing it with the drill lance (Yin & Yang: 4200-3500 LP).

"Oh yeah! That's how it's done!" cheered Anthony.

"I end my turn!"

"Meaning it's my turn," said Yang, brought out of his own thoughts. "It looks like the only thing I can do is set one monster. I end my turn with that."

"Then it's my turn!" said Anthony, drawing his next card. "And I summon my Machine Lord Ur!"

The red and tan robot hovered over the ground, practically motionless (LV 4: ATK 1600).

"Machine Lord, attack that face-down monster with Droid Claw!"

The Machine-type sped towards the face-down card, which flipped up, revealing the monster to be Layard the Liberator, a monster that looked like some weird fusion between an angel and an Asura. The monster's skin was a light yellow, almost white, with pink orbs, rings, and circuit patterns all over its body. It had four identical faces, each consisting of a single eye and being on different sides of its head, six arms with their hands being pink orbs and detached fingers, a pair of angelic wings, and two pink glowing rings underneath its torso in place of legs (LV 4: DEF 1500). The Fairy-type tried to block the attack with its six arms, but was slashed into pixels by Ur.

"I think that's good for now. You're up, Yin!"

"Very well," said Yin, drawing his next card. "And I play my Pot of Desires!"

"Pot of Desires? What's that?" asked Chohi from the sidelines, as the card displayed a two-sided pot, with one side sporting the green face of Pot of Greed, and the other, the pink visage of Pot of Avarice.

"An extremely risky Spell Card," said Choun.

"With this card, I banish ten cards face-down from the top of my deck, then draw two cards!" As he said this, Yin pulled ten cards off the top of his deck, then slipped them into a back pocket, seperate from the pocket he put his other banished cards. He then drew two cards, and once he saw them, he let out a low, brief chuckle before glaring at both of his opponents.

"You had might as well give up right now, because this duel is going to end in our favor this turn!"

"Pretty bold claim, but I don't think you can back it up!" said Bacho, crossing her arms. "Lord Anthony and I have this duel on lock! Plus, we're having too much fun!"

"We'll just see about that!" said Yin, showing one of his newly drawn cards to Yang. "Brother! Banish Airknight Parshath from your Graveyard! It's time to end this duel!"

"Yes, brother!" said Yang, following his brother's orders, as Yin pulled a card out of his own Graveyard, both Airknight Parshath and Chaos Sorcerer appearing on the field.

"This again?" said Bacho. "Who are they bringing out this time?"

"It's Yin providing the monster, which means either another Chaos Sorcerer, or…uh oh," said Anthony. "This can't be good." And sure enough, Chaos Sorcerer and Airknight Parshath swirled together, a black and white portal appearing before the twins.

"As the forces of light and darkness combine their power…" began Yang.

"Then a destructive chaos comes to break apart the foundations of order!" added Yin.

"By banishing a LIGHT-attribute monster…"

"And a DARK-attribute monster…"

"We bring forth the ultimate force of chaos!" they said in tandem. "We Special Summon Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!" And as from the portal, a massive spiral of orange fire shot into the air.

~KD~

"What in the world is that?" asked Kakoen. She and Kannei were still patrolling the city from the rooftops, when suddenly, the two of them saw a giant pillar of fire erupt from somewhere else in the city.

"That inferno is coming from where Sui and Anthony are having their duel," said Kannei. "And for some reason, I doubt that's a result of one of their cards."

"The rest of the city can wait, Shishun," said Kakoen. "Something tells me that whatever's going on with that Tag Team Duel takes priority."

"Agreed, Shuran," said Kannei, the two of them running towards the duel.

~KD~

The fire kept spiraling towards the heavens, before it broke apart, and the massive form of Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End was revealed, crouching down. Slowly, it lifted itself to its full height, spreading its wings, before it let out a skyward roar that echoed throughout the city and shook both Bacho and Anthony to their cores (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Looks like my hunch was right," said Anthony. "Never thought I'd see this monster up close and personal like this. I'm both terrified…and excited."

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," said Bacho, as suddenly, both Kakoen and Kannei descended from the rooftops.

"Shuran? Shishun? What are you two doing here?" asked Anthony.

"We saw the pillar of fire and figured you needed as much support as possible," said Kakoen with a smile. "So what's the status so far?"

"Sui and big bro are behind," said Chohi, "but they're coming back. And Sui even got out her best monster!"

"On the other hand," said Choun, "our enemies just brought out that monstrosity." She then pointed to the mighty Dragon-type, with Kannei and Kakoen staring at it in awe.

"It appears we made the right decision," said Kannei.

"And now, I activate Primal Seed!" said Yin, a Spell Card with a picture of Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning in a purple silhouette, with a multicolored background. "This card can only be played if either Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning or Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End is on the field, and with it, I can add two banished cards from my Graveyard to my hand! And with this, I'll return both Chaos Sorcerer and Airknight Parshath to their respective hands!"

"Thank you, Yin!" said Yang as both brothers added the monster they banished to Special Summon Chaos Emperor Dragon to their hands.

"Anytime. Now then, would you mind banishing your Wingweaver?"

"Not at all!"

"Perfect! I banish Dark Crusader and Wingweaver so that Chaos Sorcerer can be summoned once more!"

The two monsters reappeared, only to form the black and white portal, with Chaos Sorcerer emerging (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"And last, but certainly not least, I'll equip my Chaos Emperor Dragon with Sword of Dark Destruction, increasing its attack points by four hundred at the cost of decreasing its defense points by two hundred!"

"Oh crap!" said Bacho, the wicked-looking sword materializing in the claw of the giant dragon (ATK 3000-3400). "Now it's strong enough to even take out Barbaros!"

"It's time to end this duel! First, I'll have Chaos Sorcerer blast Machine Lord Ur to pieces! Chaos Explosion!"

Dark and light magic gathered in the hands of Chaos Sorcerer, who shot another blast that exploded just before reaching the monster, shattering it (Bacho & Anthony: 1900-1200 LP).

"And next, I'll have Chaos Emperor Dragon burn your Beast King Barbaros to cinders! Cemetery of Fire!"

A blazing hot blast of fire erupted from the fanged maw of the Dragon-type, with Beast King Barbaros attempting to block it with his shield, only to relent and be destroyed (Bacho & Anthony: 1200-800 LP).

"Barbaros!" cried Bacho upon her favorite monster's destruction.

"Don't worry," said Anthony, "we're still in this."

"Not for much longer, I'm afraid, because it's time to end this Shadow Game!" said Yin. "I've been waiting for the perfect time to trigger this Trap Card, and that time is now! I activate D.D. Dynamite!"

"D.D. Dino-what?" asked Chohi, scratching her head as the card flipped up, showing a blue bomb with a timer, and many red sticks of dynamite sticking out of it at every angle.

"Oh no," said Choun, recognizing the card. "This isn't good."

"With this Trap Card, I deal three hundred points of damage to you for each of your banished cards! And between Scapegoat, Beaver Warrior, and Panther Warrior, that's three banished cards, and nine hundred points of damage!"

"I've been out of the loop for a while," said Kakoen, "how many life points do they have left?"

"Eight hundred…" said Choun. "If this Trap Card goes off…"

"Then it's all over," said Kannei with the slightest hint of fear, as three of the multidimensional explosives appeared around Bacho and Anthony, dozens of fuses getting shorter and shorter.

"Sui! Big bro! Look out!" shouted Chohi, biting her nails, although neither of us them looked particularly nervous.

"It's game over!" shouted Yin, the Millennium Symbol on full display on his forehead, as the three bombs exploded, covering the opposite side of the field in smoke.

"NOOOOOO!" shrieked Chohi, with Kakoen and Kannei restraining her, both of them holding back tears, Choun just staring in shock as she took off her mask.

"Hahahahahahaha! What an end to such a spectacular duel!" shouted Yin, with Yang looking less enthusiastic.

"Yeah…"

"What's wrong, Yang? Are you okay?" asked Yin.

"It's nothing important. I'm fine."

"Sui! Anthony!" shouted Chohi, using her sworn sibling's first name for the first time that she remembered. She then snapped towards Yin and Yang, tears streaming down her face, which was contorted in rage. "You! You did this!"

"Don't worry. If you like, you can join them in the Shadow Realm!"

"Don't be so quick to assume."

All six of them suddenly became quiet, then turned over to the clearing smoke, revealing both duelists perfectly safe underneath a clear force field.

"BIG BRO! SUI!" cried Chohi, running up to them as the force field faded away, hugging both of them tightly. "Rinrin thought you were lost to the Shadow Realm!"

"Not a chance, thanks to Anthony," said Bacho, as Chohi looked at the face-up Trap Card, releasing the two brunettes.

"Yeah, thanks to Damage Polarizer, the activation and effect of D.D. Dynamite was negated, and now both Yin and I get to draw a card." Yin growled as the two of them drew their respective cards.

"You have some nerve for scaring us like that," growled Kannei as Kakoen crossed her arms, causing Anthony to let out a nervous chuckle.

"Heh heh heh, sorry, ladies. I didn't mean to freak you out like that."

Kakoen just sighed and shook her head. "Forget it. We're just relieved you're still standing."

"Big deal!" snapped Yin, with everyone's attention on him. "You both have only one card in your hand, and the only card either of you control is that Skill Drain! As far as I'm concerned, the two of us have already won! You're only delaying the inevitable at this point! Now then, it's your turn, brows!"

"Head back to the other three, Rinrin," said Bacho. "Things might get ugly."

"You got it, Sui!" said Chohi with a salute, running over to Choun, Kakoen, and Kannei.

"We shouldn't have doubted them for a second," said Choun.

"You know, Sui, it's a good thing you played Skill Drain when you did," said Anthony as Bacho went to draw her next card. Perplexed, she turned to him, hand hovering over her deck.

"Huh? How come?"

"The effect of Chaos Emperor Dragon can also deal damage. By paying a thousand life points, he would have sent every card in both my hand and his, and every card on the field, to the Graveyard, and we would get nailed for three hundred points of damage for each one."

"Yeesh," said Bacho, before a thought came to mind. "So you're saying that we're both responsible for surviving this turn?"

"Yep! Working together got us this far, and together, we're going to win this duel!"

"Then let's keep things going! I draw! I play Pot of Greed to draw another two cards!"

"I doubt anything you draw can stand up to the power of Chaos Emperor Dragon," said Yin.

'Maybe not yet, but let's see what I can do with these,' thought Bacho. "I summon Battle Ox!"

The minotaur appeared on the field and let out a bellow, staring straight at the twins (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"Now I'll have Battle Ox attack that Chaos Sorcerer of yours! Ace Slam Attack!"

"Are you crazy?!" asked Yang. "Your monster doesn't stand a chance against my brother's!" And sure enough, a creepy grin crept onto the face of the Spellcaster-type as he began to charge his deadly technique.

"Actually, I think it'll be a much more even fight. I activate my Forbidden Dress!"

A card appeared, displaying a woman wearing a white dress in a heavenly temple, holding a white and gold dress, as that same dress appeared on Chaos Sorcerer (ATK 2300-1700).

"What happened to my monster?!"

"That's the power of Forbidden Dress! It lowers the attack points of one face-up monster by six hundred, and that same monster can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects, all until the End Phase. Now both of our monsters have the same attack points!"

Battle Ox swung down its axe, striking Chaos Sorcerer on the head, before the DARK monster unleashed its devastating attack, both monsters blown apart as a result.

"And I think one card face-down will round out my turn." As she said this, Yang looked at his hand. Airknight Parshath and Divine Knight Ishzark: both good monsters, great even, but they needed to be Tribute Summoned, and the only monster that he and his brother controlled was Chaos Emperor Dragon, and he doubted his brother would let him sacrifice it for a weaker monster.

"Is there a problem, Yang?" asked Yin, noticing his brother stalling.

"N-No, I'm fine. I draw! And I activate another copy of Reload!"

"That's the second time that he's needed to use that card," said Choun as Yang shuffled his hand back into his deck. "Luck clearly favors his brother."

'Okay, not the best hand in the world,' thought Yang as he overlooked his two new cards, 'but if I'm lucky, I can end this duel and get this over with.' "I summon my Dimensional Alchemist to the field!"

In a multicolored flash of light, a new monster appeared. The new monster was a humanoid figure wearing a white suit of plate armor, although the arms and shoulders were gold instead. A purple cape fluttered from behind it, and a purple sash hung from its waist. White strips of metal, a bit like feathers or flower petals, stuck out of the shoulder plates, and it had a helmet with a raised visor which revealed its face. Its face was stark white with an open mouth and black holes where the eyes were, as if it were a mask with nothing behind it (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And now, I'll end this duel! Dimensional Alchemist, attack directly!"

A multicolored ball of energy was materialized in the hands of the Fairy-type, and it shot it at its opponents, only for Bacho to activate her set card.

"I activate my Battle Break! With this card, your attacking monster gets blown to bits, and the Battle Phase ends! However, you can negate the effect by revealing a monster in your hand."

"I can't do that," said Yang as he stared at the only card in his hand, Dimension Distortion.

"Then it looks like we survive another turn, and your monster gets blown apart!" A gray blast of wind shot out of the Trap Card and deflected the attack, before ripping apart Dimensional Alchemist.

"Well, when Dimensional Alchemist is destroyed and goes to the Graveyard, I get to add a banished monster to my hand." Yin walked up to Yang and showed him his banished cards, excluding those from Pot of Desires, as he looked between those and his own banished cards. "I guess I'll take back my Banisher of the Radiance and end my turn."

"Then I draw!" said Anthony. "And I activate Night Beam, destroying your face-down card and preventing you from activating it in response!"

A yellow beam of light shot out of the card, and the set card was revealed to be Big Burn before it was destroyed, with Yin scowling.

"Then I'll set a monster to protect our life points, and I'll end my turn."

"Then I draw!" said Yin, who looked at his card, then added it to his hand. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, burn that monster to a crisp with Cemetary of Fire!"

The Dragon-type roared as it unleashed another powerful inferno, the face-down monster revealed to be Overdrive (LV 4: DEF 1500). Overdrive was swiftly destroyed by the powerful blast, and both Bacho and Anthony took a step back, feeling the heat from the flames.

"It doesn't matter how many turns it takes, or how many lucky breaks you two have," snarled Yin. "At the end of the day, we…will…crush you! End turn!"

"He has a point, sad to say," said Choun. "These last two turns, they've only managed to survive through luck. If they don't regain their momentum soon, it's over, for both the duel, and the Kikai Kingdom."

"Come on, you've got this!" cheered Chohi. "Win this duel for us!"

"Here goes," said Bacho. "I draw!" And as she saw what she had in her hand, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. As Anthony noticed this, he leaned over to see the card, and a huge grin spread across his face as they made eye contact.

"Well, look at that," said Anthony. "Guess I made the right call, having you add that."

"Yeah," said Bacho, before she glanced at Chaos Emperor Dragon. "And it looks like I couldn't have drawn him at a better time." She then turned back to Anthony, her smile matching his. "So, you ready for this?"

"I was born ready," said Anthony as he put on his sunglasses. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" said Bacho, tightening her headband as both duelists pulled a card from their Graveyard. "You aren't the only ones who can Special Summon a monster by banishing monsters! Because I have a powerful monster that can be Special Summoned from my hand if I banish two monsters from my hand, field, or Graveyard! By banishing a Beast-Warrior-type, like Beast King Barbaros…"

"And a Machine-type, like Machine Lord Ur…" added Anthony.

"Then I can summon the most powerful monster in my deck!" As Bacho said this, both Beast King Barbaros and Machine Lord Ur appeared, side by side, as they began to swirl together. "The ultimate fusion of mammal and machine!"

"A true king whose power is unparalleled!"

"ARISE," they said together, "BEAST MACHINE KING BARBAROS UR!"

As the light died down, a new monster was revealed, one that looked like a fusion of the two banished monsters. It had gray skin, with a wild blonde mane that had metal "petals" sticking out, and piercing red eyes. Over its chest was a red piece of armor with those same strips of metal, as well as around its waist, and in its hands, it held large red weapons that were a bit hard to identify. They were held like guns and clamped around the wrist, with the ends having a rhombus-shaped spike, almost like a hidden blade. Its lower half was that of a large cat, with black fur and a long tail that ended in a red metal stinger (LV 8: ATK 3800).

"SO COOL!" said Chohi, stars in her eyes.

"Did you have any idea Sui had such a powerful monster?" asked Kakoen, turning to Choun.

"I didn't," was Choun's reply, "although this surprise is definitely a pleasant one."

"I have to admit, it's quite impressive," said Kannei.

"Such strength," said Yin, backing up.

"Damn right!" said Bacho. "Even with that sword powering up your monster, this guy has enough power to take him down! And even though he usually deals no battle damage to my opponent, Skill Drain negates that! Barbaros Ur, take down that dragon!"

The Beast-Warrior let out a roar, before it began to charge at the Dragon-type. Chaos Emperor Dragon let out a roar as it swung the Sword of Dark Destruction, only for Barbaros Ur to block it with one of its weapons, then drive the other weapon into the beast's chest, destroying it in an explosion of pixels (Yin & Yang: 3500-3100 LP).

"Impossible…they destroyed our most powerful monster!" cried Yang.

"And that's the end of my turn!"

"Okay, my turn," said Yang, only to hesitate, seemingly unable to draw his next card.

"What's up with him?" asked Kannei. "He's hesitating for whatever reason."

"Hmm…" said Chohi, seemingly in thought, before shrugging. "Got me!"

'This is bad. If we lose this, both of us will be sent to the Shadow Realm,' thought Yang, before he turned to Yin, who was looking at him with a mixture of concern and impatience. 'But even if we do win…then I could lose my big brother.'

"Come on, Yang, quit stalling and draw! We can't give up when we're so close!" But this only made Yang begin to tremble, sweat dripping down his brow. "Make your move, come on!"

And he did. "END SHADOW GAME!"

Yin, Bacho, Anthony, and their audience were shocked, as dark purple shadows rose from the decks of the four duelists and hovered into the air, before they burst apart.

"Yang, what are you-"

"It's over, Gesshoku!" screamed Yang, making his brother flinch at hearing his secret name, one he hadn't heard in years. "Look, we're way over our heads here. Shadow Games, joining this cult…I can't do this! I'm not going to risk my only family for this! And I'm not going to see you become a shell of who you are!"

"Whoa…" said Anthony, watching the whole scene unfold.

"Gotta say, I wasn't expecting this," said Bacho.

"Yang, what are you-"

"I was unsure about the theft, and making the gang, but I went along with it. But this is too much! I'm not losing you, Gesshoku! Please, let's just…quit while we're ahead." He then turned to his opponents. "We for-"

"Hold on a sec! You can't forfeit!"

"Huh?" asked Yang, perplexed as Bacho raised an objection.

"Look, I'm really happy that you ended the Shadow Game, but I still plan on finishing this duel! Now come on, Yang! Draw your card, and let's finish this, only now it's just for fun!"

"Just for fun…" said Yang, before he smiled, nodding his head. "Okay, let's do it! But I have one request."

"Okay, what is it?"

"My name is Kenshiro Yoake! And my big brother here is Kenkuro Yugure! Call us by our real names from now on, because Yin and Yang are no more!"

"You got it, Kenshiro!" said Bacho, giving the younger twin a thumbs-up.

"Let's do this!" said Kenshiro. "I draw!" As he did this, Kenkuro could only stare at his little brother.

"Ya-Nisshoku," he said, correcting himself. It felt so weird to call his brother by not only his real name, but his secret name, after spending the past eight years going under their respective aliases. But although it felt weird, it also felt right.

"I'll set one monster and send it back to you guys!" said Kenshiro.

"I'm proud of you, Kenshiro," said Anthony as he drew. "That took a lot of guts. But don't expect us to hold back because of that! I summon my UFO Turtle!"

The flying saucer spun onto the field, before the head and legs of the turtle were revealed (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"UFO Turtle, attack that face-down monster!"

The Machine-type tucked in its head and limbs, jets of fire shooting out as it spun towards the face-down monster, which was flipped up and revealed. The monster had a translucent female body with bandages wrapped around it, and rather than a head, it had a miniature sun (LV 4: DEF ?).

"My Helios - The Primordial Sun gains one hundred attack and defense points for every banished monster!" said Kenshiro.

"Maybe so, but thanks to Sui's Skill Drain, it's stuck at zero!" said Anthony (DEF 0). Without any way to defend itself, UFO Turtle ripped through the Pyro-type.

"I end my turn!"

"My move," said Kenkuro. "I draw! And I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!"

Kenkuro's new monster took the form of a bald monk wearing a purple and green robe. He had a red mask over the left side of his face, and in his right hand, he held a red chain of Buddhist prayer beads (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"Kycoo, destroy that UFO Turtle!"

The Spellcaster-type closed his eyes and began to pray, before his eyes opened, and he unleashed a flash of white energy that destroyed the Machine-type (Bacho & Anthony: 800-400 LP). Anthony grinned as a red portal appeared on the field.

"When my UFO Turtle is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a FIRE monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck!" As he looked through his deck, he turned to Bacho. "Any preference, Sui?"

"Nope. Any monster should be good."

"Alright, then I'll pick my Battle Footballer!"

Out of the crimson portal, the automaton athlete appeared (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"You set them up, and we knock them down!" said Kenkuro with an arrogant smirk, although Kenshiro noticed he was much less sadistic than before. He was finally acting like normal. "I'll end my turn with that!"

"Then it's my turn," said Bacho. "I draw!" As she flipped her card over, she grinned as she saw what she had. "Hey, Anthony, think I can borrow Battle Footballer for a Tribute Summon?"

"Go for it."

"Alright! I tribute Battle Footballer to summon my Rude Kaiser!"

The Machine-type faded away, the mighty lizardman replacing it (LV 5: ATK 1800).

"Now then, it's about time that we finally ended this thing! Rude Kaiser, attack Kycoo with Forearm Slash!"

The Beast-Warrior ran up to the Spellcaster, who brought his palm back. The two attacked each other simultaneously with a slash from Rude Kaiser's wrist axes and a palm strike from Kycoo, neither monster surviving the encounter.

"Now you're both wide open for an attack from Barbaros Ur!" said Bacho, before turning towards her partner. "Let's finish this together, shall we?"

"I thought you would never ask! Remember the phrase?"

"Sure I do! You've only said it a million times!"

"Not again…" said Kenkuro as both duelists held out their arms, as the weapons of Barbaros Ur retracted and opened up, revealing two double-barreled cannons.

"IT'S TIME TO FACE THE FUTURE! GO, FLASH BURST SHOT!"

From each blaster, two bright shots of energy shot out, the four bullets homing in on the twins and blasting them backwards in a flash of bright light (Kenkuro & Kenshiro: 3100-0 LP)(Winners: Bacho & Anthony).

"Oh yeah, we rocked!" cheered Anthony at their victory, with Bacho grabbing him in a hug and spinning him around, the two of them laughing as their spectators congratulated them.

"I can't believe it…we lost," said Kenkuro.

"Yeah…but you know what, Gesshoku? For once, I'm a little glad that we lost," said Kenshiro.

"Nisshoku…" said Kenkuro, only for them to be surrounded by the six members of Kikai, as Anthony and Bacho helped Kenkuro and Kenshiro to their feet respectively.

"Not bad, not bad at all," said Anthony.

"Yeah, you really gave us a challenge!" said Bacho.

"Plus, you quit working for the bad guys!" said Chohi, with Kenshiro averting his gaze.

"I must say, I'm impressed," said Kakoen.

"This doesn't mean you'll be let off lightly, however," said Kannei. "You're still guilty of several accounts of thieves, and most recently, conspiracy and assassination, if one can refer to a Shadow Game as such."

"She's right," said Choun to Anthony. "Need I remind you of the first time we encountered them?"

"Yeah, I remember," said Anthony. "Sorry, guys, but I can't give you a free pass just because you changed sides. I'll have to turn both of you in."

"We understand, right, Gesshoku?" asked Kenshiro, and when Kenkuro didn't answer, he elbowed his older brother in the side.

"Right," said Kenkuro. "I suppose it's a fitting punishment for all of the trouble we've caused."

"Hey, hold on," said Bacho. "Rinrin, remember how Mukade called up Ukitsu, only to get shut out when he admitted he lost?"

"Yep!"

"What if we got these two to lie and say they won?"

"That could help get some information on our enemies…" said Choun.

"You'd be wasting your time and ours," said Kenkuro. "Ukitsu and Saji would see through us instantly."

"But we're still willing to tell you all we know," said Kenshiro.

"That sounds perfect," said Anthony, before turning to his generals. "Sui and I will stay on patrol, girls. You four take these two back to Aisha."

"You got it!" said Chohi with a salute, the others nodding as they escorted the former Yin-Yang twins back to the palace.

"So, how was your first ever Tag Team Duel?" asked Anthony.

"Exciting, fun, and a little bit terrifying," said Bacho. "Looks like the first time using my new and improved deck was a complete success."

"I'll say," said Anthony. "I look forward to seeing Barbaros Ur in action again."

"You and me both," said Bacho. "Ready to get back to patrol?"

"You bet," said Anthony, as he grabbed onto Bacho's hand, and they got back to work, both filled with pride.

~KD~

"I haven't heard back from either of the twins," said Ukitsu, scowling. "Perhaps this was a mistake."

"Perhaps," agreed Genho. "One that you'll take full responsibility for."

"It's not over yet," said Yokubo, walking up to her lord with a sultry smile. "You still have the best of us here. And I'm more than happy to challenge Kikai."

"Let's hope, for your sake, you can get good results. Now go."

"As you command, Master Saji."

* * *

 **HOLY CRAP, was this a long time coming. I'm so sorry, I don't really have an excuse other than sheer laziness. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait: not only does it feature a Tag Team Duel, but it's the longest chapter so far, even longer than the omake chapters. This duel was definitely fun to write, especially with the new "Chaos" decks that the twins use, which I thought fit them much better than Gate Guardian, what with the black and white theme. To be honest, when I first wrote Chapter 5, where Yin and Yang debuted, I didn't have plans for their return. They were just meant to be one-time opponents for Anthony and Choun to face. But after a while, I kinda started to miss them, and decided to give them, along with Mukade and Yokubo, some more depth and improved decks.**

 **Also, if you haven't seen it yet, I've uploaded another poll, this time for the next story I'll be working on, Kamen Rider Aurum. Please make sure to vote in it, as it'll be closed once I've uploaded the final chapter of Koihime Duel, which is when I'll begin working on that one. Starpion out!**


End file.
